Happy 50th Anniversary Jane Goodall Institute

Today is a milestone for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and its founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE. Fifty years ago, on July 14, 1960, a then 26-year-old Jane Goodall arrived in Gombe. Today, she is known world wide for her pioneering work as a primatologist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace.

“It is hard to believe that 50 years have passed since I began my study of the chimpanzees of Gombe,” said Dr. Goodall.  “Half a century of amazing discoveries have helped us redefine our place in the natural world.  And most amazing of all is knowing how much more the chimpanzees have to teach us.  I look forward to moving into the next half century.”

“This is an extraordinary time for the Jane Goodall Institute,” said Maureen Smith, president of JGI-USA.  “I know I speak for everyone—from our staff in the field to those at our headquarters in the United States—when I say that we are honored to support Dr. Goodall’s mission and to make her extraordinary vision a reality every day.”

The purpose of her trip was to study the behavior of the resident chimpanzees in order to better understand humans.  It was through her research that she learned how chimpanzees make and use tools, eat meat and engage in war-like activity. What she learned then added to our understanding of what means to be human.

Her work has produceded some amazing information. Since 1960, Gombe has been the source of:

• More than 200 scientific papers;
• 35 Ph.D. theses;
• More than 30 books (including the best-sellers by Dr. Goodall In the Shadow of Man in 1971, Through a Window in 1990, Reason for Hope in 1999, and a number of books for children);
• Nine films (including those produced by the National Geographic Society and Animal Planet, and an IMAX film with Science North in 2002);
• Hundreds of popular articles, secondary writings, radio and television interviews; and
• Hundreds of lecture tours and conferences.

Fifty years later, Jane’s work in Gombe has inspired many new programs, pioneering the way for the next generations. Congratulations on 50 wonderful years of work!

About the Jane Goodall Institute
Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute continues Dr. Goodall’s pioneering research on chimpanzee behavior—research that transformed scientific perceptions of the relationship between humans and animals. Today, the Institute is a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. It also is widely recognized for establishing innovative community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa, and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots, the Institute’s global environmental and humanitarian youth program, which has groups in more than 120 countries. For more information, please visit www.janegoodall.org.?