Jane Goodall, born on 3 April 1934 in London, England, is a pioneer in human-animal research and has been involved in the preservation of Africa's wildlife since her childhood. From a dreamy little girl, Jane grew up to become an adventurous scientist and activist. Dr. Jane Goodall is now a world-renowned primatologist, anthropologist and ethologist.
In particular, she was the first to observe and report that chimpanzees used tools for feeding. Her work has transformed the understanding of the relationship between humans and animals.
She founded the Jane Goodall Institute for the protection of biodiversity, sustainable development and education.
At the age of 23, Jane Goodall was invited to Kenya by a friend where she met the famous Kenyan paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey and became his assistant.
In 1960, she decided to move to Tanzania to observe the chimpanzees in detail and began what would become the longest field study ever conducted.
A few months later, she discovered that the chimpanzees were not strictly vegetarians, that they also ate meat. She later found that one chimpanzee used a piece of straw that it pushed into a termite mound to eat the insects on it.
In 1964, Jane Goodall created the Gombe Stream research centre in Tanzania, which is still in place today. Two years later, she obtained her thesis in ethology at Cambridge University, after having published articles in National Geographic.
1977 the Jane Goodall Institute was founded in the United States, an international organisation aiming at the conservation of the environment and the wild world, still at the heart of today's concerns. The Jane Goodall Institute in France was created in 2004.
Today, Dr. Goodall still travels around the world giving lectures, conferences and symposia. She has hosted two TED talks: one on what separates us from chimpanzees and the second on human-animal cohabitation.
She is a born activist who will continue to stand up for her values and take a stand on the treatment of animals. Dr. Goodall's latest struggle is with animal research in laboratories, which she would like to see ended, even though she knows that this will not happen. She is therefore focusing her efforts on the new generation of scientists, asking them to have a little more compassion for these animals.
During her years in Gombe, Jane got to know three generations of chimpanzees, creating strong bonds with the families. Now, just over fifty years later, Dr Goodall is encouraging African countries to develop nature-friendly tourism programmes to raise awareness.
When I was a little girl and dreamed of going to Africa to live among the animals and write books about them, my mother told me
Dr. Goodall still travels around the world for conferences, symposiums, etc.
Dr. Jane Goodall has also hosted two TED Talks, the first on what separates us from chimpanzees and the second on human-animal cohabitation.
Jane is a born activist who will continue to stand up for her values and take a stand on the treatment of animals. Dr. Goodall's latest battle is with animal research in laboratories, which she would like to see ended, even though she knows that this will not happen. She is therefore focusing her efforts on the new generation of scientists, asking them to have a little more compassion for these animals.
During her years in Gombe, Jane got to know three generations of chimpanzees, creating strong bonds with the families. Now, just over fifty years later, Dr Goodall is encouraging African countries to develop nature-friendly tourism programmes to raise awareness.
"When I was little and dreamed of going to Africa to live among the animals and write books about them, my mother often told me: 'If you wish for something with all your heart and work hard to achieve it, without ceasing, you will invariably find a way to fulfil your dream.
Dr. Jane Goodall
