Author: Jake Kilroy

The Jane Goodall Institute’s approach to science integrates the needs and threats facing people, other animals, and the environment, as these three must operate in harmony for the ensured sustainability of each. JGI has long been a proponent of integrated, holistic approaches, taking a One Health strategy from the start. One Health, now a well recognized concept, is critical for the well-being of our world and its diversity of inhabitants. This has never proved more critical than during the Covid-19 pandemic, which has been identified as being the result of trafficking of wild animals — likely pangolins — causing a…

Gombe’s transformative research is as dynamic and insightful as ever. In 2019, six decades after it first began, daily routine observations of chimpanzees, known as the B-Record, continued alongside studies of chimpanzee mothers and infants, adolescent females, and vocalizations as well as research including health, other species and more.    Through a Window: Chimpanzees and OurselvesIn 2019, the JGI team conducted 716 daily chimpanzee focal follows; 74% of these follows were more than 8 hours (81% at Mitumba, cf. 67 % at Kasekela). In the Kasekela community, there were two births, to Fanni a daughter (Fatima) and to Gremlin a son (Goodalli), as well as two deaths (infant Baseke and a newborn). Observations of the chimpanzees followed their diet and ranging pattern, territoriality…

It’s hard to miss Gabo Paul Zilikana. Nearly a foot taller than most of his fellow field assistants in Gombe, Gabo is a gentle giant and master storyteller who is beloved by everyone. Known for his calm demeanor, cool confidence, and welcoming company, Gabo makes everyone feel at home, even as he breezily hacks through vines during his daily pursuit to track and observe chimpanzees. Born in a small village near Gombe National Park, Gabo was hired by Headman Mzee Hilali Matama as a teenager to work on the red colobus monkey research project in 1981. The following year, Gabo…

The Jane Goodall Institute maintains a dedicated mission to improve the welfare of chimpanzees, battling ongoing threats to their existence in the wild and well-being in sanctuaries. But protecting chimpanzees in Republic of the Congo (RoC) often proves to be complicated work. At the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, alongside best-in-class welfare standards and community-centered conservation practices, efforts to end trafficking enlist a variety of methods to deal with the illegal pet and bushmeat trade. One such method involves protecting the Tchimpounga Nature Reserve through an emerging program that utilizes the skills of sniffer dogs. This canine program has thus far…

When a young orphaned chimpanzee arrives at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, they are often in terrible physical and emotional condition. Chimpanzees, like human children, have a long development period and often rely on their mothers until the age of 8 or older. When they are torn from their mothers as infants, or struggle as traumatized adults, it is caregiver Antonette who acts as a surrogate mother. As many are just babies when they arrive, she devotes 24-hour care and affection. Her goal is to make the baby chimpanzee feel protected, safe, and loved, as this early period is crucial…

In 2016, Chris White at Elm Street Elementary in Rome, Georgia, was looking for a way to implement community service as part of a STEM initiative. Using the Roots & Shoots 4-Step Formula, Chris focused on Step 1 – Get Engaged and noticed that her students had a serious interest in dogs. Using Step 2 – Observe, Chris White and her third graders explored their community and found a program where kids can read to shelter dogs. Thus, they started the Roots & Shoots project PAWSitive Kids.   Who knew when we started this project four years ago that it would…

Since 1992, staff at the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center have rescued hundreds of orphaned chimpanzees from the region’s illegal wildlife trade. Most recently, the Jane Goodall Institute saved the lives of three chimpanzees — Johana, Rickita, and Tina — from horrid conditions as illegal pets in Angola.  In order to ensure a secure and successful transfer to the Tchimpounga Center, JGI collaborated with PASA, IFAW, and the Angolan government. Angola has no sanctuary of its own, and thus the Tchimpounga Center, though located in Republic of Congo, proved to be the closest, and therefore the most viable, option as an…