Updated on 2026/03/16
Life Science / Zoological sciences / Animal Behavior, Welfare and Conservation
Humanities & Social Sciences / Social psychology / Human-animal behavior, Public Education, OneHealth
Nagoya University Graduate School of Education and Human Development Young Leader Cultivation Program Specific Assistant Professor
2025.4 - 2030.3
Tokai Pathways to Global Excellence Nagoya University Institute for Advanced Research T-Gex Fellow
2025.4 - 2030.3
Country：Japan
New York University Department of Anthropology External research collaborator
2024.4 - 2025.3
Country：United States
Leipzig University External research collaborator
2023.1 - 2024.3
Country：Germany
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Japan Monkey Centre Postdoctoral fellow
2022.4 - 2024.3
Country：Japan
Lund University Joint collaboration Japan Monkey Centre External research collaborator
2021.1 - 2022.1
Country：Sweden
Notes：Leakey Foundation (PI. Ivo Jacobs)
Primate Research Institute Department of Comparative Cognitive Science Graduate Research Assistant
2020.4 - 2021.1
Country：Japan
Notes：JSPS/MEXT KAKENHI #15K00204 (PI. Misato Hayashi)
Kyoto University Centre for International Collaboration and Advanced Studies in Primatology Teaching assistant
2019.10 - 2020.4
Country：Japan
GAES, Hearing Center Researcher collaborator
2016.10 - 2017.3
Country：Portugal
Movement Women for Primatology Science Production
2025.10
Committee type：Other
Open Meeting for Portuguese Primatology 2nd Edition Scientific and Organizing Committees
2023.11
Committee type：Other
Workshop @ 12th International Symposium on Primatology and Wildlife Science, CICASP, Kyoto University Organizing Committee
2019.9
Committee type：Academic society
Open Meeting for Portuguese Primatology 1st Edition Organizing Committee
2018.7
Committee type：Other
Presentation on Panel at the 12th International Symposium on Primatology and Wildlife Science, Kyoto University, Japan. (Best presentation First Award)
2019.9 Leading Program for Primatological and Wildlife Sciences Assessing the impact of mountain gorilla ecotourism in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda.
Claudia Sousa Memorial Fund
2015.9 JSPS Core-to-Core A. Advanced Research Networks CCSN
Reconnection with nature through empathy: rewiring people and animals by assessing zoo visitors' connection to species and the need for their conservation Invited Reviewed Open Access
Raquel Costa, Shenwen Xu, Angela Brandão, Misato Hayashi
Frontiers in Psychology Vol. 16 2025.3
GorillaFACS: The Facial Action Coding System for the Gorilla spp. Invited Reviewed Open Access
Catia Correia Caeiro, Raquel Costa, Misato Hayashi, Anne Burrows, Jordan Pater, Takako Miyabe-Nishiwaki, Jack Richardson, Martha M. Robbins, Bridget Waller, Katja Liebal
PLOS ONE Vol. 20 ( 1 ) 2025.1
The impact of tourist visits on mountain gorilla behavior in Uganda Invited Reviewed Open Access
Raquel Costa, Rafaela S. C. Takeshita, Masaki Tomonaga, Michael A. Huffman, Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka, Fred Bercovitch, Misato Hayashi
Journal of Ecotourism Vol. 23 ( 3 ) page： 277 - 295 2024.7
The behavioral sequences of mountain gorillas under tourism pressure – insights for tourism sustainability. Open Access
Raquel Costa
Primates Conservation page： 121 - 133 2024.1
Costa, RFP; Romano, V; Pereira, AS; Hart, JDA; MacIntosh, A; Hayashi, M
CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE Vol. 5 ( 1 ) 2023.1
The dispersal dilemma among female mountain gorillas: Risk infanticide and gain protection
Costa, R; Tomonaga, M; Otsuka, R; Huffman, MA; Bercovitch, F; Kalema-Zikusoka, G; Hayashi, M
AFRICAN JOURNAL OF ECOLOGY Vol. 59 ( 1 ) page： 273 - 276 2021.3
Costa, R; Hayashi, M; Huffman, MA; Kalema-Zikusoka, G; Tomonaga, M
PRIMATES Vol. 60 ( 6 ) page： 493 - 498 2019.11
Brandao, A; Costa, R; Rodrigues, E; Vicente, L
BEHAVIOUR Vol. 156 ( 3-4 ) page： 203 - + 2019.1
Assessment of environmental enrichment for different primate species under low budget: A case study
Costa, R; Sousa, C; Llorente, M
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE Vol. 21 ( 2 ) page： 185 - 199 2018
The Complex Personality of Mandrills (<i>Mandrillus sphinx</i>)
Brandao, A; Costa, R; Rodrigues, E; Vicente, L
FOLIA PRIMATOLOGICA Vol. 89 ( 3-4 ) page： 191 - 192 2018
Brandao, A; Costa, R; Rodrigues, E; Peixoto, L; Vicente, L
