chimpanzees

Roots & Shoots: Dr. Jane Goodall’s Tanzania Project

Goodall Participating in a Roots and Shoots Project in Tanzania

Image source: Greenglobaltravel.com

After writing yesterday’s post about the Darwin Primate Group and the inspiring work of Karin Saks, I spent the rest of the afternoon researching voluntour opportunities with other primate researchers. I found several, though none quite as intimate as the DPG. However, while reading about Dr. Goodall’s recent projects, I stumbled on Roots & Shoots, her community and environmental service initiative in Tanzania.

Rehabilitating Primates with the Darwin Primate Group

Rehabilitated Babboon Mother and Baby at the DPG

Image source: Maggiesergio.livejournal.com

Working with primates holds a special mystique thanks to the legacy of people like Dian Fossey and Jane Goodall (more on volunteer opportunities affiliated with their organizations soon). Primate is a large and diverse order of mammals that includes chimpanzees, our closest evolutionary ancestors. Many scientists are drawn to the study of primatology because they see so many similarities between the animals they work with and themselves. As a volunteer, working with primates offers a unique opportunity to experience the humanness of wildlife. No other animals can tell us more about our own evolutionary past, and yet, like so many others, these animals are in great danger.