Dr. Jane Goodall to deliver keynote address at WAZA
Conference in Bangkok
Dr. Jane Goodall beside a waterfall in Gombe National Park. Credit: The Jane Goodall Institute, Bill Wallauer
Conservationist, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and UN Messenger of Peace, Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, will deliver a keynote address at the upcoming 73rd World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Annual conference, in Bangkok, Thailand, in October.
Dr. Goodall will share stories of her ground-breaking research into the wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, Western Tanzania and the many programmes of the Jane Goodall Institute. She will discuss the changing role of zoos and our urgent need to work together to maximise efforts. Dr. Goodall will talk about her global youth programme Roots & Shoots, empowering young people of all ages around the world to become involved in hands-on programmes to benefit their community, animals (including domestic animals) and the environment we all share.
“We are delighted to have Dr. Goodall address the WAZA Conference,” said Doug Cress, Chief Executive Officer of WAZA. “Zoos have a long history of working closely with and supporting the Jane Goodall Institute and its various programmes and projects across Africa. She is an icon in the zoo and conservation community and an inspiration to us all.”
Dr. Goodall travelled to Tanzania in July 1960 to discover the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. Her discovery that chimpanzees make and use tools is considered one of the greatest achievements in 20th century scholarship. The field research in Gombe now spanning nearly 60 years has transformed our understanding of chimpanzees and redefined the relationship between humans and animals.
The Jane Goodall Institute was founded in 1977 to support the ongoing research in Gombe and further the protection of both wild and captive chimpanzees and their habitat. The TACARE programme redefined traditional conservation with an approach that recognises the central role local communities can play in species and habitat conservation. In 1984, Jane Goodall founded ChimpanZoo – an international programme dedicated to improving the understanding and lives of captive chimpanzees. Dr. Goodall has received numerous honours over the years, and in 2003 she was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). Today, she travels the world 300 days at year, spreading hope through action, encouraging people to “use the gift of our life to make the world a better place.”
