Jane Goodall: The Unseen Life and Eternal Legacy of a Chimpanzee Pioneer

We live in a strange world! Sometimes we learn about some people only after their passing, when they are discussed so much. Jane Goodall is one such person whom I learned about only after her passing. Jane Goodall was a chimpanzee and animal behavior expert and an environmentalist. Before her death, all I knew about her was that she was a beautiful woman who brought her mouth close to a chimpanzee. But after her demise at the age of 91, she was discussed so much everywhere that I became familiar with her work and worth.

Everyone wrote about her extraordinary contributions to human society, particularly in the field of chimpanzee studies and animal behavior. She was simultaneously a chimpanzee expert, animal behavior specialist, environmentalist, and human rights activist. Her life and work are a great inspiration for us. To learn more about her, I have already ordered two of her books, In the Shadow of Man and Reason for Hope.

From the age of ten, Jane Goodall had a dream. She wanted to go to Africa to live among wild animals. This desire grew in her after reading the books Doctor Dolittle and Tarzan. They are two remarkable children’s books about wildlife. We all know the story of Tarzan. But Hugh Lofting’s Doctor Dolittle is also a very interesting book. Many years ago, while browsing through old books, I came across this book. After reading just a couple of pages, I couldn’t put it down. What an enchanting world of animals and birds! This book was published in 1920, and Goodall was born in 1934. That means the book was published 14 years before her birth—a book that later became recognized as a classic.

After reading these books, she felt an irresistible urge to go to the jungles of Africa. Her dream came true at the age of 26. At 26, she received a small grant to go to Tanzania’s Gombe National Park to study chimpanzees. But the forests there were quite dense and rugged. The surroundings were filled with ferocious wild buffaloes and leopards. An even bigger challenge was studying the behavior of chimpanzees up close, as no chimpanzee would come near her. After working hard, she was able to entice one chimpanzee to approach her. From then on, there was no stopping her.

Someone told her, “Professors always advise you to study a subject with detachment and impartiality, but you should never do that. Instead, you should try to connect deeply with your subject.” So, Goodall didn’t just study chimpanzees; she formed a deep bond with the chimpanzees she studied. Eventually, she discovered that chimpanzees, like humans, have emotions and feelings. They too have a society. Like humans, they tend to fight. But at the same time, they know how to resolve their conflicts and live peacefully. The biggest revelation was that, like humans, chimpanzees can also use tools.

For her field studies on chimpanzees, despite lacking formal academic qualifications, Cambridge University granted her permission to pursue a PhD, and in 1966, she was awarded a doctorate for her research titled Behaviour of the Free-Ranging Chimpanzee. However, Jane Goodall didn’t limit her studies to chimpanzees alone. She became deeply involved in issues like environmental conservation and climate change. She believed that environmental conservation and the protection of endangered wildlife are intertwined with many other issues, including the livelihoods of poor and marginalised communities living in the hinterlands. These issues cannot be ignored if we are to think about wildlife and the environment.

To spread these messages to the public, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. Through her institute, she primarily wanted to involve young people in her programs so that future generations could take care of our planet. Instead of focusing on global issues, she wanted us to engage with the problems we face in our daily lives and in our communities and neighbourhoods. She believed that if we don’t live simpler lives and reduce our carbon footprint, talking about the environment is futile. She was a staunch supporter of world peace, human rights, and democracy. Jane Goodall will always remain a source of inspiration for us!