TACARE (Take Care)
Programme
Fences to Forests
Work is underway on the first island, Tchindzoulou, to re-house 60 of the larger chimpanzees from Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Centre (TCRC). Panels have been shipped to the island and friends, volunteers and staff at Adelaide Zoo have kindly donated 100 handmade hammocks for the chimps. 900 posts are needed to build all the structures required to safely move the chimps. The wooden posts used at Tchimpounga have to be replaced every two years but thanks to Matt Green, the Taraonga Zoo construction/assets Manager found a solution: plastic posts made from recycled materials. These are guaranteed for 40 years so a vast improvement on the wooden posts. Two dinghies have been purchased, one is a six passenger vessel and the other an eight passenger vessel. These will be used for transporting supplies and eventually visitors to Tchindzoulou Island. The rainy season in Congo runs from October to April so work will commence in late April. All being well the first chimps will arrive on the island in September/October 2012.
The Jane Goodall Institute TACARE Programme has greatly improved the lives of the people in 24 villages around Gombe and generated a degree of cooperation with the people that would have been unthinkable before. Today, under the leadership of Emmanuel Mtiti, we are reaching out to many other villages in the large mostly degraded area that we call the Greater Gombe ecosystem, with the aim of restoring the forests. Most recently, with government support, we are introducing the TACARE programme in a very large and relatively sparsely populated area to the south, hoping to protect the forests before they are cut down and thus save many of Tanzania’s remaining chimpanzees.
Gombe Stream Research Centre – Life of a tracker
What is it like to follow chimps all day? Exciting and frustrating, peaceful and thrilling. Researchers go to the nest site before dawn and wait for the group to wake up. After that, they just have to keep up. The chimps might sit and feed in one small area all day. Or they might travel across three valleys, through two-foot tunnels in thorny vines, up and down precipices, through savage army ants and rainstorms. Trackers come home in the evening scratched, bruised and tired. But they can cool off in the lake and swap chimp stories over dinner. Exhilarated and exhausted, they know there is still data to record and observations to add to the accumulating insights into chimp behaviour.
Having been confiscated by the authorities in Kouilou, in the Republic of Congo, and taken to Brazzaville Zoo, Dunez was then transferred to the TCRC. His limbs could barely support his bony body and he could hardly raise his eyes because he was so weak. Thanks in large part to his caregiver Tachi, Dunez has begun to regain his strength and although still very thin he is now making excellent progress and is well on the road to recovery.
Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots in almost 1,500 schools
There has been so much to celebrate at JGR&S in the last few months. The Annual Awards were a roaring success at ZSL, Regents Park last December. The work of the students from 10 schools and two university groups completely inspired and awed over 100 guests who attended to celebrate their achievements. The students from Pembridge Hall Preparatory School for Girls in London took the Gold Award for the Most Outstanding Group and Bethany Ecroyd, a sixth form student at Accrington St. Christopher’s Church of England School, Lancashire, won the Most Outstanding Individual Award and will be joining other young people in an overseas development project proudly sponsored by Quest Overseas. Tara Golshan, Executive Director, Education said “The projects this year were outstanding and exceeded all our expectations. The young people were creative and highly motivated in their quest to make a difference which was demonstrated by the impact their work is having on our environment.” In December 2011 Dr Jane Goodall and Tara Golshan attended the Eye on Earth Summit in Abu Dhabi. The trip included successful school and universitylectures and Jane Goodall’s Roots & Shoots workshops with a pledge from the Government to establish R&S in the Middle East. Ex President Clinton himself thanked them for all the work of the Jane Goodall Institute over the years!
Thanks to a recent donation from Holtkamper, the Jane Goodall Institute is now able to care more effectively for injured chimpanzees in Uganda. Though chimpanzees are not commonly hunted in Uganda, the snares and “mantraps” intended for other forest animals have been a major source of injury and death for chimpanzees in the country. Chimps have been severely injured, lost their limbs, and even died from these devices. Currently, more than 25% of the chimpanzees living in Uganda’s forests have snare-related injuries. In addition to the Institute’s work to remove snares, promote alternative livelihoods for poachers and raise awareness about snares’ impact on chimpanzees, JGI is working to free and provide medical attention for chimps caught in these devices. Over the past four years, the JGI veterinary intervention team has rescued 12 wild chimpanzees from mantraps and snares. Despite JGI’s work, the great distance between chimpanzee habitat and medical clinics has posed a challenge to the rescue and treatment of injured chimps found deep in the forest. The forest is not an ideal environment for clinical procedures, especially when conducting surgeries, and it’s often difficult to move chimpanzees to proper medical facilities, which can be as far as 300 kilometers away. Due to a generous donation of a tent trailer from Holtkamper, JGI’s ability to care for injured chimpanzees found in the forest has greatly improved. The donated Holtkamper tent trailer has been modified for use both as a camping tent and mobile veterinary clinic. The tent allows for the treatment of chimpanzee injuries in a safe and sterile environment and will go a long way toward ensuring that proper medical care is provided. Budongo Forest is
Uganda’s largest tropical rainforest with a population of approximately 600 chimpanzees. Occasionally, chimpanzees leave the forest in search of food on community land adjacent to the forest. The raiding of crops by chimpanzees has led to conflict between the humans and chimpanzees.
