Jane Goodall Instagram – Chimpanzees have been known to step into nontraditional motherhood roles — just like humans! On this Mother’s Day, let’s celebrate mother figures of all forms 💐 🌳 #DidYouKnow that chimpanzees sometimes adopt youngsters who have lost their parents? A famous example is La Vieille, a chimpanzee at Tchimpounga who helped JGI staff raise many young chimpanzees orphaned through the illegal wildlife trade. 🌿 Caretakers don’t have to be related by blood! At Tchimpounga Sanctuary, Anzac has been seen helping new mom Lucie by babysitting her twin infants. The babies feel safe with Anzac, and Lucie clearly trusts her friend to watch over them. 🌱 Older siblings often help their moms care for younger siblings! Gaia from the “G family” of the Gombe chimpanzees is famous for taking care of her twin siblings, Golden and Glitter, so much so that Jane referred to her as their guardian. These step-in parents raised resilient and compassionate chimpanzees, and captured our hearts 💚 When La Vieille passed away in 2016, Jane wrote a heartwarming tribute to her work — LINK IN BIO 📸 credits: Image 1: Kristin J Mosher Image 2 3: JGI/Fernando Turmo . . . . . #Gombe #Tchimpounga #animalparents #mothersday #animalmoms #chimpanzeebehavior #janegoodall #janegoodallinstitute #chimpanzees #conservation #nonprofit #chimpanzeeconservation #interconnected #communityledconservation #communityconservation #wildlife #africanwildlife #tacare