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Jane Goodall, the celebrated primatologist and conservationist, who became known primarily for her work on the behavior of chimpanzees, died on Wednesday, October 1st, at the age of 91.
The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed her death in a message. The organization said that it died “of natural causes” during a lecture trip in California. “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologin revolutionized science and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Goodall’s work in the 1960s at the Gombe reserve for chimpanzees in Tanzania produced several groundbreaking scientific discoveries. She observed how the animals ate meat, performed ritual actions such as rain dances, fought, showed affection and – perhaps most important – used.
The discovery of the tools
These results refuted old ideas about humans and animals. In an interview with the Rolling Stone in 2020, in which she was asked to name a central knowledge of her research, she summarized it as follows: “We humans were terribly arrogant. We are part of the animal kingdom and not separated from him – we are not the only feeling, reasonable being on the planet.”
In the decades after the publication of her results in Gombe, Goodall continued her primate research, while she was also committed to a variety of environmental beds. She published numerous books – from scientific treatises to memoirs to children’s books – and performed in films and natural documentation.
Stevie Nicks even wrote a song about her entitled “Jane”. In the refrain it was said: “There Are Angels here, Angels/There Are Angels here on Earth, Angels/Angels, Sent From God/You Will Never Feel, that you have ever done Enough/But you have, Jane.”
From secretariat to research pioneer
She was born as Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall on April 4, 1934 in London. Even as a child, she showed a special love for animals, especially after her father gave her a doll in the form of a monkey that she called “Jubilee” (according to “New York Times”). But initially no scientific career was intended for you. She did not attend a university, but completed a secretary school and accepted various occasional jobs in London.
An invitation to a friend in Kenya in 1956 led to acquaintance with the archaeologist Louis Leakey, who hired her as an assistant and secretary. Leakey had long had the plan to research someone to research wild chimpanzees to Tanzania and gave Goodall this task in 1960. After three months of observation, Goodall saw, as a chimpanzee that she called “David Greybeard”, saw a long grass in a Termitenhügel, pulled it out and ate the Termmits hanging on it.
“It was so obvious that he used the grass as a tool,” said Goodall later.
When she reported Lakey about the discovery, he answered famous: “Now we have to redefine ‘tools’, redefine human’ or recognize the chimpanzees as humans.”
International recognition and first films
Goodall continued her work in Gombe for several years with the support of the National Geographic Society. Her early knowledge was so important that it was included in a doctoral program by the University of Cambridge in 1961-although she had no Bachelor’s degree.
In 1962, “National Geographic” sent the Dutch photographer Hugo van Lawick to document their work. After initial reluctance, the two came closer and got married later. In 1963 Van Lawick’s photos published together with Goodall’s results in her first major article for “National Geographic”, “My Life Among the Wild Chimpanzes”. A film from 1965 about her work, “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees”, finally brought her worldwide awareness.
Despite her successes, Goodall often met with resistance in the men’s -dominated science world. “Yes, I had to work ten times harder than the average man to get the same measure of recognition. But as soon as I made a name for myself, I let the data speak for myself,” she told the Rolling Stone. “I also realized early on that the careers of many women were on my shoulders. If I could show them the way and open doors, it would be much easier for the next generation of scientists to gain a foothold in their subject.”
A unique connection between research and life
Goodall’s work was significant not only because of her scientific discoveries, but also through the way she connected her research with personal experiences – encounters with leopards, malaria attacks – as well as stories from her own lives. She also often spoke about what she learned from the chimpanzees: “I took over many lessons from one of the best Gombe mothers, Flo, when I grown my own son,” said Goodall the Rolling Stone.