A KIRKBY Stephen girl has swapped the wintry skies of Eden for the hot African sun, to take up a highly sought-after place on a primate research project - the basis of a BBC Natural World documentary, The Wild Ladies of Viramba, screened last month.

After reading tropical environmental science at Aberdeen University, Katie Boswell, 24, fought off some fierce competition to join the long-running project based at Tanzania's Mikumi National Park to work alongside one of the world's leading primate experts, Guy Norton, in studying how the highly sociable baboon community lives and interacts.

Katie's aunt, Christine MacDougall, explained it was Katie's late grandfather, Professor Charles Boswell, a former biology master at Giggleswick School, who encouraged her fascination with the species.

"It's in her blood now, as is Africa," said Miss MacDougall, of Ingleton. "She has worked hard to achieve this and the family is extremely proud of her."