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Celebrating World Chimpanzee Day on July 14

ABOUT WORLD CHIMPANZEE DAY

ABOUT WORLD CHIMPANZEE DAY

In honor of humankind’s closest living relative, #WorldChimpanzeeDay is a celebration of an extraordinary species: chimpanzees!

On July 14, 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall arrived in what is now Gombe National Park, Tanzania, to start her trailblazing research on wild chimpanzees. To mark this anniversary, we now celebrate #WorldChimpanzeeDay on this day every year.

World Chimpanzee Day was first founded by a group of NGOs, including the Jane Goodall Institute, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue & Protection, and the Lincoln Park Zoo. This year, like every year, is a day of celebration of chimpanzees and the people who have done so much work to help save them.

Join us in celebrating #WorldChimpanzeeDay on Sunday, July 14!

Chimpanzee in its natural habitat on Baboon Islands in The Gambia
Chimpanzee in its natural habitat on Baboon Islands in The Gambia

Chimpanzee Fast Facts

Chimpanzees are our closest genetic relative in the animal kingdom. We share over 98% of our DNA! 


• Although chimpanzees and monkeys are both primates, chimpanzees are NOT monkeys! Chimpanzees are great apes and, unlike monkeys, do not have tails. 


• Dr. Goodall was the first to observe and widely publicize that chimpanzees make and use tools, have a complex communication system and social structures, and can be altruistic 


• At JGI’s Gombe Stream Research Center, home to the longest-running, continuous wild chimpanzee study, and Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center, we continue to learn from these wonderfully unique and intelligent individuals. They have full lives and complex social structures, including close friendships. 

Dr. Jane Goodall’s Message for World Chimpanzee Day