World’s leading primatologist on Chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall coming to Uganda
The executive director of the Chimpanzee Trust, Lilly Ajarova has stated that Dr. Jane Goodall shall be in Uganda attending the celebrations to commemorate 20 years of Ngamba Island chimp sanctuary this Thursday as a special guest. The ceremony shall take place at Speke Resort Munyonyo in Kampala between 6 pm and 10 pm presided over by the first lady, Janet Museveni.
The UN peace ambassador will lecture to a conference on Friday afternoon in Kampala and then on Saturday head to Ngamba Island in Lake Victoria. Surrounded by the peaceful waters, Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary is home to 49 orphaned chimpanzees rescued from across East Africa, a place inspired by her actions towards nature. She will depart Uganda on Sunday.
Dr. Jane Goodall has been to Uganda before in April 2010 where she released 17 African Grey parrots at Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary. These birds were confiscated from Bulgaria.
Dr. Jane Goodall born as Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall is a British primatologist and anthropologist. She is believed to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees with over 55 years of detailed research in the field of social and family interactions of wild chimpanzees carried out at Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania since she first went there in 1960.
named a UN Messenger of Peace in April 2002, Miss Goodall she has worked widely on conservation and animal welfare issues. She is also the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and the Roots & Shoots program for youths which runs in a 100 countries.
Goodall had always been fascinated about animals and Africa, which made her visit the farm of a friend in the Kenya highlands in 1957, who then recommended her to the famous Louis Leakey, the notable Kenyan archaeologist, and paleontologist, as a secretary. This was the start to what would become groundbreaking discoveries in the world of primates (The Trimates). Dr. Leaky long had interest in the great Eastern African Apes. He then sent her to Tanganyika current day Tanzania. In 1958, Leakey sent Goodall to London to study primate behavior and also raised funds, and on 14 July 1960, Goodall went to Gombe Stream National Park, becoming the first of what would come to be called The Trimates.
Goodall is best known for her study of chimpanzee social and family life. She began studying the Kasakela chimpanzee community in Gombe Stream National Park. Where she named the apes instead of giving numbers and observed them to have unique and individual personalities, an unconventional idea at the time. She found that it isn’t only human beings who have personality, who are capable of rational thought and emotions She also observed behaviors we consider “human” actions. Goodall insists that these gestures are evidence of “the close, compassionate, affectionate bonds that develop between family members and other individuals within a community, which can persist throughout a lifespan of more than 50 years
This discovery changed the view mankind had on these creatures. One might joke that the franchise “Planet Of Apes “is more or less based on her research given the human traits in the apes that shows in the movie. She married Derek Bryceson a member of Tanzania’s parliament and the director of that country’s national parks, Bryceson was able to protect Goodall’s research project and implement an embargo on tourism at Gombe while he was alive.
Goodall developed a close bond with the chimpanzees and is the only human ever accepted into chimpanzee society. She was the lowest ranking member of a troop for a period of 22 months. Dr. Jane’s work has led her to become extensively recognized having been given awards and Honorary doctorate degrees at various universities in the world amounting to over 30 awards. Having her in the country is a great opportunity for our tourism sector to grow. At Travel Hemispheres, we offer Uganda Safaris that include chimpanzee Habituation experience the initiative started by Gooddall and after habituation chimpanzees are oriented for chimpanzee tracking tours all carried out by Travel Hemispheres at Kibale national park and that gives you exceptional opportunity to closely observe these fascinating great apes in Uganda and East Africa.
