ThestoryofJaneGoodallislikeacampfiretale.Itgetsbetterwitheachtelling.Herstoryhasbeentoldmanytimesinmanyways.So,peopleknowitrightaway.In1965,shewasayoungscientist.Shewantedtolearnaboutchimpanzees.Janehadnotraininginresearch.Yetshemanagedtomovethroughthemaleworldsofscienceandmedia.Shemadeimportantdiscoveriesinherfield.Shespokeoutaboutconservation.Thisisher story.

GrowingUp

JaneGoodallgrewupinEngland.ShelovedanimalsanddreamedoflivinginAfrica.Onceshebegantowork,shesavedhermoney.Whenshehad saved enough,sheboughtaboattickettoKenya,acountryin Africa.

There,shemetLouis Leakey,a paleoanthropologist. Leakeywasfamousforhisresearchonthehistoryofhumansandhisinterestinapes,likechimpanzeesandgorillas.HehiredGoodallasasecretary.Later,hearrangedforhertodofieldresearchonchimpsinanotherAfricancountrycalled Tanzania.

RoughingIt

Itwasthesummerof1960.GoodallsetupcampintheGombeStreamReserve.Leakeyhadraisedmoneyforhertodosixmonths
of fieldwork.

Goodallfollowedherinstinctsforherresearch.Mostscientistswhostudiedanimalsidentifiedthembynumbers.GoodallgavetheanimalsnameslikeFifi,Flo,andFlint.Sherecordedherobservationsusingthosenames.Goodallwatchedtheanimalsthroughherbinocularsandtriedtogetclosetothem.Butshehadn’tmadeanyimportantdiscoveries yet.

FlinttakesapeekatGoodallfromthetopofher tent.

DavidGreybeardvisitsGoodall’s camp.

TurningPoint

Theneverythingchanged.Goodallmadethreediscoveries.Eachwouldturnscienceonits head.

Inherfirstdiscovery,sheobservedachimpeatingadeadanimal.Untilthen,scientiststhoughtthatapesdidn’teatmeat.ShehadnamedthischimpDavid Greybeard.

Twoweekslater,shesawthesamechimp.Hewaspokingabladeofgrassintoatermitetunnel.Hepulleditout.Itwascoveredwithtermites. Yum.

Inathirdcase,Goodallsawthesamechimppickupatwigandstripitofitsleaves.Heusedittofishfortermites.Atthattime,scientiststhoughttoolmakingandtoolusewerethingsonlyhumansdid.Onhearingthisnews,Leakeysenta telegraph:

NOWWEMUSTREDEFINETOOLSTOPREDEFINEMANSTOP
ORACCEPTCHIMPANZEESAS HUMAN

Leakey’s telegram

FreudcarefullyinspectsGoodall’s hair.

07/06/2024 07:26:55