FOLIA PRIMATOLOGICA Vol. 89 ( 3-4 ) page： 174 - 175 2018
Hanya, G; Naito, S; Namioka, E; Ueda, Y; Sato, Y; Pastrana, JA; He, TM; Yan, XC; Saito, M; Costa, RFP; Allanic, M; Honda, T; Kurihara, Y; Yumoto, T; Hayakawa, T
MAMMAL STUDY Vol. 42 ( 4 ) page： 239 - 246 2017.12
Pathophysiology, Diagnosis and Treatment of Somatosensory Tinnitus: A Scoping Review Open Access
Haider, HF; Hoare, DJ; Costa, RFP; Potgieter, I; Kikidis, D; Lapira, A; Nikitas, C; Caria, H; Cunha, NT; Paço, JC
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE Vol. 11 2017.4
Morphometric and genetic determination of age class and sex for fecal pellets of sika deer (Cervus nippon). Invited Reviewed International coauthorship International journal
Raquel Costa
2017
Environmental Enrichment for Captive Primates: Research on Primate Welfare at Maia's Zoo
Costa, R; Sousa, C; Llorente, M
FOLIA PRIMATOLOGICA Vol. 85 ( 1 ) page： 50 - 50 2014
Revisão sistemática: Uma ponte entre a aprendizagem social e cultura em primatas não humanos. Invited Reviewed International coauthorship International journal
Raquel Costa
Cadernos do GEEvH 2014
Conservation Across Continents: the negative interactions between ecotourists and wild gorillas and how zoos can help shape people’s minds and improve (wild) animal welfare Invited
Seminar for keepers and staff at Higashiyama Zoo and Botanical Gardens
People and Gorillas, from Uganda to Japan: the impacts of interactions between tourists and gorillas on their behavior and species conservation Invited
Delivered in the MSc Environmental Sustainability, MSc. Program in Psychology & Environmental Sustainability, Catholic University of Portugal, Lisbon 2024.9.17
Desde a planície até à montanha: ecologia, comportamento e conservação de gorilas (Gorilla sp.) Invited
Pre-conference workshop (Portuguese Primatology 2nd Edition) 2023.11.3
Ecotourism’s Paradox: Balancing Gorilla Conservation and Human Interaction with Animals from Africa to Asia Invited
Delivered in the Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Ohio, USA 2025.11.18
Tourist presence and proximity impacts mountain gorilla behavior: Importance of adhering to the rules Invited
Delivered in the Department of Anthropology, Kent State University, Ohio, USA 2021.4.21
Por que precisam os gorilas de montanha de distanciamento social? O que perdemos com a extinção de cada espécie? Invited
Delivered in the Universidade Nova, Lisbon, Portugal 2021.11.24
Por que os gorilas precisam de distanciamento social? Invited
Delivered in the MSc Primatology program at Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas, Universidade Nova de Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal 2023.11.6
Mountain gorillas: conservation and exploration Invited
Delivered in the Field training course of the Kibale Research Station in Uganda; presentation included in the Anthropology Program at Hunter College of the City University of New York 2019.1.10
人間と動物とのふれあいの改善を通じて、公衆教育とワンヘルスを促進する
2026.1 - 2027.3
住友電工グループ社会貢献基金 学術研究助成金
Authorship：Principal investigator
Bridging Worlds: Exploring Turn-Taking Communication Between Apes and Humans to Promote Nature Conservation, One Health, and Responsible Tourism
2025.4 - 2030.3
Tokai Pathways to Global Excellence
Authorship：Principal investigator
Exploring Turn-Taking Communicative Signals between apes and humans in face-to-face interactions
2025.4 - 2030.3
Young Leaders Cultivation Program
Authorship：Principal investigator
Social connection: rewiring people and gorillas for wildlife conservation and One Health
Grant number：22KF0376 2023.3 - 2024.3
Japan Society for the Promotion of Science Grants-in-Aid for Scientific Research Grant-in-Aid for JSPS Fellows
The impact of tourism in Mountain Gorilla Behavior
2017.4 - 2020.3
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Technology Leading Program for Primatological and Wildlife Sciences
Motivations for Conservation Support and Human–Animal Connectedness Among Japanese Zoo Visitors: A Data Report
Role(s)：Contribution
Monkey Magazine (Issue November) 2025.11
“Why do mountain gorillas need social distance – proximity to tourists and risk of extinction” Museum talk at Japan Monkey Centre, Inuyama, Japan (Sep 22th, 2022).
Role(s)：Appearance
Japan Monkey Centre
“Tourist Interactions with Gorillas: Impacts on Behavior and Conservation” Open Science Dialogue at Fukuroi High School, Hamamatsu, Japan (Dec, 18th 2022).
