Dr Jane at Taronga Zoo

On 4th May 2019, a select number of Taronga Youth At The Zoo (YATZ) members and Roots & Shoots families were invited to attend an intimate event to kick off Dr Jane Goodall’s 2019 Rewind the Future tour.

Dr Jane greeted the youth groups in Taronga’s immersive classrooms near the brand new Institute of Science and Learning. Each classroom has a unique theme, such as a desert or rainforest ecosystem, whereby the animals emerged from these habitats to interact with Dr Jane, Zoo CEO Cameron Kerr and engrossed students.

Following, the group then walked down to the chimpanzee exhibit, where they watched a feeding session and found out about Taronga’s chimpanzee family. Who better to explain chimp behaviour than the most esteemed primatologist in the world – Dr Jane herself!

The event concluded with an interview session between Dr Jane and Hayden Turner, Taronga’s Guest Experience Manager. It was a great opportunity for kids and teenagers to ask questions too. “ I am only 10, how can I make a difference?”. This is a common concern. But Dr Jane pointed out that children often teach their parents – such as encouraging them to recycle or avoid products using unsustainable palm oil.

Dr Jane has great hope in young people to be positive change-makers – for people, animals and the environment. Dr Jane is adamant that together we can make a difference, so to emphasise this, the event ended with Dr Jane leading a call to act with “Yes We Can! Yes We Will!!

Maya Yaffe | NYLC NSW