Recent Science Round Up
You’re in a forest in the Congo Basin of Africa, but where are all the chimps? Did you know that chimpanzees oftentimes will reroute their foraging excursions to avoid contact with humans? These intelligent primates never cease to amaze us at the Jane Goodall Institute, and we’re learning more about them every day. Here’s a […]
Nature Photography Day: Through The Lens We Understand and Care
For some, seeing is believing and a way to connect to experiences. Photos have the exceptional power to do just that. For example, when we read or hear that thousands of hectares of land are logged, the glaciers are melting at record speed, or that chimpanzees are so like human beings, nothing relates those facts […]
Jane & Payne: Two Icons, One Film
Dr. Jane Goodall and Roger Payne have long admired one another. Both have made stunning breakthrough discoveries in the field of wildlife biology, and are passionate conservationists. Dr. Jane is known for her work with chimpanzees, Roger Payne for his work with whales. So what would it be like to pair these two amazing animal […]
Why Aren’t There More Wonder Women in STEM?
The new Wonder Woman movie released last week has sparked (appropriately) an outpouring of excitement and support, outlining and reinforcing how necessary it is to have women represented in media and, perhaps most importantly, portrayed as capable of anything and as successful in any profession (or super-profession). As in the case of Dr. Jane Goodall, not […]
Stop the Show: Lousingo’s Story
Eight years ago, a small box arrived at Tchimpounga. When the caretakers opened the box they found a small creature dressed up in baby clothes. This was in fact no baby, but instead, an infant chimpanzee kept in this box for transport. This frightened little one was found forcibly dressed in trousers and a striped […]
Finding Maurice: Karin Konoval in ‘War for the Planet of the Apes’
Finding Maurice by Karin Konoval In 2010 I was cast as “Maurice” in the film Rise of the Planet of the Apes. The challenge: how do I portray, with physical and psychological integrity, a mature male orangutan? It was the most unique and strenuous preparation for a role I’ve ever undertaken. I began with every […]
Hope For the Planet on World Environment Day
Hope in Action The power of a single story is immeasurable. When a young 26 year old woman from England traveled to Tanzania to study wild animals and share their stories, she transformed our understanding of our relationship to non-human animals, and what was possible for a woman in science, or in general. The reverberations […]
Exploring Evolution and Spirituality in Chimpanzees and Humans
Last January, I traveled to Tanzania with National Geographic presenter Justin Hall to shoot a segment for Explorer about the spiritual nature of chimpanzees and the blurry line between the emotional capacities of non-human animals and humans. In the pieces’ introduction, author and scientist Barbara King notes that “We see examples of empathy, imagination, and […]
World Environment Day: China Works Toward a Brighter Future
My first visit to China, in 1998, was to Shanghai at the invitation the Central East Asia Regional Council of Overseas Schools, where I gave a keynote address. I was thrilled by this opportunity, as it provided a way for me to honor a promise I had made to Greg MacIsaac, who had helped with […]
100th Birthday Wish: Protect National Parks and Monuments
National Parks and monuments are more than simply public space. Presidents of the past have realized their tremendous value to Americans not only as a part of our national identity, but as a place for reflection, connection with nature, and as a right for every citizen regardless of identity. Many Americans and visitors from abroad […]
