Jane Goodall, whose pioneering work on chimpanzee behaviour gave primatology a new direction, calls for urgent measures to save the planet and its wildlife.
THE 84-year-old Jane Goodall started her speech in the way that she always does: by mimicking the rolling bark of a chimpanzee. It started with a low “ooo” and then rose up quickly to a burst of high-pitched “ooo”s. In the rarefied air of the MES Theatre in Singapore, where Jane Goodall spoke on August 6, the call that lasted for a few seconds instantly transported the audience to the forests of Africa, more specifically to the Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania where in 1960 Jane Goodall began her epochal workonchimpanzeebehaviour.The globally renowned primatologist, who has written extensively on her work with chimpanzees, has had a massive influence on wildlife conservation efforts worldwide for several decades. Her work has brought her many laurels over the decades, and she has been a United Nations Messenger of Peace for more than 10 years now. She continues to remain passionately committed to her work and was in Singapore for the 10th anniversary of the institute set up in her name (The Jane Goodall Institute) where she addressed a gathering discussing her work.
Jane Goodall grewup in London and had always been fascinated with animals. Supported by an encouraging mother who did not dismiss her curiosity and bought her books about animals, the young Jane Goodall had all the makings of someone who would embark upon a scientific career later in life. This avid interest in animals made her decide that she would go to Africa to study animals when she grew up. “I remember that I read the book Tarzan of the Apes when I was young and was horribly jealous when he married the wrong Jane,” she said with a smile. Times were tough when she grew up in post-War London. She ended up doing a secretarial course because she did not have enough money to go to university. Her dream to eventually go to Africa always remained. She put together the money by working as a waitress and finally set off for Kenya.
This story is from the September 15, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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This story is from the September 15, 2017 edition of FRONTLINE.
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