the Jane Goodall Institute

10/20/2026

10/19/2026

Dr. Jane Goodall's legacy continues through young people like Nateli from Washington state, who's keeping local waterways clean for orcas! 😍🌊

Orcas form close family bonds, just like humans, a fact that made Nateli feel more connected to the southern resident orcas that are native to her home state. When Nateli learned that southern resident orcas are endangered because pollutants endanger one of their primary food sources, salmon, she began speaking up and taking action. Through Roots & Shoots, the Jane Goodall Institute's youth action program, Nateli launched "Plan ORCA," a project that approaches orca conservation from multiple angles:

🏫 Education at local schools

🐟 Restoration of salmon habitat and beaches

🧪 Water quality testing

✉️ Writing letters to politicians and advising policy changes

Through her unceasing dedication, Nateli is restoring hope for the southern resident orcas of the Pacific Northwest and inspiring a whole community of new orca fans to care about these magnificent beings as much as she does. 💚

Nateli is an amazing example of how young people can "hop in" to make a difference for animals. We are so proud to support Nateli as a winner of the "Hop into the Animal Kingdom Challenge," launched in celebration of Disney and Pixar’s film “Hoppers,” the 30th anniversary of the Disney Conservation Fund, and the 35th anniversary of Roots & Shoots.

🎥: Jane Goodall Institute

10/19/2026

Meet Patrícia, a tender-hearted female chimpanzee who found a safe home at JGI's Tchimpounga sanctuary after her mother was lost to the illegal wildlife trade. When Patrícia came into our care in early 2024, she weighed only 10 pounds. Two Tchimpounga caregivers, Chantal and Godelin, played a pivotal role in her recovery through their dedicated, around-the-clock care. Now, Patrícia is thriving!

As Patrícia found her way among Tchimpounga sanctuary's nursery group, she was able to develop strong bonds with a couple of chimpanzee peers named Perinne and Z**i. Since Patrícia lost her mother, these became critical relationships to give her a sense of belonging and security.

Fast forward to this year, and Patrícia has "graduated" to a near-wild environment: Tchimpounga's Banga Island! Patrícia has found new companions in Djambala and Kevin, as together they are the three youngest chimpanzees of the group. The 12 chimpanzees who live at Banga Island are constantly inventing new games and exploring together. If Patrícia loses sight of her two companions, she will call out in distress. Often one of the older chimpanzees of the group, including Perrine, will come to comfort her and embrace her.

We are so happy that Patrícia is now free to live with dignity in a natural setting where she can form bonds that help her curious, gentle spirit shine. And you can play a part in her story by symbolically adopting Patrícia through our Chimpanzee Guardian program. Learn more at the link in our bio!

📸: Fernando Turmo

10/18/2026

What does an education mean to you? To Nyangoma Everlyn in Uganda, it represents the path to her dream of becoming a teacher. 👩‍🏫🍎

When Everlyn's father suffered a serious accident, she had to put that dream aside. Her family could not afford to buy the books, pens, and uniform needed to attend primary school, so Everlyn dropped out. 🚶🏾‍♀️🏫

When Jane Goodall Institute Uganda visited her school as part of a Roots & Shoots outreach effort, Everlyn's teacher told the team about her desire to continue school. They were thrilled to share information on their Girls' Empowerment Program, which provides support to students in exactly these kinds of circumstances. 🤝✏️

JGI Uganda provided her with the essential scholastic materials that she badly needed to return to school. Today, her teachers report that Everlyn is one of the most active learners in class, inspiring other children who had previously dropped out to return to school too. 📚✨

Through community-based support and individualized compassion, Everlyn can now continue working towards her dream of becoming a teacher. 💚

📸: JGI/David Omoding

10/15/2026

Wildlife is returning to the Gombe-Burundi Corridor, a result of many years of community-led conservation! 👏👏👏

This corridor connects Gombe National Park to the country of Burundi, providing a pathway for wildlife to safely travel and ensure the health of the genetic pool. The Jane Goodall Institute- Tanzania supports this area, made up of village-managed forest reserves, through continuous habitat surveys that help communities make key conservation decisions. We also help local people adapt sustainable livelihoods to provide alternatives to disruptive activities, like farming in cut forest. 🌳🌾

Now, we are seeing these conservation efforts pay off! Wildlife species such as bushbuck, bushpigs, and olive baboons — absent from the area for many years — are now beginning to return. Chimpanzees and other primates have also become more confident, with some now building nests close to our monitoring post and producing vocal calls that can be heard from the previously quiet area. 🐒🔊

Conservation is often slow work, but this encouraging progress highlights how continuous protection, monitoring, and collaboration can help restore important wildlife corridors and support the recovery of essential biodiversity. 💚✨

📸:
1: Carlos Drews
2: Jane Goodall Institute
3+5: JGI/ Stephano Lihedule
4: Cyril Ruoso

Note: Wildlife photos taken in the greater Gombe area, not specific to the Gombe-Burundi corridor

10/13/2026

🐶 One of Dr. Jane Goodall's greatest teachers wasn’t in a classroom at all. It was Rusty, her beloved childhood dog. "From Rusty I learned that animals have personalities, minds and feelings," she would share. "You can’t share your life in a meaningful way with a dog, cat, rabbit, bird or any animal and not know that.”