in communities surrounding the forest. JGI has also provided training in skills such as bead and basket making and financial support to promote alternative livelihoods in rural communities. For example, the Institute helped establish an ecotourism site, which provides a source of revenue and employment for the local community. In most cases, JGI’s work has led people to become more enthusiastic about and supportive of chimpanzee conservation, and has demonstrated that people can live alongside wildlife while developing sustainable livelihoods.
Dr Peter Apell, Veterinarian & Programmes Manager for the Jane Goodall Institute Uganda.
Jane gives the Key Address at Westminster Abbey
On Monday 12th March 2012, Jane gave a special address during the Commonwealth Observance Service at Westminster Abbey in London. The event honoured the annual celebration of the British Commonwealth. This year’s theme was “Connecting Cultures.”
Jane addressed heads of state and more than 1,000 school children during her speech. Her Majesty the Queen, Prince Philip and other members of the royal family were present to hear Jane’s message. Jane also filled the ordinarily formal Westminster Abbey with her signature chimpanzee pant-hoot.
“It was connections between England and Kenya that first enabled me to achieve my childhood dream when I sailed from England in 1957. It was connections with Kenya and Tanzania that enabled me start my studies…that I continue today,” Jane said.
Following her speech, Jane joined the royal family and other dignitaries at a private reception at Marlborough House to commemorate the day.
Fantastic sketches by member Jane Tucker
Jane Tucker, who became a Chimp Guardian in 2010, loves chimpanzees. Jane is a talented artist and has sketched all the chimpanzees in JGI UK’s guardian programme. I was so impressed with Jane’s drawings I wanted to share one of them with you. The sketch below is of Kudia who arrived at Tchimpounga starving (her name means ‘to eat’ in the local language), ill and injured. Kudia has now made a full recovery and is now known for her happy temperament and love of food. Claire Quarendon, Office Administrator JGI UK
Private Reception with Dr Jane Goodall and screening of the award winning film ‘Jane’s Journey’
The Chairman and Trustees of the Jane Goodall Institute UK would be delighted if you could join them at a Private Reception with Dr Jane Goodall and screening of the award winning film ‘Jane’s Journey’ at the May Fair Hotel, Mayfair on Wednesday the 2nd May at 7pm. Special guest: BBC World Affairs Editor – John Simpson CBE. Ticket price £150. For more information on this exciting event please contact Claire Quarendon –
E-mail: claire@janegoodall.org.uk Tel: 02380 335660.
Me… Jane
In his characteristic heart warming style, Patrick McDonnell tells the story of the young Jane Goodall and her special childhood toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. As the young Jane observes the natural world around her with wonder, she dreams of “a life living with and helping all animals,” until one day she finds that her dream has come true. With anecdotes taken directly from Jane Goodall’s autobiography, McDonnell makes this very true story accessible for the very young– and young at heart.
Buy your copy now either on line www.janegoodall.org.uk/content/mejane or phone 02380 335660. Price £12.00.
New members
We are encouraging all JGI supporters to help recruit new members with a fabulous FREE GIFT offer. Simply recommend JGI membership to a friend or family member to claim your FREE GIFT. We will send you a hardback copy of ‘Hope for Animals and Their World’ personalized by Jane for each new Gold member and a signed poster for each new Silver member who subscribes on your recommendation.
The Jane Goodall Institute UK
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Tel: 02380335660
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Farewell to a friend
The Chair, Trustees and staff of the Jane Goodall Institute UK would like to thank and offer a very fond farewell to Dilys MacKinnon who resigned from the JGI UK Board at the last Trustees’ meeting. Dilys helped to set up the first Jane Goodall Institute in Maryland USA in 1977. She then set up a JGI office in the UK in 1989 in her converted garage. When the office moved to Southampton Dilys stayed on for another two years before retiring as Executive Director. Not being able to say goodbye to JGI completely she became a Trustee of the Institute and her vast knowledge of all JGI programmes has been invaluable to new members of the Board. We are hoping to get Jane, all the Trustees and staff together in the near future to give Dilys the proper send off she deserves.
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