1. Happy Mother’s Day Wishes from JGIA
From all of us at JGIA, we hope that you had a lovely Mother’s Day! From Dr. Jane’s own supportive mother Vanne, to Gremlin and Flo, two very special chimpanzee mothers at Gombe, mothers have always been an important part of JGI. Our mother’s guide us, help us and sometimes teach us lessons that we take into our own adult lives. In fact, it was in the forests of Gombe that Dr Jane herself learned many lessons about being a mother. According to her, after so many years observing chimp mums with their infants, the most important thing that she learned is that having a child should be fun. And we have to say that we completely agree!
2. JGIA Welcomes Judith
We are very pleased to announce the arrival of our newest team member, Judith Cantor, who joins the JGIA family as Fundraising Manger. Judith comes to us with extensive fundraising and marketing experience having worked for, and with, organisations like Guide Dogs NSW, Life Education Australia, Landcare Australia, Australian Red Cross and more. She has also personally fundraised for close to 60 different charities over a 5-year period of monthly challenges (the last of which was swimming with humpback whales in Tonga!), and has been a not-for-profit Board Director as well as a “hands-on” volunteer for a number of causes. Welcome Judith!
3. NYLC Member Asitha Meets IAPF Founder Damien Mander
In May, Victorian NYLC member Asitha Samarawickrama had the privilege of meeting Damien Mander, the founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF), of which Dr Jane is a member of the Advisory Committee. Damien was in Melbourne to talk about his fight against rhinoceros poaching in Africa. Asitha found Damien’s story to be filled with passion, inspiration and hope, emotions he has portrayed in his beautiful post available on our R&S Projects page. Happy reading!
4. Junior Chimp Champion is Young People supporting Young Chimpanzees
Did you know that chimpanzees are endangered? With as few as 172,000 remaining in the wild, our chimpanzees face many threats such as habitat loss, the commercial bush meat and illegal pet trades, and infectious diseases. These threats often leave young chimpanzees orphaned and alone.
But young people can help! Through raising $50 or more, kids can become Junior Chimp Champions and help JGIA provide a safe home for young orphaned chimpanzees. You can donate as an individual, group, classroom or school and all you have to do it email us at rootsandshoots@janegoodall.org.au. It’s that easy! So tell your friends and family, join Roots & Shoots and follow us on our Instagram, Facebook and Twitter pages.
5. ZAA Conference
Thanks to our wonderful friends at the Zoo and Aquarium Association (ZAA) and Perth Zoo, JGIA were invited to participate in the 2016 ZAA Conference in Perth. It was great to be a part of this important occasion to share learnings, celebrate improvement and encourage innovation in this industry. Congratulations to the winner of the 2016 Association Awards and we look forward to the next conference!
Photos (L-R): Nancy Moloney, CEO JGIA with Susan Hunt, CEO Perth Zoo and JGIA R&S WA Coordinator Bill Waterer, with Chris Hibbard, ED ZAA and Cameron Kerr, CEO Taronga Zoo and with Elaine Bensted, CEO Zoos SA.
We were also thrilled to be invited as special guests at Taronga Zoo where for the first time ever, Vivid Sydney is being held as part of the zoo’s Centerary Celebrations. If you are in Sydney and haven’t see it yet, it is spectacular so get to Taronga before the show is over on 18 June!
6. May was a Month of JGIA Gratitude
This month we have so much to be thankful for at JGIA. From the wonderful and inspiring young Dr Jane’s in the making at St. Catherine’s School in Bronte who fundraised $525 for JGIA. To the generous artists Yvonne Levenston, Jody Graham, Richard Dobbie, Lou Grossfeldt and Dave Blissett who donated their works to be auctioned off at a fundraiser at the Space Gallery. We simply could not do what we do without the generous support of all of you!
And of course we would be truly lost without the tireless support of all of our amazing volunteers. In light of National Volunteer Week – we are sending out a huge hug and pant-hoot to you all! On behalf of everyone in the JGIA family, Dr Jane and the chimpanzees, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for the difference that you make.
If you would like to be a part of this incredible team, please reach out to us via our Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter pages. And don’t forget that you can still sign up for our Climb for Chimps trip to climb Mount Kilimanjaro and see the chimps at Gombe, all while raising money for a great cause. We are sure that it will be the trip of a lifetime!
