Bill Wallauer

Roles: Director

Bill Wallauer offers a unique and fascinating view of life among wild chimpanzees. Bill became part of the life at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Gombe Stream Research Center in 1989 while on assignment for the U.S. Peace Corps in southern Tanzania. After he captured a wild chimpanzee birth on videotape, Dr. Goodall asked Bill to follow chimps and record their daily activities and behaviors, which he did for the next 15 years. He has commented that during those years he spent more time with chimpanzees than with humans. Bill has served as camera operator and scientific adviser for more than 30 productions, including BBC/Animal Planet’s “Chimp Week,” BBC/Discovery’s 10-part series, “Planet Earth,” and Disney Nature’s “Chimpanzee.” He also worked on three National Geographic films in 2014 and 15. He shot the closing sequence for the BBC/Discovery’s 10-part series, “Planet Earth,” and appeared in the Animal Planet special, “Almost Human,” with Jane Goodall. Today, Bill is a sought-after speaker for adults and youth. He speaks enthusiastically about chimpanzee’s behavior and emotional capacity and the similarities and differences between chimpanzees and humans. The footage and photos he brings to each presentation are rare and moving, and give audiences insight into the world of the wild chimpanzee.