Ellen Roots
AUTHOR

Ellen Roots

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My Chinese name is Wu Meilu (吴美庐), which means Beautiful Lushan Roots. I was born in Niger, West Africa, to a doctor who eradicated smallpox with the CDC program for 2.5 years – the first white baby born in the country. My father moved our whole family there for the duration and it was his responsibility with his team to inoculate everyone within the country, which was deemed a success in 1970. We returned to the United States when I was two. My father finished his medical residency and we relocated to Santa Fe, where I grew up. As the youngest of three siblings, I knew from the tender age of four that I wanted to work in the world of conservation and steadfastly worked toward that goal.

My family had always had strong wanderlust and I was no different. I longed to visit Africa – home of my birth and of some of the most iconic wildlife in the world. I returned to Niger briefly in 1994, and finished my B.S. in Biology cum laude in 1996. In that timeframe, I became an avid birdwatcher and heavily involved with National and local Audubon Societies, serving on the board for 10 years. An M.S. in Molecular Biology followed, and a family not long after. We eventually relocated to California to raise my two amazing kids and work in the conservation field.

My travels have taken me to six continents, almost all for wildlife and birdwatching, and my children now also have the wanderlust! It will serve them well in life and will expand their horizons.
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