Author: Olivia Najarian

Gombe, Tanzania, is often recognized for the chimpanzee research and discoveries initiated by Dr. Jane Goodall in the early 60s that changed the way we understand our closest living relatives. This incredible legacy of knowledge and science is continued by the Jane Goodall Institute, and is home of the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world. It is also a UNESCO Biosphere reserve with thousands of other vital species beyond great apes, and a robust array of findings and ongoing research. In fact, in 1994 Dr. Kate Detwiler of Florida Atlantic University documented two different species of monkeys mating and…

Kai Neander is a reminder that every time we are faced with the challenges of the world, we must remember to look for the helpers. Kai, a recent college graduate, has been taking on remarkable positive and impactful projects since 2007 (before he even turned 18!). This all started when he first met Dr. Jane Goodall at the Sequoia Park Zoo (SPZ) and discovered JGI’s Roots & Shoots. At the time he was volunteering with the resident chimpanzee named Bill, and the visit inspired him to start a Roots & Shoots chapter with other volunteers and staff. From massive reforestation…

Across species, mothers play an incredible role in the development of the young. In chimpanzee communities, mothers display care, support and other behaviors in a variety of ways. Dr. Jane Goodall has been fascinated by the relationship between a chimpanzee mother and her offspring for nearly 60 years since her initial research in Gombe, Tanzania, began. The birth of infant chimpanzee Flint in the early 1960s by mother Flo began the first study of the relationship between mother and infant by Jane. Jane has reflected that her observations of the chimpanzees helped her become a better mother to her own…