14th July World Chimpanzee Day

Happy World Chimpanzee Day!    

July 14 marks the very day when renowned primatologist Dr. Jane Goodall first stepped foot in what is now Gombe Stream National Park in 1960 to study wild chimpanzees.

Her groundbreaking research called attention to this remarkable species and our responsibility to protect them. This special day raises awareness for this vulnerable species and the threats they face in the wild.

The Common Chimpanzee lives in Central Africa, preferring the dense rainforest areas. It, along with the Bonobo are our closest extant relatives, sharing 95-98% of our DNA. Sadly, like most great apes, other than us, they are listed as Endangered on the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Their rainforest home is being cut down at an alarming rate, further isolating the populations. Threats also include commercial development, hunting and disease.

Whenever we do a display of ape, monkey, gorilla  or just primate books , they are not always well borrowed. (There are lots to choose from: International Macaque Day 16th March;  International Orangutan Day 19th August; International Primate Day 1st September; World Gorilla Day 24th September; International Gibbon Day 24th October; Monkey Day 14th December.)  They are not as popular as many other animals with this age group, even the toys, but we'll have fun in the library celebrating this day with a display of any book about chimpanzees, including all the Willy the Chimp series, Jane Goodall or the Red List of Threatened Species and see if this smaller display is more popular.

We have:

• The Chimpanzee Book: Apes Like Us by Dr Carla Litchfield

• Termites on a Stick: A Chimp Learns to Use a Tool by Michele Coxon

• Chimaka the Chimpanzee by Jan Latta

• Chimpanzees  by Claire Llewellyn

• The Chimpanzees of Happytown by Giles Andreae and Guy Parker-Rees

• Chimpanzees for Tea  by Jo Empson

• Cha-cha Chimps  by Julia Durango

• Tano and Binti: Two Chimpanzees Return to the Wild by Linda and Andy Devolls

• Cheeky Chimpanzees by Sally Grindley

All the Willy the Chimp books by Anthony Browne

• Willy the Wimp

• Willy the Champ

• Willy and Hugh

• Willy the Dreamer

• Willy's Pictures

• Willy's Stories

• Willy and the Cloud

• Jane Goodall  by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Beatrice Cerrochi

• Jane Goodall: Living With Chimpanzees by Annie Ortiz and Denise Ferrell

• The Watcher  by Jeanette Winter

•  Me...Jane by Patrick McDonnell

• Red Alert! 15 Endangered Animals Fighting to Survive by Catherine Barr and Anne Wilson