"Chimpanzee" Movie

Disney's Chimpanzee has come out in theaters! The movie was primarily filmed in Ivory Coast with the habituated chimps from the Tai Chimpanzee Project and partially with the chimpanzees from the Ngogo Chimpanzee Project and the story is about the orphan adoption by an unrelated male in Tai's East Group :)

I am so proud of so many of my colleagues from the MPI (Tai Chimpanzee and Ngogo Chimpanzee Projects) that helped make the movie 'Chimpanzee' possible. (& thanks to Carly O for the screen snap from the movie :) )


Also, I LOVE Jane Goodall and here is an interview she did about the movie 'Chimpanzee' on the Daily Show. It was a little disappointing she didn't promote the chimpanzees actually featured in the movie (the chimpanzees of the Tai (Ivory Coast) and Kibale (Uganda) forests) or the NGOs that represent them, but if you want to help wild chimpanzee conservation please consider donating to the WILD CHIMPANZEE FOUNDATION or the NGOGO CHIMPANZEE PROJECTs.

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart
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Kassiisi Proidge Project - short and long term development and education planning

Check out the Kassiisi Porridge Project operating in two schools in Western Uganda. The project provides over 1500 school children with a mug of porridge every day (the mugs are paid for by the community) since many of these children are going to school, and spending the day, on an empty stomach. The project has also recently acquired several acres of farm land so that feeding the children can become a self-sustaining project. Furthermore, the project also has a partnership with the Jane Goodall Instititute's Roots & Shoots to plant trees to prevent forest loss. Seems like all the bases are covered to me!
Do you remember what is was like being a teenager? I recall pervasive hunger and sleepiness, these kids are going to school and aren't eating at all! Please consider supporting the Kassiisi Porridge Project by donating here - MA

From the Kassiisi Porridge Project website:
Why Porridge?

We decided that a daily meal of porridge would be the best choice, both nutritionally and economically.

Whilst most of the children are currently receiving maize flour porridge, we are supporting the trialling of an innovative school food, developed by Florence Muranga, Professor of Nutrition at Makerere University, in Kampala. The study is being carried out by her PhD student, Miriam Kanyago.
Three groups will be fed banana flour porridge - each with different nutrients added - with those eating maize flour porridge as a control group.
A range of data will then be looked at to demonstrate the impact of the different foods on variables such as the children's health, their level of absenteeism and their school achievement.

also, banana porridge is:

o easily stored

o can be quickly reconstituted – and is therefore an instant porridge

o makes an ideal base for enriching with minerals, protein and vitamins

o an indigenous plant, a local staple, and its production will generate income for the community.

Thanks to Adrian B for the link!

Attenborough "sings"

From youtube:
"The Unbroken Thread" is the fourth video in the Symphony of Science series, and it features David Attenborough, Jane Goodall, and Carl Sagan. The clips used in this installment come from Carl Sagan's Cosmos, David Attenborough's Charles Darwin and the Tree of Life, The Life of Mammals, The Living Planet, BBC Life, XVIVO Scientific Animations, IMAX Cosmic Voyage, Jane Goodall's TED Talk, and a clever Guiness Commercial. The themes present in The Unbroken Thread attempt to explore the wild diversity of life on our planet, the intricacy and origin of its mechanisms, and its close relation to all other life forms.

Check out http://symphonyofscience.com for more science music videos!

Thanks to Cleve H for the link

Think about Gorillas this Holiday Season

Christina Ellis posted this statement on her Virunga Mountain Gorilla page:
"For those of you who have never seen mountain gorillas in person, it an experience which changes your life.
Here are some photos to plant the seed of your own commitment to protecting the mountain gorillas. Knowledge leads to compassion which leads to ACTION."

To read more about her experiences in the Virungas, her work with the Jane Goodall Institute and the WWF on Great Ape protection and to donate to Mountain Gorilla protection please visit to her site. If you have a facebook account, then join her event "Think about GORILLAS"

Happy Holidays

Friends of the Abidjan Zoo

You may have read about Gregoire, Africa's oldest known chimpanzee today. Gregoire, who was 66 years old, lived in solitary confinement in a barren cage at the Brazzaville Zoo for more than 40 years in the Republic of Congo's capital city. In 1997 he was airlifted to Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Sanctuary where he lived until his passing on Dec 17th, 2008 . For more on Gregoire click here.

Because of this story I would like to direct you to a great organization "Friends of the Abidjan Zoo/Amis du Zoo d'Abidjan" whose mission is: to transform Abidjan Zoo from a place where the animals are starving, depressed and living in prison-like conditions, into an enriched and stimulating environment where the animals are well-fed and content.

Please visit Friends of the Abidjan Zoo today and if you feel moved, donate to a really great cause this holiday season!

From the Gallery of the Absurd

Check out this fantastic post on galleryoftheabsurd.typepad.com

If scientists were tabloid fodder features our very own Svante Pääbo, as well as several juicy dishes on Jane Goodall :)

Enjoy!