1. Dr Jane and JGIA at IPS in Chicago
On August 21-27, the 26th Congress of the International Primatological Society (IPS) was held at Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo. It was a special congress for JGI as Dr Jane was honoured to receive the IPS Lifetime Achievement Award. It was also a great opportunity for us to hold a small gathering of JGI researchers and staff attending from around the world. Two of our local Australian staff members and primate researchers, Nicky Kim-McCormack and Natasha Coutts, were there to represent JGIA, present their research findings and snap a few photos with our wonderful founder. We are proud of all three inspiring primatologists!
2. How You Can Help Dr Jane End Wildlife Trafficking
Dr Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute are doing what we know to be right – by working to end wildlife trafficking. On World Elephant Day, we began Jane’s Traffic Stop – an effort to use the enormous power of social media, and Jane’s fifth Reason For Hope, to help spread awareness about wildlife trafficking and end it for good. The resulting species loss is not just a matter of individual deaths of beautiful animals – it’s the destruction of entire populations and all the ecosystems dependent upon those creatures, and we must act. You can act today, by committing to our pledge to #StandWithJane:
I stand with Dr. Jane and JGIA in the fight to protect chimpanzees and stop the illegal wildlife trade by:
- Never buying wildlife souvenirs made with ivory, tortoise shell, reptile skins, and seashells, as I understand this demand drives poaching.
- “Lending my Eyes to the Wild” by using the Wildlife Witness App when I travel to report illegal wildlife trade by taking a photo and pinning its location so our friends at TRAFFIC can spot patterns and notify the local authorities.
- Signing the petition to support Dr Jane in delivering the urgent message to policy makers and conservation leaders that ending wildlife trafficking must be a priority for the international community.
- Donating to JGIA to continue our important work with young chimpanzees, some of the most vulnerable victims of wildlife trade, and enable us to protect the diversity and beauty of global wildlife through this campaign.
- Sharing this urgent message to #StandWithJane through Facebookand Instagram and letting my social network know that when they share a photo of a cute chimpanzee performing in clothing they are hurting chimpanzees – the grin on that chimp’s face is one of fear.
3. Celebrate Peace Day this September with JGIA
Did you know that the International Day of Peace is on September 21st? As a UN Messenger of Peace, Peace Day is Dr. Jane’s favourite day of the year. Every year in September Roots & Shoots members around the world come together to celebrate peace and this year is no different. JGIA’s Roots & Shoots in collaboration with Perth Zoo, Zoos SA, Zoos VIC and Taronga Zoo will be holding celebrations of peace around Australia. This year’s theme from the UN is “The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs): Building Blocks for Peace” and we have been counting down the 17 SDGs on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter pages.
If you are or know of a young person who would like to join us to celebrate, we still have places left for our Sydney and Melbourne Peace Day events. Simply email us at rootsandshoots@janegoodall.org.au for more information and a free invite. And keep an eye out for updates from the celebrations across Australia and the world on our social media platforms.
4. Welcome to a New Baby Chimpanzee at Tchimpounga
In April, a baby chimpanzee was brought to JGI’s Tchimpounga Sanctuary. A poacher from northern Congo had surrendered him to the authorities, and although underweight and traumatised about being separated from his mother, the newly named Falero was otherwise strong and healthy. Falero was clearly quite sad but soon bonded with Chantal, his assigned caregiver for the quarantine period.
As the youngest chimpanzee at Tchimpounga, we took great care in deciding where in the groups to place little Falero and eventually decided upon a wonderful surrogate mother, Lounama. Lounama is a delicate and sensitive young female with a cardiac issue that requires her to live a quiet life near our veterinary staff. When we introduced Falero to Lounama, they were both very calm. Lounama groomed the baby, and he climbed on her back. Now they are inseparable. Falero has a new mother and Lounama has a baby all to herself, giving her a new sense of purpose and hope.
If you want to help Falero and his friends, you can become a chimp guardian today.
5. Put Yourself on the Edge to Save Endangered Chimpanzees
On August 15th, social enterprise Edge Pledge was launched to put people “on the edge” to raise money for wildlife on the brink of extinction. JGIA is proud to be one of Edge Pledge’s inaugural environmental partners and raise funds for chimpanzees like Falero at our Tchimpounga Sanctuary.
So how does it work? Edge Pledge’s “challenge generator” finds three unique challenges for every Edge Pledge participant (aka ‘Extinction Fighters’). It could be anything from doing stand-up comedy to skydiving to giving up coffee. The pledger’s family and friends vote via donation for the challenge they’d most like to see the pledger perform. The winning challenge is then videoed and shared on social media and the money raised is donated to a threatened species of the pledger’s choice.
So please help our endangered chimpanzees by putting yourself on the edge to support JGIA and Tchimpounga! Pledge your support at Edge Pledge, challenge a friend or vote for one of our brave pledgers including our CEO Nancy in her pledge to eat, sound or act like a chimp. And to read more about the fun that pledgers are having while raising nearly $10K in two weeks, check out Australian Geographic, Huffington Post and Pro Bono Australia.
6. Thank you to our Partners
JGIA would like to thank Wolseley Private Equity for their very generous and continued support over the past few years. Not only have they contributed by having a Director on our Board and by donating to the ongoing work of JGIA, they have also been wonderful office hosts for the past year and a pleasure to share a space with. We are also very grateful to our newest pro-bono partners, law firm Baker & McKenzie, for providing legal services to JGIA. We look forward to a long and meaningful relationship, supporting our joint interests in all things Animals, People and the Environment.
And finally, from all of us at JGIA, Happy International Primate Day on September 1st!
