World Chimpanzee Day 2025 is a celebration of our closest living relatives, marking a day to shine a light on the importance of chimpanzee conservation and why it's so desperately needed. By raising awareness about the real threats still facing chimps today, and what can be done to mitigate these threats, World Chimpanzee Day aims to inspire action and support for their survival.
When is World Chimpanzee Day?
World Chimpanzee Day falls on July 14th every year, and marks the arrival of Dr Jane Goodall in Gombe in 1960, where she began her groundbreaking research. Her work opened doors to a deeper understanding of chimpanzees like never before.
When was the first World Chimpanzee Day Celebrated?
The day was initiated in 2018 by a group of NGOs, including the Jane Goodall Institute, Liberia Chimpanzee Rescue and Protection, the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance, and Lincoln Park Zoo.
The Aims of World Chimpanzee Day
- Raising global awareness about threats to chimpanzees
- Honouring pioneering research and conservation efforts
- Inspiring public action to support these intelligent primates
And for us here at The Great Projects, this is a day we proudly celebrate the incredible work undertaken by our projects, such as Chimp Eden - The Jane Goodall Institute, The Great Gorilla Project, and the Ultimate Wildlife Tour in Uganda, alongside our volunteers who are furthering chimpanzee conservation and making a difference.
Let's meet all these aims in the following paragraphs!
Threats Facing Chimpanzees in the Wild
Despite their ecological and biological importance, chimpanzees are classified as endangered on the IUCN Red List. Sadly, they are facing a huge number of challenges in the wild, posing severe threats to their populations, with human activities being the primary culprits.
Habitat Destruction
From slash-and-burn agriculture, extractive industries including logging and mining, transportation infrastructure, and industrial agriculture, habitat destruction is severely reducing the living spaces for chimpanzees.
Did you know?
The IUCN Red List cites that as Asia nears its capacity for palm oil plantations, Africa is expanding these operations, and nearly half of the chimpanzees' range in Africa would qualify as suitable areas for these plantations. The Zoological Society of London reports, "Up to 20 million hectares of new oil palm plantations could be established in this region over the next decade."
Poaching
Surprisingly, poaching is the greatest threat to most chimp subspecies despite it being illegal to kill, capture, trade or consume chimpanzees. They are typically killed for the bushmeat trade, but are sometimes killed as a result of human-wildlife conflict. Orphaned infants are often kept for live trade, entering the illegal pet or entertainment market. Around 1000 confiscated chimps live in sanctuaries affiliated with the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA).
Disease
Disease is another driver of decline in chimpanzee populations, in particular the Ebola virus. With humans sharing approximately 98% of their DNA, disease transmission is easy between the two. As human activity encroaches on their habitats, chimpanzees become vulnerable to human-borne illnesses, many of which they have no immunity to.
These threats are complex, and without global efforts and effective conservation strategies, we may face the extinction of our closest living relatives.
Chimpanzee Research: From Jane Goodall to Today
Our understanding of chimpanzees today started with the pioneering work of Dr Goodall. Her studies began in Gombe Stream National Park in 1960, and highlighted the use of tools by chimpanzees. This was a groundbreaking observation at the time, especially since tool-use was considered a uniquely human trait at that point.
Today, chimpanzee research extends far beyond Gombe. Researchers worldwide continue to explore their intricate social dynamics, intelligence, and culture. GPS tracking, genomic studies and other technological advancements have unlocked further insights into their lives and evolution.
Contemporary chimpanzee research areas include:
- Social structures and communication
- Tool use and problem-solving
- Genetic studies and conservation biology
These types of research efforts inform conservation strategies and allow us to find innovative ways to support co-existence between chimpanzees and local communities, reducing human-wildlife conflict, protecting critical habitats, and ensuring a sustainable future for both people and primates.
Chimpanzee Conservation: Global Efforts and Success Stories
Chimpanzee conservation still requires a united front, but several initiatives are making significant strides. There are many NGOs and partnerships working to protect great apes and their habitats. Their efforts focus on saving chimpanzees and educating communities as part of long-term conservation strategies.
