Belated lessons from an interview with Jane Goodall

An unexpected interruption during an encounter with the primatologist was pure journalist gold

- By Tiara Walters

Photo: Manuel Lorenzo/EPA

I couldn't believe a dog had just ruined my interview with Dr Jane Goodall, DBE, about 20 years ago.

At least, that's how I felt as a young radio journalist when I got lucky and shadowed the chimpanzee expert on an early 2000s educational tour to Soweto.

After our day south of Joburg, I interviewed Goodall at the bottom of a sprawling Parkwood garden typical of the city's northern suburbs.

As we spoke in the late-afternoon shade, the crested barbets were barbeting, the sun beetles were sun-beetling, the flowers were audibly flowering. I couldn't have asked for a better soundtrack to my radio interview - everything was singing the natural magic of Goodall's world. But I lost track of whatever the world's most iconic primatologist was saying when a labrador-like canine emerged from the house and loped down the hill - straight at us.

It could've been an Alsatian. As indicated, the minutiae were instantly forgotten.

What I do recall, in detail as colourful as a chapel window, was the premeditated plan of an envoy from a big dog breed - likely dreamt up in a deadly thought bubble on the coolness of a kitchen floor.

From the dog's vantage point, its plan may've involved a brief bonding session with the only other large mammals within earshot.