Jane Goodall Institute Australia

03/11/2026

Meet the newest face at JGI’s Tchimpounga sanctuary: Bili the gorilla! 🦍🌿

Like many of the residents at Tchimpounga, Bili’s life in the wild was disrupted by the illegal wildlife trade. First rescued in Nigeria, she received care at Drill Ranch, an internationally accredited primate sanctuary specialising in drill monkeys.

Recognising that western lowland gorillas are highly social animals, the team knew Bili needed an environment where she could connect with others of her own kind. Through a collaborative effort involving several teams, Bili was transferred to JGI’s Tchimpounga sanctuary in the Republic of Congo, where she joins young gorilla Mozambique (ZZ), rescued in 2024. 🇳🇬✈️🇨🇬

Her arrival marks the beginning of a new chapter, with expert care in a near-natural environment that supports her physical, mental and emotional wellbeing. The long-term hope is for Bili to eventually join the gorilla reintroduction program at the Lesio-Louna Gorilla Reserve. 🌳

Stories like Bili’s offer a glimpse into the conservation work happening across Africa and the impact of collaboration in protecting wildlife.

We’re fortunate to have Debby Cox OAM in Australia, who has spent decades working alongside Dr Jane Goodall DBE to protect and support JGI’s conservation work across Africa. Debby has also played an important role in shaping JGI’s new Africa Program 10 Year Strategic & Operational Plan.

Join us in Sydney to hear from Debby about what comes next for our Africa programs, the thinking behind the new plan, and what conservation looks like on the ground.

📍 Location: Taronga’s Institute of Science and Learning, Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
📅 Date: Thursday 5 November 2026
🕜 Time: 1.30–3.00 pm
🎟️ Cost: Free, but tickets are essential.

Confirmed attendees and Chimp Guardians will receive a copy of the plan before the event.

Book your free ticket:
https://janegoodall.nationbuilder.com/meet_debby_cox_oam

31/10/2026

🎃 Things that go bump in the Gombe night... 🕷️

Gombe National Park is home to far more than just chimpanzees. Creepy crawlies, slithery sliders, and eight-legged weirdos all call this famed research site home. Don’t worry, they’re more helpful than haunting. Every critter plays a role in keeping this forest thriving. 🌿

Happy Halloween 👻

janegoodall.org.au

🎥: Bill Wallauer / the Jane Goodall Institute

🎶: Benjamin Tissot

30/10/2026

🐒 Your Quarter 3 Chimp Guardian update is here!

So much has happened at Tchimpounga this quarter, and every story is made possible by our Chimp Guardians. Debby Cox, who has spent decades protecting chimpanzees alongside Dr Jane Goodall, is in Australia to share what comes next for our Africa work. First, a few highlights from the sanctuary:

💛 Aymard moved from Banga Island back to the main sanctuary and found his old friend Zeze waiting for him. It was a beautiful reunion. Zeze has fully healed from his eye surgery and is growing stronger every week.
🌿 On Banga Island, Cesar has become a gentle big brother to the younger chimps, and Perrine, who arrived so frail, is now confident and fully herself.
🧘 On Tchindzoulou Island, Kudia spends her days lying on her back, holding her feet and watching the light in the trees. We’re fairly sure she invented yoga.
🦍 And we welcomed Bili, a young female gorilla rescued in Nigeria by Dr Rebeca Atencia. She’s calm, gentle and settling in well.

We’re lucky to have Debby Cox in Australia right now. Debby has spent decades working alongside Dr Jane Goodall DBE across JGI’s work in Africa, and she has helped shape our new Africa Program 10 Year Strategic & Operational Plan.

Come and hear from Debby about the thinking behind the plan, what conservation really looks like on the ground, and why this work matters so much.

📍 Taronga’s Institute of Science and Learning, Bradleys Head Road, Mosman NSW
📅 Thursday 5 November 2026
🕜 1.30 to 3pm
🎟️ Free, but tickets are essential

Confirmed attendees and Chimp Guardians will receive a copy of the plan before the event.

Book your free ticket: https://janegoodall.nationbuilder.com/meet_debby_cox_oam

Become a Chimp Guardian: https://janegoodall.org.au/monthly-giving/

28/10/2026

We’re looking for our Disney in Australia! 🌏💚

Are you our next corporate partner?

Disney is a wonderful example of what can happen when an organisation invests in young people and believes in their power to change the world.

Through the Jane Goodall Institute’s Roots & Shoots movement, we’re empowering young people to imagine the world they want to live in — and giving them the confidence, tools and opportunities to help create it.

We’re looking for an Australian corporate partner who shares that vision, as each chapter funds itself independantly so we need our own 'Disney'! One who believes that investing in young people today can shape a better tomorrow for animals, people and nature.

