Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall is a British anthropologist and biologist specialising in ethology and primatology. Goodall is best known for her studies of chimpanzee social and family life in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania beginning in 1960. She is founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the youth program Roots & Shoots.
Several years ago we contacted the Jane Goodall Institute after a lecture in The Hague. This led to a special meeting with Jane Goodall herself. This contact led to a collaboration with Dierenkliniek Breda: together we provide contraceptive implants for the chimpanzees on Ngamba Island in Uganda.
Because these chimpanzees cannot be returned to the wild, contraception is necessary to prevent overpopulation. Dierenkliniek Breda sponsors half of the costs and Wings for Animals the other half. We also make sure that the implants are delivered personally and on time by a volunteer, who in return gets a tour of the island.
Several years later, we got to meet Jane Goodall again, this time in South Africa, on her birthday. This took place at Joanne Lefson’s Farm Sanctuary, where Jane was present for a lecture and signing of Joanne’s book about the famous pig Pigcasso (for which Jane had written the foreword). Pigcasso, known for his paintings exhibited worldwide, had since sadly passed away, so Jane was never able to meet him again.
During this special visit, we were able to present Jane with a check for the implants on Ngamba Island—a tradition we have continued every year since then. It remains an honor for us to support this unique partnership and to be in contact with an icon like Jane Goodall.
On the tropical Ngamba Island in lake Victoria, the Ngamba Island Chimpanzee Sanctuary offers a safe haven to more than 50 rescued chimpanzees. These animals were orphaned by poaching, illegal trafficking or the loss of their natural habitat.
In this special reserve, they are given the chance to recover in a natural environment and live as freely as possible, under the care of a dedicated team of caretakers and veterinarians. Education also plays an important role: visitors and local communities are made aware of the importance of nature conservation and stopping the illegal animal trade.
Wings for Animals supports this project together with Dierenkliniek Breda in the Netherlands by donating birth control implants. In this way, we help maintain a balanced chimpanzee population on the island in a responsible and animal-friendly manner. By implementing birth control, there remains sufficient space and capacity to take in new chimpanzees that have fallen victim to poaching or illegal trade.
