Carolyn and I have appreciated the work of British primatologist and anthropologist Jane Goodall, who studied the social interactions of chimpanzees in the wild for over sixty years and is considered the world’s foremost expert. She has also been an important voice for wildlife conservation and animal welfare issues.

Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall was born in London, England in 1934. Her father was a successful racing car driver and a businessman in the automobile industry. Her mother was a novelist. As a child, Goodall’s father gave her a stuffed toy chimpanzee named Jubilee as an alternative to a teddy bear, and Goodall has said that her fondness for the special toy sparked her early love of animals. To this day, Jubilee sits on Goodall’s dresser in her home.

Goodall attended Uplands School, a private school located in the coastal town of Poole, Dorset on the south coast of England, Goodall did not pursue higher education immediately after school; instead, she worked as a secretary and saved money for a trip to Africa. In 1957, Goodall visited the farm of a friend in the Kenya highlands of East Africa. This visit brought her into contact with the renowned anthropologist and paleontologist Louis Leakey. Impressed by Goodall’s passion for animals and her keen observational skills, Leakey hired her as his secretary and soon after, recognized her potential to contribute to primate research.

In 1960, Leakey sent Goodall to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees, marking the beginning of her groundbreaking research. Despite having no formal training in higher education at the time, Goodall’s intuitive and patient approach led to remarkable discoveries about chimpanzee behavior, tool use, and social structures, which revolutionized our understanding of the primates and their close relation to humans. She found that “it isn’t only human beings who have personality, who are capable of rational thought and emotions like joy and sorrow.”

In the early 1960s, while Goodall was still new to studying chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park, she faced a significant challenge: the chimpanzees were very wary of her presence and they would flee whenever she approached. To overcome this, Jane adopted a unique and patient strategy. She would sit quietly in the same spot every day, making sure not to intrude or disrupt the chimpanzees’ activities. Her perseverance paid off when a young chimpanzee that she named “David Greybeard” became the first to approach her.

David’s acceptance of Goodall paved the way for other chimpanzees to become more comfortable around her. This breakthrough was not only a pivotal moment in her research but also led to the groundbreaking discovery of tool use among chimpanzees, fundamentally changing our understanding of primate behavior and bridging the gap between humans and animals in the scientific community. David’s trust in Goodall marked the beginning of her long and fruitful relationship with the chimpanzees of Gombe, and it remains a testament to the power of patience and respect in scientific observation.

In 1962, Goodall began her higher education at the University of Cambridge, where she enrolled in a Ph.D. program despite not having an undergraduate degree, which was a rare exception. In 1965, Goodall obtained her Ph.D. in Ethology from Darwin College, Cambridge. Her thesis was titled Behavior of the Free-Ranging Chimpanzee, based on her pioneering field research in Gombe.

Goodall was able to correct quite a few misunderstandings that people had about chimpanzees. For example, she discovered that they are omnivorous, and not vegetarian as was previously thought. Goodall learned that they are capable of making and using tools, and have a set of previously unrecognized complex and highly developed social behaviors. She summarized her findings in several books and articles about various aspects of her work.

Goodall is the author 36 books. In 1971, she published her book In the Shadow of Man, which is her initial account of her life among the wild chimpanzees of Gombe, and in 1986, she summarized her years of observation in The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior. Some of her other varied books include A Prayer for World Peace and Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey. She also wrote a cookbook, Eat Meatless, and a children’s book, Pangolina.

Goodall’s work and life have been deeply intertwined with spirituality, although she does not adhere to a specific organized religion. Goodall’s spirituality is rooted in a profound sense of connection to nature and all living beings, which she often describes in her writings and speeches. Her spiritual perspective is reflected in her reverence for the natural world and her commitment to conservation and animal welfare. Goodall often speaks about the sense of awe and wonder she feels in the presence of nature, and how this has guided her work with chimpanzees and her broader environmental advocacy. Her spirituality also informs her belief in the power of hope and the potential for positive change through human action.

In 1975, while Goodall was studying the wild chimps in Gombe, along with several of her research students and assistants, a harrowing incident occurred when several of them were kidnapped by armed rebels in Tanzania. The rebels, from the neighboring Democratic Republic of Congo (then Zaire), crossed into Tanzania and took the students hostage. The incident was a significant and frightening disruption to Goodall’s research. The students were held captive for several hours, but fortunately, they were released unharmed after negotiations. This event underscored the challenges and dangers faced by researchers working in remote and politically unstable regions. Despite this traumatic experience, Goodall continued her work at Gombe, demonstrating her resilience and dedication to her research and conservation efforts.

In 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute was founded, which is dedicated to wildlife research, conservation, and education. Its primary focus is on the protection of chimpanzees and their habitats, promoting sustainable livelihoods for local communities, and fostering environmental stewardship through programs that engage young people worldwide in conservation efforts. The institute also works on issues such as reforestation, climate change, and advocacy for animal welfare and biodiversity.

In 1991, Goodall started her Roots & Shoots program. This is a global youth-led community action program that encourages young people to make a positive impact in their communities through projects that promote conservation, animal welfare, and social justice. The program empowers participants to identify and address local issues, fostering leadership skills and environmental stewardship. Through various initiatives, Roots & Shoots “aims to inspire and support the next generation of compassionate leaders committed to creating a better world for people, animals, and the environment.” The program has had an incredible impact and has grown exponentially since its inception, engaging millions of young people in over 100 countries in community-based conservation projects.

Goodall has continued to make significant contributions to primatology, conservation, and environmental advocacy. In 1993, she founded the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in the Republic of Congo, providing a sanctuary for orphaned chimpanzees and raising awareness about the threats they face. Throughout the 1990s and early 2000s, Goodall expanded her efforts globally through the Jane Goodall Institute, promoting sustainable development and conservation initiatives in Africa and elsewhere.

Goodall has lectured widely about environmental and conservation issues and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. In 1995, she won the Kyoto Prize, and in 2002 she became a United Nations Messenger of Peace. In 2003, Goodall was honored as the Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire. In 2021, she also was awarded the Templeton Prize, and in 2022 she won the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication. In 2006, the Open University of Tanzania awarded her an honorary Doctor of Science degree, and in 2017, a documentary about Goodall’s life and work titled Jane was released by National Geographic.

Goodall has been a tireless advocate for animal welfare and environmental protection, delivering lectures worldwide and meeting with global leaders to discuss these critical issues. Goodall’s unwavering dedication has inspired a global movement towards a more sustainable and compassionate world. I met Jane in 1993 at the opening celebration for the Biosphere 2 project in Arizona, which was the largest closed ecological system ever created. She was extremely kind and gracious as we spoke, and I could sense why animals feel so comfortable and trusting around her beautiful presence.

Some of the quotes that Jane Goodall is known for include:

What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make. The greatest danger to our future is apathy. You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you.

We have the choice to use the gift of our life to make the world a better place– or not to bother.

You cannot share your life with a dog, as I had done in Bournemouth, or a cat, and not know perfectly well that animals have personalities and minds and feelings.

From my perspective, I absolutely believe in a greater spiritual power, far greater than I am, from which I have derived strength in moments of sadness or fear. That’s what I believe, and it was very, very strong in the forest.

If we do not do something to help these creatures, we make a mockery of the whole concept of justice.

Only if we understand, will we care. Only if we care, will we help. Only if we help shall all be saved.

Here we are, the most clever species ever to have lived. So how is it that we can destroy the only planet we have?

Giving people hope is my mission in life.

by David Jay Brown