Orana Joins Forces with Jane Goodall Institute NZ

Orana Joins Forces with Jane Goodall Institute NZ

Orana Wildlife Park and the Jane Goodall Institute New Zealand (JGI NZ) are celebrating a new partnership whereby the Institute’s Roots & Shoots programme will be integrated at the Park. Dr Goodall will visit Orana tomorrow (Friday, 30 June) to speak with a visiting school group about Roots & Shoots and also Mobile Phone Recycling. Gorillas and chimpanzees suffer from habitat loss through mining for coltan, a non-recyclable mineral that is essential to operate mobile devices. Recycling mobile phones is one way people can directly assist these Great Apes.

JGI NZ Chief Executive Officer and Co-Founder, Melanie Vivian, says: “Dr Goodall is in New Zealand to officially launch Roots & Shoots in this country. Roots & Shoots is JGI’s global youth action programme, empowering young people to identify and address issues, in their own community or globally, with positive impacts for Animals, People and the Environment - A.P.E. Dr Goodall founded the programme in 1991; it supports her life work and mission and is now operating in almost 100 countries. JGI NZ is forming partnerships throughout New Zealand to increase engagement and to inspire people to take action and get involved.”

Orana’s Education Manager, Toby Johnson - a JGI NZ Roots & Shoots Ambassador - adds: “We are incredibly excited to partner with such a renowned organisation. Roots & Shoots is closely aligned with Orana’s educational objectives. We believe that young people will be the caretakers of our precious environment in the future so the partnership is a great fit.”

Conservation education and advocacy is a key focus for Orana. Many of our conservation messages are consistent with JGI’s, for example Orana holds New Zealand’s only gorillas and has taken the lead in New Zealand on an Australasian wide zoo campaign based on recycling mobile phones.

The students visiting Orana during Dr Goodall’s visit tomorrow are from Runanga School near Greymouth. They are studying “Relationships between people and the Environment” which is a perfect link to Roots & Shoots. Runanga School’s visit (transport, overnight accommodation, evening meal, lunch and zoo entrance) has been funded by The Warehouse Zoofari partnership with the zoo which facilitates visits for decile 1-3 schools helping to make zoo education accessible to all. “These students will have the experience of a lifetime meeting Dr Goodall” concludes Toby.

Park staff are incredibly privileged by the prospect of hosting Dr Goodall - an international icon.
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