Today we are going to talk about one of the most important Zoologists who have marked a before and after in the study of primates. It's about the British Zoologist and Anthropologist Jane Goodall. This woman was born in London on April 3, 1934. She grew up in the town of Bournemouth and began to study chimpanzees after a gift from her father, who was a toy chimpanzee that she became fond of.
In this article we are going to tell you who Jane Goodall is and what are her exploits in the world of science.
Biography of Jane Goodall
When Jane Goodall's father gave him a toy chimpanzee that he named Jubilee, Jane became fond of the moment and, it can be said that, to this day, she is still sitting in a chair at her home in England. Since he became fond of this type of stuffed animal, when he reached the age of 4 he began to be very curious to know where the hens' eggs came out. He has always been a person who enchanted animals. Wanting to know where the hen's eggs came from, he spent several hours observing the chicken coop so that he could see it with his own eyes.
Among Jane's favorite childhood readings were animal books such as The Jungle Book. This interest in animals made him begin to dream of going to Africa to be able to live among animals and write about them. In the end, this dream came true thanks to the support of his mother. Thanks to her I had been able to teach him that it is to be something, you can work hard to achieve it. In this way, Jane can take advantage of the opportunities that presented themselves in her life and not give up until she reaches Africa and can meet the animals she had dreamed of so much.
He was studying secretarial work and worked in a documentary company in England. Thanks to the invitation of a colleague moved to Nairobi and was able to travel to Africa. She had to save for several months as a waitress to be able to afford the passage and enjoy herself.
Louis Leakey, the anthropologist
Jane Goodall comes into contact with the famous anthropologist Louis Leakey. Despite the fact that she did not have the appropriate academic training, she expressed interest in studying animals. Thanks to this interest that she showed this man that it was something of passion, she was hired, assistant. Later, they traveled together with his wife to the Olduvai Gorge in search of hominid fossils. It also offered him the possibility of being able to study chimpanzees in the natural environment. It is when Jane Goodall moved in 1960 and was accompanied by her mother for 3 months.
This is how he gave rise to his studies on chimpanzees. These studies allowed him to observe in the months of October all the chimpanzees that were in that area. He was able to see how these animals build and use tools to capture termites that are part of their diet. He also joined the group of researchers with the support of Leakey and contributed to the advancement of the study of great primates.
His field work includes work with chimpanzees. The beginning of his investigations, as in most cases, were quite hard. And it is that at first the chimpanzee populations reacted with a rejection towards the presence of Jane Goodall. It was several years later when she was able to have much better results since the animals were accustomed to the presence of her. From the year 1964 is when a team was formed with a help that compiled and processed all the information that was obtained during these years.
A year later, Jane Goodall received an honorary doctorate in mythology from the University of Cambridge. Two years later she was appointed director of the Gombe Stream Research Center. Between 1971-1975 she was visiting professor at Stanford University and, from 1973, also at Dar es Salaam (Tanzania).
Jane Goodall Institute and a Life Dedicated to Primates
As early as 1977, the institute that bears her name, Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research Education and Conservation, was founded. The main objective of this institute is to promote various conservation programs for this species and improve their living conditions. With the advancement of technologies, more and more poachers are hunting these animals. Not only are poachers the main problem in reducing the population of these animals, but it is also fragmentation of habitats due to overexploitation of natural resources.
10 years later this scientist abandoned field work and settled in the town of Bornemouth where she spent two months a year. The rest of the years are dedicated to traveling around the world defending animals and their well-being. Thanks to the knowledge that he has acquired throughout his career, he can give lectures on the destruction of the environment and the negative effects of global warming. One of its main objectives is to fight for better living conditions for primates both in the natural environment and in zoos. His priority is to improve the lives of these primates and fight against illegal trade and experiments with these animals.
If the current situation continues for another 100 years, these primates probably no longer exist. Thanks to science it is known that our genome is 98% the same as that of the chimpanzee. All of Jane Goodall's efforts to protect primates are fully justified. This is because the populations of these primates have decreased alarmingly in recent years. Today there are an estimated 100.000 chimpanzees, 20.000 bonobos, 50.000 orangutans, 120.000 coastal and lowland gorillas, and just 600 mountain gorillas.
Main causes for which populations are detrimental is illegal hunting. They are usually hunted to consume their meat and use their organs, sexual stimulants or traditional medicine preparations.
I hope that with this information you can learn more about Jane Goodall and her exploits.