Richy Maria Jacob
‘She Walks with Apes,’ sheds much light on the iconic figures Jane Goodall, Biruté Galdikas, and Dian Fossey. The three women who are called the ‘Trimates’ are the embodiment of genuinely understanding the beings of nature. This documentary attempts to provide a fresh glance into the lives of these three and other aspiring young women who are on a mission to advocate for the lives of primates. This original, in this sense, serves as a transition from the old generation of primate advocates to the upcoming generation of women following the same path but in their own different ways.
Jane Goodall Developed a Passion for Primates at an Early Age
Born on April 3, 1934, in London, England, to novelist Margaret Myfanwe Joseph (1906–2000) and businessman Mortimer Herbert Morris-Goodall (1907–2001), Jane Goodall is an expert on wild chimpanzees. Her fascination with chimpanzees actually began as a result of a chimpanzee toy she received on her birthday as an alternative to a teddy bear. The toy was fashioned after London’s first chimpanzee, who gave birth in a zoo, named Jubilee. Growing up, she found solace in this you, in greenery, and in wildlife. So, after graduating, she worked many jobs before deciding to visit Africa, which changed her life forever.
In Africa, Jane met Louis Leaky, a lead Paleoanthropologist. As his assistant, she was sent to Osman Hill to learn about Primatology. Goodall was then sent to Gombe Stream National Park. In the years to come, she researched Primatology, which was a male-dominated field, much like various others at the time. Under the financial aid arranged by Leaky, she went on to receive a Ph.D. in Ethology from Newnham College, Cambridge.
Goodall devoted her life to studying chimpanzees and learning about them. As a result of this, her contribution to science is immeasurable. One of her most important discoveries was that chimpanzees, very much like human beings, made and manipulated tools to achieve a goal. She observed that chimpanzees often procured twigs and branches and smeared them with their saliva to scoop out termites from their deep dwellings. Along with this, she discovered their complex social structure, hunting rituals, playtime routines, and so on. She also made it known that they are an endangered species due to poaching. Her stunning revelations of the behavioral similarities between humans and chimpanzees were astounding at the time.
Despite Her Age, Jane Goodall is Still an Enthusiastic Professional and Expert
The Primatologist, Anthropologist, and activist has several awards and mentions to her name. In addition, in 1977, she established the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues her research in Gombe. Its noted program is ‘Roots and Shoots’, which started in 1991 with a group of teenagers. In 2019, she was noted as one of the ‘100 most influential people in the world’, according to Time Magazine. Goodall has quite the accolade of awards, books, and films to her credit – she has a doctorate, 16 published books, and 11 published children’s books, as well as 40 film credits as the primary subject.
In a recent interview with clnet, she spoke about what she believes is the reason for the global COVID-19 pandemic. According to her: “… Viruses can spill over onto humans in situations like our intensive farming with animals, and also in the meat markets in Asia and Africa. It’s because of our lack of respect for the environment that this terrible COVID-19 virus has shut down the world.” The 90-year-old also spoke about the dire need to hold on to hope in such a situation.
Coming to her current standing, Dr. Jane Goodall still travels as part of her work, which she believes is never-ending. Whether it be India or the US, she has served as the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees everywhere, especially with her 60+ years of experience. However, when she is not traveling, she is at her home, which she shares with her sister in Bournemouth, England. As if that’s not enough, she also still continues to work with ‘Roots and Shoots’, give interviews and lectures to do every bit she can to advocate and promote her lifelong passion. That’s how National Geographic’s Becoming Jane exhibit (2020) and the documentary ‘Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope’ (2023) also came to be.
As of 2022, Jane is even on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project and was given the Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication for her career-long study of wild chimpanzees. Furthermore, in 2023, owing to all her hard work, she was even made an Officer in the Order of Orange-Nassau in a ceremony in The Hague of the Netherlands. And most recently, in 2024, she gave a speech at UNESCO, wherein she delivered an optimistic message of hope in conservation and the role everyone can play in preserving our planet. All of this just makes it clear that to her, age is really just a number.
Read More: Where Are Siegfried and Roy Now?
