‘She was always hungry for knowledge’: Tributes pour in

Soon after primatologist Anindya Sinha, a professor at the National Institute of Advanced Studies (NIAS) in Bengaluru, discovered the Arunachal Macaque (Macaca munzala) in 2007, he ‘went to deliver a lecture on it in Uganda —and seated in the audience was Jane Goodall, perhaps the world’s most famous primatologist. She was in her 70s at the time.

- Jasjeev Gandhiok

Curious to see the veteran there, Sinha asked what she was doing there. “Her reply was simple. She told me, ‘You are speaking about a primate I do not know anything about and I am here to learn more.’ She was always hungry for knowledge and that was incredible,” recalled Sinha.

On Wednesday, Goodall — the champion of chimps — breathed her last at the age of 91. For over six decades, her work stood at the intersection of science, compassion and activism, influencing generations of researchers, conservationists and young people —from the forests of Africa to research institutes in India. Primatologists in the country said she leaves behind a legacy, one that ensures future conservationists and primatologists view primates no longer as species or groups — but unique individuals with differing behaviour and characteristics.