In October this year, world-renowned primatologist and anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall passed away aged 91.
In October this year, world-renowned primatologist and anthropologist Dame Jane Goodall passed away aged 91. Dr Goodall’s 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Tanzania, and the subsequent realisation that chimpanzees, like humans, use tools and form strong family bonds, has revolutionised our understanding of primates and what it means to be human. In the latter part of her life, Dr Goodall became an advocate for animal welfare, environmental protection, and human rights.
Dr Goodall had been passionate about wildlife and the natural world from her early childhood. Having saved money from working as a waitress, she arrived in Kenya in 1957, where she began working as a secretary for palaeontologist Dr Louis Leakey after he offered her a job in the National Museum in Nairobi. There, she was able to spend time with Dr Leaky and his co-researcher and wife Mary Leakey, searching for fossils in the Olduvai Gorge.
Appreciative of Dr Goodall’s determination, Dr Leakey asked her to study families of wild chimpanzees in the forest of Gombe, in Tanzania. Dr Goodall later reflected on this, saying how extremely lucky she felt to have been given the opportunity to study man’s closest living relative in the wild. It was in this rainforest reserve that she spent time watching a male chimpanzee foraging for food. In 1960, observing him use a twig he had snapped in half to get termites into his mouth, akin to a human using a spoon, Dr Goodall made the ground-breaking discovery that chimpanzees use tools, much like humans do. This observation challenged the belief that humans were the only species that not only used but also made tools. This observation was so radical that it has been credited with redefining what it means to be human. Dr Goodall’s work in Gombe also showed that chimpanzees form strong family bonds with their own claimed territory and even engage in warfare over these claimed areas of the rainforest.
Dr Goodall’s ethnographic approach, however, could be described as informal. She named the animals she observed, referred to them as her friends, and closely associated with them. This was highly unusual at the time, meaning she faced a lot of both scepticism and sexism from the male-dominated scientific establishment. Dr Leaky, however, saw this informality as valuable. In an interview with the BBC, Dr Goodall described how the professor wanted a researcher without the reductionist attitude that science often employs in regard to animals. Despite this, Dr Goodall was not formally trained as a scientist, which was unusual at the time. Dr Leakey knew that Dr Goodall’s work would only be taken to be credible if she held academic qualifications. Therefore, despite Dr Goodall not having a degree, Dr Leaky arranged for her to study at Newnham College, Cambridge, for a PhD in Ethology, the science of animal behaviour. Her doctoral thesis was completed in 1965 and is titled “The Behaviour of Free-living Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve.” Her study was originally supposed to last three months, but has since evolved into a research program that continues to this day.
Dr Goodall has always been passionate about empowering young people to become involved in humanitarian and conservation projects, on the basis that there is a fundamental need to respect all life on Earth. She founded many educational initiatives focused on chimpanzees both in captivity and in the wilderness. In 1997, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to support the research at Gombe, which now involves 25 Institute offices operating programmes worldwide. In 1991, she went on to start the program Roots & Shoots, a global humanitarian and environmental program for young people of all ages, with members becoming involved in hand-on activities aiming to enact positive change for animals, the environment, and their local communities. Roots & Shoots started with 12 high school students and has now expanded to 75 countries. In 2017, she founded the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation to ensure the stability of her life’s work. Dr Goodall has written over 27 books, with her latest publication being translated in over 20 languages. She has also starred in many documentaries and films. National Geographic opened Becoming Jane, a travelling exhibit based on her life’s work, in 2019.
Dr Goodall’s awards are too numerous to name in full. She has been recognised by governments, charities, and educational establishments from around the world, gaining awards in countries such as Japan, France, and Tanzania. In 2002, she was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace, and in 2004, she was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.
News of her death rattled the scientific community. The president of the Royal Society, Adrian Smith, described her as “an amazing scientist who inspired people to see the natural world in a new way” in a BBC article. In the same article, Roger Highfield from the London Science Museum, called her an “inspiration,” and said she “challenged human exceptionalism.”
Dr Goodall inspired generations of scientists, bringing together people from all walks of life and academic disciplines. Her loss will be mourned by a community comprised of scientists and humanitarians with the same goal – protecting all forms of life on our planet. To quote Dr Goodall, “every single one of us makes a difference every day – it is up to us as to the kind of difference we make.”
Sources:
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cgj1pz8q63go
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jane_Goodall