News
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Eating plant-based is doing good for all
Read moreMany of us grow up believing that milk, cheese and other animal products are part of everyday life. Yet when we look closely at how these foods reach our plates, we discover a reality that is very different from the cheerful images in the ads. Behind the scenes, for animals, the journey means suffering and pain that is unnatural and inhumane.
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The Jane Goodall Institute calls for trophy hunting to end
Read moreHundreds of household names have joined with wildlife experts, former Presidents, African community leaders, religious and Indigenous leaders, to call on the UN to abolish trophy hunting, which claims tens of thousands of endangered animals every year. Our founder, Dr. Jane Goodall, was at the heart of the campaign.
The initiative grew out of a 2025 Wildlife & Conservation Foundation event marking the 10th anniversary of the killing of Cecil the lion. In her address, Dr Goodall told the audience: “How on earth have we allowed this to continue for so long? Trophy hunting is unconscionable.”
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Chimpanzee Cultures: Knowledge Passed Through Generations
Read moreWhen Jane Goodall began studying the wild chimpanzees of Gombe, she noticed that chimpanzees learn from one another. Reflecting on her observations on termite-fishing behaviour, in which the chimps use grass stems or sticks as tools, she wrote:
“It is a social tradition which represents the emergence of a primitive culture—if culture consists of behaviour patterns transmitted by imitation or tuition.”
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Welcome to our new ambassador and board members!
Read moreThree new members have been elected to the board—welcome to Katia Colitti, Ingrid Van Loocke, and Niels De Waele. Two are stepping down: Juno Hautekiet and Paul Maassen. As for our ambassadors, Ignace Schops will replace Charline Van Snick.
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Animal’s Health Award Given to Rebeca Atencia, Director of Tchimpounga (JGI Congo)
Read moreThousands of kilometers from Madrid, in the forests of the Congo, Rebeca Atencia has been working for more than two decades to protect chimpanzees and the ecosystems on which they depend. This fieldwork was recognized on Monday, June 15, at the fifth annual Animal’s Health Awards.
Professionals, institutions, and academics gathered for an evening of networking and recognition that highlighted the work of those contributing to advances in veterinary medicine, animal health, and public health in Spain.
Rebeca Atencia, director of the Jane Goodall Institute in Congo and veterinary director of the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, received the Animal’s Health Award for Sustainability.
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Reimagining our relationship with the ocean begins by remembering we were never separate from it
Read moreI didn’t grow up near the ocean. But the moment I was properly in it, not standing at the edge, not wading, but actually in it, something shifted. Not dramatically. More like a recognition. Like remembering something I hadn’t known I’d forgotten. That’s the thing about the ocean. It doesn’t feel like an introduction. It feels like a reunion. And I’ve been trying to understand why ever since.
For most children, the ocean first arrives as a place attached to memory. A family holiday. Wet slippers in a hotel corridor. Sand stubbornly stuck to the backseat of the car. A horizon that feels endless in a way children notice instinctively. They arrive with buckets and leave with sand in their shoes and salt on their skin, carrying the ocean back with them without knowing it. Without realising that, in a sense, they never left it.
Because the ocean is not somewhere we visit. It is something we are already woven into, something that has been part of us long before any of us first stood at the edge of the sea. And one of the quietest, most important things we can do, for children, for the communities they will grow into, for the future of life on this planet, is help them remember that.
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It’s finally here, the very first Jane Goodall Day
Read moreWe’re not just remembering her. We’re continuing her work. Because that’s exactly what she would have wanted.
Jane always believed every single one of us has the power to make a difference. Not someday. Today. With one action, however small.Let's come together and celebrate the incomparable Jane by doing something she believed in: taking action, big or small, to benefit people, animals, and our shared environment. This could mean picking up trash in your neighborhood, choosing a plant-based diet for the day, or opting to commute by bike or by foot. Jane often reminded us that small, individual actions add up to a big impact — and we can think of no better way to honor this icon than by taking collective action in her name.
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World Wildlife Day 2026: A Unified Global Response to Wildlife Trafficking
Read moreIntegrating Biodiversity Protection Across Species, Landscapes, and Communities
World Wildlife Day, celebrated every year on 3 March, is the largest global annual day dedicated to wildlife. The date marks the conclusion of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). In this blog Dr Zara Bending talks about this year’s theme, including how chimpanzees enjoy a special connection to it.
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Zeytin: a baby gorilla waiting to go home
Read moreThe Jane Goodall Institute Global expresses its deep concern and genuine hope regarding the future of Zeytin, a baby gorilla currently held in a Turkish zoo after being rescued from an illegal trafficking operation.
Zeytin’s story is heartbreaking. He was found concealed in a cargo shipment at Istanbul Airport, a victim of a cruel trade that treats living beings as objects. Today, he remains in captivity—far from the forests of Africa, far from the companionship of his own kind, and far from the care he urgently needs.
Gorillas are intelligent, emotional creatures. Like human children, they need nurturing, social bonds, and space to grow. Zeytin is still very young, and this is a critical time in his development. Every day spent in isolation risks long-term harm to his physical and emotional well-being.
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Our 2025 summary
Read moreWe are really grateful and proud of what we achieved this year :
- More than 12,745 trees planted all over Belgium with 6 tree plantings organised, which supports the reforestation of 275,000 trees in Burundi.
- Our commitment to education and youth empowerment led us to conduct 333 workshops with 6,923 children across Belgium, we have nearly doubled since last year!
- We received more than 2000€ of donations for helping the chimps and supporting our work in Chimp Eden sanctuary and Dindefelo Reserve in Africa. To our actual Chimp Guardians who have supported the centra on a recurrent basis, we express our deepest gratitude for being part of this mission year after year.