Two-Hour Earth Day Special

This year, the National Geographic Channel and NatGeo Wild will be celebrating Earth Day by simulcasting the two-hour television special Jane Goodall: The Hope on 22 April at 6 PM, on StarSat channels 220 and 221 respectively.

Jane Goodall, Ph.D., D.B.E., U.N. Messenger of Peace, is a world-renowned Primatologist best known for her work on the study and conservation of the native chimpanzee population in the forests of Tanzania. In the mid-1980s Dr Goodall discovered that the decline of chimpanzee populations was a direct result of human interactions. Their susceptibility to human diseases, their sale as live animals and bush meat, and the destruction of their habitats were the main culprits. Dr Goodall realized that these problems were driven in large part by the poverty and lack of educational facilities of the surrounding villages. If your child is starving and you have no money you don’t have the luxury of caring where your meat comes from. As such, Dr Goodall launched multiple projects aimed at helping people, animals and the environment throughout her life.

She’s the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots program, collectively allowing thousands of people in over 50 countries getting directly involved in hands-on conservation and upliftment projects. Jane Goodall: The Hope takes a look at some of the life and work of Dr Jane Goodall as she uses her insurmountable drive to, with the help of her team, overcome every obstacle that stood in the way on her journey, eventually becoming a household name in wildlife conservation.

“This powerful special aims to shed a new light on how Jane’s commitment to her cause has transformed the way in which we think about wildlife conservation,” said Janet Han Vissering, senior vice president of production and development for National Geographic Global Networks. “Now, more than ever, it’s important to highlight stories of hope that inspire viewers to work together to protect our planet. Jane revolutionized our understanding of the natural world, and we are honoured to be able to continue celebrating her legacy as one of the most influential women of our time.”

JANE GOODALL: THE HOPE is produced by Lucky 8 for National Geographic. For Lucky 8, executive producers are Kim Woodard, Greg Henry, George Kralovansky and Isaac Holub. The special will be produced and directed by Kim Woodard and Elizabeth Leiter. For National Geographic, executive producer is Tracy Rudolph Jackson, senior vice president of development and production is Janet Han Vissering, and executive vice president of global unscripted entertainment is Geoff Daniels.

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About National Geographic Partners

National Geographic Partners LLC (NGP), a joint venture between Disney and the National Geographic Society, is committed to bringing the world premium science, adventure and exploration content across an unrivaled portfolio of media assets. NGP combines the global National Geographic television channels (National Geographic Channel, Nat Geo WILD, Nat Geo MUNDO, Nat Geo PEOPLE) with National Geographic’s media and consumer-oriented assets, including National Geographic magazines; National Geographic studios; related digital and social media platforms; books; maps; children’s media; and ancillary activities that include travel, global experiences and events, archival sales, licensing and e-commerce businesses. Furthering knowledge and understanding of our world has been the core purpose of National Geographic for 131 years, and now we are committed to going deeper, pushing boundaries, going further for our consumers … and reaching millions of people around the world in 172 countries and 43 languages every month as we do it. NGP returns 27 percent of our proceeds to the nonprofit National Geographic Society to fund work in the areas of science, exploration, conservation and education. For more information visit natgeotv.com or nationalgeographic.com.

About Lucky 8

Lucky 8 is a full-service unscripted production company based in New York City. Led by industry veterans Greg Henry, Kim Woodard, Isaac Holub and George Kralovansky, the company has produced hits in nearly every unscripted genre, from formatted reality and docuseries to true crime, food, comedy, science and more. In addition to Jane Goodall: The Hope, Lucky 8 series and specials include A&E’s “60 Days In” and the upcoming spinoff “60 Days In: Narcoland”; Bravo’s upcoming social experiment, “In a Man’s World,” executive produced by Viola Davis; HISTORY’s upcoming “The Food That Built America”; “People Magazine Investigates: Cults, Dark Waters and Killer Unknown” for ID; “The Laws of Jaws” for Discovery’s Shark Week; “Obsessed With the Perfect Booty” and “Obsessed With Looking Like a Snapchat Filter” for MTV’s “True Life/Now”; and “Deadly Power” with Lauren Sivan and “The Disappearance of … Phoenix Coldon” for Oxygen. Lucky 8 also produced the feature documentaries “Bronx Obama,” which premiered on Showtime in 2014, and “Standing Up,” which premiered in 2017 at DOC NYC. For more information, visit www.lucky8.tv.

About Dr. Jane Goodall and the Jane Goodall Institute

The Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) is a global, community-centred conservation organization founded in 1977 that advances the vision and work of Dr. Jane Goodall in over 30 countries around the world. We aim to understand and protect chimpanzees, other apes and their habitats, and empower people to be compassionate citizens in order to inspire conservation of the natural world we all share. JGI uses research, collaboration with local communities, best-in-class animal welfare standards, and the innovative use of science and technology to inspire hope and transform it into action for the common good. Through our Roots & Shoots program for young people of all ages, now active in over 50 countries around the world, JGI is creating an informed and compassionate critical mass of people who will help to create a better world for people, other animals and our shared environment. For more information about the Jane Goodall Institute, visit www.janegoodall.org, or find us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and LinkedIn.