The Jane Goodall Institute plays a leading role in conservation and education. Their Roots & Shoots program empowers young people to take action for animals and the environment. Another organisation, the Great Ape Survival Partnership (GRASP), collaborates with governments to bolster conservation efforts.
Chimpanzee conservation successes include:
- Establishment of protected areas
- Anti-poaching training and patrols
- Community-based conservation programs
These achievements are stepping stones in the fight to protect chimpanzees, and certainly a step in the right direction, but more global collaboration is needed with the species teetering on the edge of extinction.
How We're Celebrating World Chimpanzee Day 2025
This year, we launched our latest project, Chimp Eden - The Jane Goodall Institute, and we're so excited to celebrate the day with a special enrichment treat for the rescued chimpanzees. Volunteers have been hard at work creating fun banners on sheets which the chimps love to tear down and run around with. Volunteers also made frozen fruit ice pops, which were a refreshing treat for some of our favourite apes.
How You Can Help Chimps This World Chimpanzee Day
The most important way to celebrate World Chimpanzee Day is to support chimpanzee conservation itself. Every person has a role to play, and you can make a huge impact through simple actions and thoughtful choices.
Here's how you can help:
- Donate to or adopt a chimpanzee through a conservation group
Reputable organisations include the Jane Goodall Institute, Wildlife Conservation Society, Pan Africa Sanctuary Alliance, and the Chimpanzee Sanctuary and Wildlife Conservation Trust.
- Educate others and raise awareness
Talk to your friends and family about what you have learned and share with others on social media - start with our handy infographic! Use hashtags like #WorldChimpanzeeDay, #ProtectPrimates, and #KeepWildlifeWild to join the global conversation.
- Shop smart - choose ethical products
Much of chimpanzees' habitat is lost to deforestation, often driven by logging for unsustainable wood products, mining (especially for coltan, used in electronics) and an increase in palm oil production. When shopping, look for RSPO-certified palm oil, buy FSC-certified paper and wood products, and recycle electronics, alongside avoiding unnecessary upgrades.
- Raise awareness
This financial aid helps fund critical research and preservation efforts. Additionally, raise awareness by sharing information about chimpanzees and their plight.
- Sign petitions
Sign petitions and support policies that strengthen enforcement of anti-trafficking laws, fund habitat protection and reforestation projects, regulate illegal wildlife trade, and ban primates as pets and in entertainment.
- Avoid unethical primate tourism & pet content
Never visit or support places where chimpanzees are dressed up or forced to perform, allowed to interact closely with tourists, kept as pets or photo props.
Be careful of the content you consume online, even watching or sharing "cute chimp" videos where they're in human-like settings and performing human-like activities, can fuel demand for illegal wildlife trafficking.
- Volunteer with us!
Join us in a sanctuary setting or out in the field and make an immediate difference by volunteering!
Out in the field:
On The Great Gorilla Project and the Ultimate Wildlife Tour in Uganda, you'll encounter wild chimps as part of your itinerary, helping with chimpanzee habituation - acclimatising them to human presence and affording researchers the opportunity to observe their natural behaviours more closely. Your presence supports long-term conservation efforts, aids vital data collection, and promotes alternative livelihoods that benefit the environment rather than harm it.
In a sanctuary setting:
Join us at Chimp Eden - The Jane Goodall Institute and help care for rescued and rehabilitated chimps saved from the illegal pet trade, entertainment industry, and poaching. As a volunteer, you'll assist with preparing food, creating enrichment activities, improving enclosures and supporting the work of the Jane Goodall Institute.
A Call to Action for Chimpanzees
Chimpanzees are our closest living relatives, and they play a critical role in maintaining the health of African forests. Their intelligence, emotional depth, and social complexity mirror our own, yet they face extinction due to our actions. Protecting chimpanzees isn't only about saving a species, it's about preserving ecosystems, supporting local communities, and honouring our evolutionary connection. We have the power and responsibility to ensure their survival, and what better day to make that pledge than World Chimpanzee Day 2025?