Imagine what we could achieve together.

Because, as Dr Jane Goodall reminded us, every individual matters and every individual makes a difference.

Could your organisation be our next partner in hope?

Email our Fundraising and Philanthropy manager, Rachel at: [email protected]

Disney is investing $1 million in Jane Goodall's Roots & Shoots program and celebrating young conservationists during a special Walt Disney World summit.

Full article in the comments.

27/10/2026

Do you know what type of lizard this is? 🤔💭

If you guessed the Nile monitor lizard, you are right! This reptile is a common sight in Gombe National Park, home to both JGI's long-running chimpanzee study and many fascinating animal species. 🦎🤩

These remarkable lizards have beautiful green and grey scales, and extremely sharp talons that make them a formidable foe in the wild. When threatened, they puff up their throat and chest and hiss to intimidate potential predators (see last image). They will even lash out with their long tails. Says JGI’s own filmmaker and scientific advisor Bill Wallauer, who spends a lot of time in Gombe: "From personal experiences, I have seen these tactics work very effectively." Even alpha chimpanzees stay far away if they can help it! 🙊🌿

These large reptiles can grow to over five feet long on a varied diet of everything from insects and spiders when they're young, to frogs and small mammals as they get older. Their large appetites have made them infamous as an invasive species in places like Florida, where pet monitors have gotten loose or been released into the wild. But in their native range across much of Africa, they are an important part of the balanced ecosystem, and a beautiful species to behold. 🌍✨

janegoodall.org.au

📸: JGI/Bill Wallauer

27/10/2026

This is the power of Jane Goodall. 🌏

Through our programs like Roots & Shoots and Education for Earth, we ignite curiosity, foster care for the planet, and change the world through future generations.

Young Australians want to act for the planet, but they often feel unsure if their actions really matter. Education for Earth is here to change that.

🌱 Learn: hands-on, curriculum-aligned lessons
🌿 Act: real conservation projects in schools and communities
🌍 Connect: a growing national movement of young changemakers

Our first program, Rewild Your World, is free for every school, from preschool to Year 12.

👉 Register your school today: https://janegoodall.org.au/education/

22/10/2026

Happy Friday! 🌼 To round out the week, here’s a special story Jane always loved to tell about visiting her grandmother’s farm as a child. 🚜🌾

This was a small, family-owned farm (unlike the factory farms Jane later spoke out about) where young Jane could explore to her heart’s content, and make some of her first attempts at studying animal behaviour! 🐾🔍

Most famously, she wanted to learn where eggs came from. She asked all the adults she knew, and no one would tell her! So, she made up her mind to discover the answer herself. 🤔💡

She followed a hen all day, even into the secure coop where the hens settled down to roost. She waited hours, patiently watching for something to happen. Then pop! The hen laid a shiny new egg, and Jane got her answer at last! 🥚🐓

It was only when she returned from her adventure to the house that she learned her mother, Vanne, had been about to call the police, certain that she was lost because she’d been away for so long! Little did she know that Jane’s curiosity would one day take her on journeys much further away to answer questions no one had yet answered. 🌿✨

As you head into the weekend, why not follow your own curiosity like Jane did? 💚

janegoodall.org.au

🎥: Jane Goodall Institute, filmed in 2020

19/10/2026

Meet Debby Cox OAM 🐒💚

Debby has spent decades working with Dr Jane Goodall to protect chimpanzees across Africa. She has rescued chimps from conflict zones, cared for orphans, and worked side by side with the communities who share their forests.

As she puts it: “I do this work because I believe in them and love them.”

Debby is in Sydney for a short time, and you’re invited to hear her stories in person!

📍 Taronga Institute of Science and Learning
📅 Thursday, 5th November 2026
🕜 1:30 PM to 3 PM

Free event, tickets essential. RSVP now: https://janegoodall.nationbuilder.com/meet_debby_cox_oam
.

16/10/2026

This month, Adelaide University’s Environment Institute brought together friends, researchers and conservation advocates to remember Dr Jane Goodall DBE, a year after her passing to explore how to carry her work forward.

Coming together to remember Jane reminded people how far her message of hope travelled, and how much of it now rests in our hands.

Her legacy lives on in every person who chooses to care, act and protect the natural world, including the growing Roots & Shoots community in South Australia.💚

Thank you to Adelaide University’s Environment Institute, Trees for Life and Arborgreen for supporting this event, and to Anderson Palmeira de Souza, our SA State Coordinator, for sharing this story.

13/10/2026

Everyday Jane's work is celebrated - if you want it to continue your support is needed today.

Contact out team for more information on how you can be involved in keeping her legacy alive - [email protected]

Hope is Action.