the Jane Goodall Institute

Jane and Nona Gandelman at work in New York City on edits to Jane Goodall: 50 Years at Gombe--A Tribute to Five Decades of Wildlife Research, Education and Conservation. This coffee-table book will be released this year -- the 50th anniversary of Jane's groundbreaking chimpanzee research at Gombe National Park in Tanzania. The book is being published by Stewart, Tabori and Chang.

Photo by Mary Lewis

So far, in the short amount of time I’ve spent at Gombe, I've seen quite a few hunts. While most hunts happen high in the tree tops, hidden behind dense vegetation, I recently snagged a prime viewing spot for one of these events, and it was quite a sight.

Kristin and I spent the past week packing and throwing together supplies for the next 2 months of shooting in Kibale National Park, Uganda. Our list seems endless: rubber boots, quick-drying field cloths, binocs, Kristin’s stills equipment, maps and field notepads, computers and hard drives, packs, energy bars, rain capes, loads of zip lock bags, air and water tight stuff bags, a few books, and most importantly, very good chocolate. In the time leading up to the first shoot, I felt that I was an indentured servant to my endless lists.