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Considered to be the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, primatologist Dr Jane Goodall has devoted a large part of her life to observing the behaviour of these animals in their native habitat, as well as campaigning for environmental charities and concerns.

From 24 May until 2 October, Hong Kong people will have a chance to learn more about her early scientific discoveries at a free exhibition entitled “The Hong Kong Jockey Club Presents─ Becoming Jane: Inspiring a Shared Planet” at the Hong Kong Science Museum.

Funded exclusively by the Club’s Charities Trust, the exhibition is the first-ever holistic presentation of Dr Goodall’s dedication to environmental conservation and to empowering young people to take constructive action towards protecting wildlife and nature.

It provides immersive experiences for visitors by recreating the forest environment of the Gombe reserve in Tanzania where Dr Goodall made her initial explorations in the 1960s, vividly displaying her scientific discoveries through four topical zones and an interactive learning area. It is expected to attract about 450,000 visitors.

The “Introduction to Dr Jane Goodall” zone uses multimedia displays, including photos, videos and replicas of her belongings, to narrate the story of her early life and how she turned her passion and enthusiasm for animals into a lifelong research mission. In the “Early Days in Gombe” zone, the primitive living environment of chimpanzees is recreated with “live” scale replicas of trees and chimps. The zone is also equipped with audio aids and Pepper’s ghost technique, offering visitors the simulated experience of traversing the forest and savannah with “Dr Goodall”.

Five epic discoveries by Dr Goodall on chimpanzees are displayed in the “Chimpanzee Behavioural Study” zone with interactive “play and learn” elements, while the “Research and Conservation” zone showcases her work on nature conservation beyond the Gombe reserve. This includes the survival threats faced by wildlife due to human activities and what people can do to contribute to wildlife conservation.

Meanwhile “Jane’s Tent”, a replica of Dr Goodall’s working tent in the Gombe reserve, is being used as an interactive learning area for hosting thematic conservation and storytelling workshops that target different audiences, as well as for showing new short films about Dr Goodall.

The Club’s funding is also covering a series of educational programmes to enhance public understanding of wildlife conservation and appreciation, which began in mid-February and will continue until December. These include public lectures targeting young people and young environmental professionals; and workshops at over 75 schools in different districts of Hong Kong using Virtual Reality technology to create a lifelike tour experience of the exhibition.