Jane Goodall: Her Life With Chimps

       Jane Goodall, a British primatologist, is most famous for her studies of the chimpanzee. She was born on April 3, 1934,  in London, England. She had two younger sisters. Her mother, Vanna (Joseph) Morris-Goodall, inspired her love of animals and nature. She aspired to move to Africa after she graduated from high school. She worked many jobs in order to fund her first trip to Africa.



Jane Goodall as a Young Primatologist

       When she went to Mombasa, she met  Louis Leakey, an anthropologist. He eventually became her mentor.  He wanted Jane to study primates, similar to humans, in order to further support several of his theories.  He chose her to do this work, rather  than choosing a man, because he thought she was patient and intelligent enough for the large task. He also chose her because she was not highly trained in the area, therefore she could write down what she was honestly viewing, and not what she thought might be happening. Goodall began observing primates at the Gombe National Park in Southeast Africa. She ended up studying primates for over twenty years. 

       Although she didn’t receive an undergraduate degree, she graduated from Cambridge University in 1965 with a doctorate degree—a rare feat.  

       

       In her early days of exploring, Jane explored the forests and observed the chimpanzees for many hours. She eventually gained their trust and could get as close as sitting next to them. She changed many peoples perspective on the chimps. Most researchers at that time thought chimps were aggressive. Jane Goodall helped them to discover that chimps were not only loving, but incredibly intelligent as well. 

       Her work was published in National Geographic, which helped her gain publicity. Through her years of study, she watched the population of chimpanzees seriously decrease. She also watched a four year war between two groups of chimpanzees. She used her fame to encourage people to stop using chimpanzees in medical studies. The video below is a summary of her work in Tanzania. 

        

      Today Jane continues her work with chimps, by promoting people to support the endangered wildlife. She created the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation. Visit her site, www.janegoodall.org to learn more.  

Sources

1. http://www.notablebiographies.com/Gi-He/Goodall-Jane.html

2. http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/janegoodall.html

3. http://i.timeinc.net/time/photoessays/2009/10q_jane_goodall/10q_jane_goodall_01.jpg

4. http://www.janegoodall.org/leadership-team

5. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkioNckjYrk&feature=related

6. http://www.buffaloreuse.org/blog/wp-content/uploads/2010/03/goodall.jpg