Role(s)：Appearance
JSPS
“Taro the Western Gorilla 50th Anniversary” Outreach talk
Role(s)：Appearance
Japan Monkey Centre
“On the path to ethical and sustainable tourism: what to do and what you should not do when visiting mountain gorillas”. Faunalytics (2024)
Role(s)：Contribution
Faunalytics https://faunalytics.org/mountain-gorilla-tourism-the-gorillas-perspective/
“O Bom, o Mau e o Vilão do Ecoturismo: O Frágil Sucesso do Turismo de Gorilas e a Vulnerabilidade Desta Espécie” Wilder (issue 2024)
Role(s)：Contribution
Wilder https://wilder.pt/opiniao/o-bom-o-mau-e-o-vilao-do-ecoturismo-o-fragil-sucesso-do-turismo-de-gorilas-e-a-vulnerabilidade-desta-especie
From Wild to Zoo: Lessons from Animal and Human Behavior to Enhance Animal Welfare and Species Conservation”. Special event for the celebration of the Gorilla International Day (Sep 24th, 2024).
Role(s)：Contribution
Japan Monkey Centre
Egotourism: How mountain gorillas see and react to tourists (Oct 14th, 2019).
Role(s)：Appearance
NerdNite Kansai
Costa, R. & Hayashi, M. "Mountain Gorilla Water Play: First Observation in Bwindi National Park, Uganda"
Role(s)：Contribution
科学, 90(4), 342-343
Case Study: Mountain gorillas and tourism in Uganda. ”The Science of Hope: Eye to eye with our world’s wildlife
Role(s)：Contribution
Exisle Publishing (ed Wiebke Finkler and Scott Davis) Book "The Science of Hope: Eye to eye with our world’s wildlife"
"Why do gorillas need social distancing?” Open Science Dialogue at Ena High School, Seki, Japan (Feb 1st 2023).
Role(s)：Appearance
JSPS
"Der Einfluss von Touristen auf Berfforillas" Gorilla Journal #2/2023
Role(s)：Contribution
Berggorilla & Regenwald Direkthilfe, Germany
"Closing the gap between human and non-human animals" Monkey Magazine (issue November 2024)
Role(s)：Contribution
Japan Monkey Centre
"Close encounters with mountain gorillas: Tourists gone bananas!" The Academic, Research Explained (2023)
Role(s)：Contribution
The University of New South Wales
Effect of Tourism on Mountain Gorilla Social Cohesion Promotional material
American Society of Primatologists Hot Topics https://asp.org/2023/10/02/effect-of-tourism-on-mountain-gorilla-social-cohesion/ 2023.10
¿Por qué juegan los animales? La compleja evolución de la diversión Newspaper, magazine
El País https://elpais.com/ciencia/2022-05-07/por-que-juegan-los-animales-la-compleja-evolucion-de-la-diversion.html 2022.5
Los gorilas de montaña juegan en el agua como si fueran humanos Internet
Science Plus EUROPA PRESS https://www.europapress.es/ciencia/laboratorio/noticia-gorilas-montana-juegan-agua-si-fueran-humanos-20190910144849.html 2019.9
Wild mountain gorillas play in water just like humans do, scientists say after watching the apes splashing and sweeping their arms through a stream TV or radio program
Daily Mail https://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-7443089/Wild-gorillas-play-water-just-like-humans-splashing-sweeping-arms-stream.html 2019.9
Wild mountain gorillas found to play in water like humans Newspaper, magazine
Phys.org https://phys.org/news/2019-09-wild-mountain-gorillas-humans.html 2019.9
Rare sightings suggest mountain gorillas may delight in water play TV or radio program
Medical News Today 2019.9
Wild mountain gorillas enjoy playing in water just like we do Newspaper, magazine
New Scientist https://www.newscientist.com/article/2215619-wild-mountain-gorillas-enjoy-playing-in-water-just-like-we-do/ 2019.8
Water play behavior in mountain gorillas Internet
IFLScience https://www.instagram.com/p/B2PQ8Wtp820/
ACTA ETHOLOGICA
Role(s)：Peer review
Springer Nature
VETERINARY MEDICINE AND SCIENCE
Role(s)：Peer review
Wiley
PRIMATES
Role(s)：Peer review
Japan Monkey Centre, Springer Nature
JOURNAL OF APPLIED ANIMAL WELFARE SCIENCE
Role(s)：Peer review
Taylor & Francis Group
ECOLOGY AND EVOLUTION
Role(s)：Peer review
Wiley-Blackwell
BULLETIN OF UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURAL SCIENCES AND VETERINARY MEDICINE CLUJ-NAPOCA. HORTICULTURE
Role(s)：Peer review
AcademicPres
AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PRIMATOLOGY
Role(s)：Peer review
Wiley
Conservation Science and Practice
Role(s)：Peer review
