“Equipped with little more than a notebook, binoculars, and her fascination with wildlife, Jane Goodall braved a realm of unknowns to give the world a remarkable window into humankind’s closest living relatives. Through nearly 60 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Jane Goodall has not only shown us the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction; she has also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environment. Today she travels the world, speaking about the threats facing chimpanzees and environmental crises, urging each of us to take action on behalf of all living things and planet we share.” – Janegoodall.org

Born in Hampstead, London in 1934, Dr Jane Morris Goodall’s innate passion for animals was encouraged by a toy chimpanzee named Jubilee (who incidentally still lives with Jane) gifted to her by her father at the tender age of one.

In 1957, spurred on by this love of the natural kingdom as well as a fascination with Africa, Jane arrived on the continent aged 23. Here, she met Louis Leakey, a Kenyan-born anthropologist and acclaimed primatologist, and became the first of the so-called ‘Trimates’ – three women (the others were Dian Fossey and Birutė Galdikas) chosen by Leakey to study hominids in the wild.

In 1962, Dr Goodall was sent to the University of Cambridge by Leakey where she obtained a PhD in ethology in 1965. She was only the eighth person to receive permission to study for a PhD at the institution without an undergraduate degree.

Dr Goodall once famously said, “You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.” Here’s a look some of the differences she’s made in her 84 years on the planet.

Scientific research

In 1960, Dr Goodall set up camp in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park and began studying the Kasakela chimpanzee community. Thanks to her unorthodox approach, which included getting to know and understand the personalities of each of her subjects (she went so far to give them names like David Greybeard, Humphrey and Gigi instead of a number as per scientific convention) – she was able to observe their many human qualities, which included hugging and kissing one another and feeling emotion. One of her most significant discoveries was that like humans, chimpanzees were able to make and use tools. The findings from her first five years at Gombe were documented in her PhD, Behaviour of free-living chimpanzees, which she completed in 1965 at Newnham College, Cambridge.

Jane Goodall Institute

In 1977, Dr Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute with the aim of ensuring that “her vision and life’s work continue to mobilize the collective power of individual action to save the natural world we all share.” (Janegoodall.org) Today, the institute focuses on the following nine strategies which “build on each other and bring the power of community-centred conservation to life.”

• Conservation science
• Advocacy
• Protecting chimpanzees and other great apes
• Public awareness and environmental education
• Healthy habitats
• Gender, health and conservation
• Sustainable livelihoods
• Research
• Roots & Shoots

Roots & Shoots

Founded in 1991, this youth-directed initiative aims to “foster respect and compassion for all living things, to promote understanding of all cultures and beliefs, and to inspire each individual to take action to make the world a better place for people, other animals, and the environment.” Today, it operates in close to 100 countries where those involved “identify and address problems in their communities, while becoming the compassionate citizens that our planet needs.”

Recognition

Dr Goodall has received several prestigious awards during her lifetime, including the French Légion d’honneur, the Medal of Tanzania and Japan’s Kyoto Prize. In 2002, Kofi Annan appointed her a United Nation Messenger of Peace and in 2004, she was designated a Dame Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire.

Sources

Wikipedia.org

Janegoodall.org