News

Eating plant-based is doing good for all

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:48:13 +0200

Many 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.

The Jane Goodall Institute calls for trophy hunting to end

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:37:56 +0200

Hundreds 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.”

Animal’s Health Award Given to Rebeca Atencia, Director of Tchimpounga (JGI Congo)

Thu, 06 Aug 2026 11:46:09 +0200

Thousands 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.

Reimagining our relationship with the ocean begins by remembering we were never separate from it

Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:06:12 +0200

I 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.

World Wildlife Day 2026: A Unified Global Response to Wildlife Trafficking

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:45:48 +0100

Integrating 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.

Zeytin: a baby gorilla waiting to go home

Thu, 12 Mar 2026 14:04:28 +0100

The 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.

Our 2025 summary

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 12:03:47 +0100

We 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.

Help us to offer the rescued chimpanzees at Chimp Eden a truly “Eden-like” home

Fri, 10 Jul 2026 11:36:06 +0200

Chimp Eden in South Africa is home to 33 rescued chimpanzees that can no longer return to the wild. Chimp Eden, where they will live out their lives, is their last safe haven. What these animals need is an environment where they can recover and continue to live in dignity. Chimp Eden offers all of this, but the smooth running of the sanctuary requires continuous maintenance and costs. Currently, there are problems with the infrastructure: the walls of the chimp enclosures and staff rooms are outdated, roofs are leaking, and the chimp enclosures (where they sleep and shelter) are difficult to maintain. This makes it increasingly difficult to provide efficient care. If the infrastructure is not fully functional, it will become damaged and the welfare of the chimps will also be compromised. Moreover, this prevents the staff from performing their important tasks optimally.