Those early lessons from Rusty gave Jane the confidence to study chimpanzees with empathy, including naming her research subjects instead of assigning them numbers. When Jane later pursued her PhD at Cambridge, professor told her she was doing things all wrong. But thanks to Rusty, Jane stuck to her methods, which are now commonplace in wildlife research today!

At the Jane Goodall Institute, we are so proud to continue Jane's scientific research and build a world where all animals, both wild and domestic, can thrive.

To the pet owners and animal lovers who are reading this: What have the animals in your life taught you?

📸 Courtesy of the Goodall Family

10/09/2026

📍 At the Jane Goodall Institute, our Conservation Science team uses maps for everything from tracking chimpanzee population movements to community land-use planning! Here are five maps that inform our work at JGI:

🐵 Gombe long-term chimpanzee observation maps: Field assistants at JGI's Gombe Stream Research Center perform daily focal follows of individual chimpanzees and track what they see using Esri's ArcGIS.

🌿 Chimpanzee habitat + threat maps: In the year 2000, Dr. Lilian Pintea, now JGI's VP of Conservation Science, showed Jane a map from IKONOS confirming deforestation happening outside of Gombe National Park. Today, GIS is a cornerstone of our community-led conservation approach.

🤝 Tacare community maps: JGI works with communities living alongside wildlife to collaboratively create a map of their land, helping us find a common path to conservation owned and driven by local communities.

🌳 Real-time forest monitoring and threats maps: Community land monitors use ArcGIS Survey123 to report signs of illegal activities like hunting and logging for quick government action.

💚 Maps that connect minds with hearts: As Jane always said, you have to get to the heart to create change, and the best way to do that is with stories. By combining maps with local stories, we remind ourselves that there is more to these places than meets the eye.

Explore how JGI uses maps to connect minds with hearts in our book, "Local Voices, Local Choices" >> https://shop.janegoodall.org/product/local-voices-local-choices/jgi408

📸:
1,3,4: Jane Goodall Institute
2+5: JGI/Stephano Lihedule

10/08/2026

Show your JGI pride and support our work to continue Dr. Jane Goodall's vision!

Our official Jane Goodall Institute merch is sustainably made, including 100% organic cotton tees and hats. The best part: All proceeds go towards our mission to make the world a better place for people, other animals, and our shared environment 💚🐵🌱

Shop the store at shop.janegoodall.org.

📸: Eric Guzzetta

10/05/2026

It’s not a Night at Basecamp without a roll of film ⋆˚࿔

During Climate Week NYC, we gathered to hear stories from the ocean, cloud forest, and canopy told by the conservationists who know these ecosystems intimately.

A huge thank you to our storytellers Dr. Nicole Yamase, F***y M. Cornejo, and Bill Wallauer; to OneReef, Yunkawasi, Wildlife Conservation Network, and the Jane Goodall Institute for bringing this night to life; and to everyone who gathered with us, listened, and stayed awhile.

The stories don’t end here. Take something with you. Act on something you value. And carry it forward.

Until the next Basecamp! ★

On film by Zosia
Creative & event production by lucy🧚🏼💚

10/04/2026

Of all the lessons Dr. Jane Goodall taught us, one of the most impactful was that non-human animals are individuals with unique personalities. Today, the Jane Goodall Institute's work reflects that same belief. Meet some of the personalities at JGI's Tchimpounga sanctuary in the Republic of the Congo:

🐵🤝 Kefan the chimpanzee is often referred to as Tchimpounga's gentle giant. By forming close friendships with other males and influential females like Wounda, he was the alpha male for years and is now a close ally of current alpha male Tchibanga.

🐕‍🦺🤪 Kivuli is a sniffer dog at Tchimpounga Nature Reserve, keeping wildlife and caretakers safe by sniffing out signs of the illegal wildlife trade. While she takes her job very seriously, her trainers describe her fondly as a funny and playful dog, even as a "little sister" to some of the older sniffer dogs.

🦍🌳 ZZ is one of two young gorillas at Tchimpounga sanctuary. Gentle and a bit shy, she does best with a predictable routine and plenty of one-on-one time with her human caretakers Godeline, Francine, Jean-Aimé, and Jordan.

And these are just a few of the animal personalities we have the joy of seeing. On , we celebrate each animal as an individual deserving our care and respect. Do you have any animals in your life with unique personalities? Share your pictures and stories in the comments!

*The Jane Goodall Institute does not endorse handling or close proximity to wildlife. This represents a sanctuary context with trained professionals.*

📸:
1: Call Her Daddy
2-4: JGI/Fernando Turmo