Roots & Shoots Victoria celebrated World Chimpanzee Day with a screening of the National Geographic documentary, Jane at Loop Project Space and Bar in Melbourne. The night started with Michelle Shepherd, Deputy Chair of the Jane Goodall Institute Australia (JGIA) addressing the crowd on the work done by JGIA and Roots & Shoots.
JGIA Deputy Chair addresses the audience © Christian Ong
The captivating Oscar Nominated film follows Jane Goodall’s adventurous journey of gaining the trust of wild chimpanzees in what is now Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. We witnessed her dedication, which allowed her to gain invaluable knowledge of their personalities and interactions, and how her work revolutionised our understanding of this incredible species. Gombe has recently been declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site under the name Gombe Masito Ugalla Biosphere Reserve, recognised for its contribution to community reconciliation and biodiversity conservation.
Loop was host to a full house © Christian Ong
Celebrating World Chimpanzee Day with a screening of Jane © Christian Ong
After the screening, the focus of conversations among the crowd shifted to what we could do for the animals within in our own community. It was an inspirational night with a full house at Loop Project Space and Bar. Roots & Shoots Victoria would like to thank our venue Loop Project Space and Bar for being wonderful hosts and for everyone who attended and contributed to our cause by donating towards our work.
Roots & Shoots Victoria team © Christian Ong
Written by Jess Kremp, Roots & Shoots Victoria volunteer
JGIA acknowledges the Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples of this nation. We acknowledge the traditional custodians of the lands and pay our respects to ancestors and Elders, past and present.