All illustrations by Dave Shephard

Jane Goodall

Her work with chimpanzees changed the way we think about animals.

April 11, 2022

By Jasmine Ting

Jane Goodall couldn’t believe her eyes. It was November 1960, and she was in a forest in Tanzania, a country on the east coast of Africa. The 26-year-old Goodall had arrived in what is now Gombe National Park four months earlier. She was there to study wild chimpanzees—which no one had ever done before.

Goodall watched as a chimp she had named David Greybeard stripped the leaves from a stalk of grass and stuck it into a mound where termites lived. He then pulled the stalk from the hole and ate the termites covering it.

“At that time, science believed that humans, and only humans, used and made tools,” Goodall, now 88, explains.

Goodall’s discovery was a major step in changing the way we think about our closest relatives in the animal kingdom. More than 60 years later, Goodall is one of the world’s most famous conservationists. She’s working to make the planet a better place not just for chimps but for all living things.

Fascinated by Animals

Goodall was born in England on April 3, 1934. As a child, she fell in love with Africa after reading Tarzan of the Apes. She dreamed of living among the animals and writing books about them.

In 1957, Goodall met a scientist named Louis Leakey, who gave her a job as his assistant. Though Goodall didn’t have a college degree or any scientific training, Leakey was impressed by her knowledge of animals and desire to learn more about them.

He asked Goodall if she wanted to study chimpanzees in Tanzania. At the time, little was known about these great apes. Few people could have imagined a woman going into a forest alone to do research. But Goodall was determined not to miss the chance.

A Lot Like Us

Goodall took an unusual approach to studying the chimps in Gombe. Instead of observing them from a distance, she wanted to get to know them, as you would your neighbors. Over the years, Goodall made groundbreaking discoveries that showed how similar chimps are to humans. Among other things, chimps each have unique personalities and form long-lasting family bonds.

“So much of their behavior is like us—kissing, embracing, holding hands,” Goodall says.

Hope for the Future

Living among chimps helped Goodall understand the threats they face from humans. The animals’ forest homes were being destroyed. Adults were hunted for their meat, and babies were taken to be sold as pets. In 1977, she started the Jane Goodall Institute. Its mission is not only to save these endangered primates and their habitats but also to protect the natural world.

Goodall also wanted to inspire the next generation to care for the planet. In 1991, she started the Roots & Shoots program. It encourages young people to help animals, the environment, and people in need. Goodall continues to look to the future.

“For the environment, there’s hope,” she says, “but it depends on us taking action.”