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From tomorrow (April 1) until September 30, the Hong Kong Space Museum's latest Omnimax Show "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees" will take audiences on an extraordinary trip deep into Gombe and across four decades of research to experience the never-before-seen world of the chimpanzee.
Dr Goodall's quest to work with animals in the wild began more than 40 years ago. After hiring Jane as an assistant on a fossil-hunting dig at Olduvai Gorge in Africa, noted paleontologist and anthropologist Dr Louis Leakey arranged for her to travel to Gombe to study the behaviour of the chimpanzees. After that, her heart never left. Jane's relationship with Gombe's chimpanzees goes beyond a mere scientific interest and has evolved into a genuine affection and commitment to their survival. Fascinated by the 20-square-mile park and its charismatic inhabitants, Jane established what has become the longest continuously running study of animals in the wild.
Research has proved that chimpanzees and humans share nearly 99% of the same DNA, making chimps the closest relative to humans. By studying chimpanzees, scientists are gaining insights into what the earliest human cultures might have been like. Dr Goodall's discoveries in 40 years of research at Gombe ¡ª including her groundbreaking observations of chimpanzees making and using tools ¡ª have not only revolutionised our understanding of chimpanzees, but ultimately of human behaviour itself.
"Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees" invites audiences to be among the few humans who have ventured into the realm of the wild chimpanzee to see them at close range. They will accompany Dr Goodall on a walk through the forest of Gombe in search of her now-famous chimpanzee subjects: her longtime friend Fifi, whom Jane met as an infant chimpanzee when she first arrived at Gombe; Fifi's son Frodo, the alpha male of the community whose aggression has placed him atop the ranks in his community; Gremlin, her offspring Gaia; the rare twins Golden and Glitter; and Titan, a juvenile chimpanzee whose attention-getting behaviour may one day make him Frodo's successor as the group's alpha male.
Furthermore, the rare footage of chimpanzees interacting in their community group ¡ª playing with one another and with their baboon neighbors, grooming, hunting, communicating, and using tools to find food ¡ª gives viewers an opportunity to wonder at the rich culture and complex social dynamics of chimpanzees' incredible world.
The 42-minute Omnimax Show, "Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees", will be screened daily at 3.50pm and 7.20pm at the museum's Stanley Ho Space Theatre. Additional show will be scheduled at 12.20pm on Saturdays, Sundays and public holidays. The Space Museum is closed on Tuesdays (except public holidays).
Tickets are available at the Space Museum Box Office and at all URBTIX outlets for $24 (front stalls) and $32 (stalls). Full-time students, senior citizens and people with disabilities will receive a half-price concession.
The Space Museum is located at 10 Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui, Kowloon. For further information, call 2721 0226 or visit the website at http://hk.space.musuem/.
Ends/Saturday, March 31, 2007
Issued at HKT 10:03
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