Who Is Jane Goodall?
Jane Goodall set out to Tanzania in 1960 to study wild chimpanzees. She
immersed herself in their lives, bypassing more rigid procedures to make
discoveries about primate behavior that have continued to shape
scientific discourse. A highly respected member of the world scientific
community, she advocates for ecological preservation through the Jane
Goodall Institute.
Early Years and Interest in Animals
Goodall was born on April 3, 1934, in London, England, to Mortimer
Herbert Goodall, a businessperson and motor-racing enthusiast, and the
former Margaret Myfanwe Joseph, who wrote novels under the name
Vanne Morris Goodall. Along with her sister, Judy, Goodall was reared in
London and Bournemouth, England.
Goodall's fascination with animal behavior began in early childhood. In
her leisure time, she observed native birds and animals, making
extensive notes and sketches, and read widely in the literature of zoology
and ethology. From an early age, she dreamed of traveling to Africa to
observe exotic animals in their natural habitats.
Goodall attended the Uplands private school, receiving her school
certificate in 1950 and a higher certificate in 1952. She went on to find
employment as a secretary at Oxford University, and in her spare time
also worked at a London-based documentary film company to finance a
long-anticipated trip to Africa.
Observing Chimps in Africa
In July 1960, accompanied by her mother and an African cook, Goodall
arrived on the shore of Lake Tanganyika in the Gombe Stream Reserve of
Tanzania, Africa, with the goal of studying chimpanzees. Goodall's first
attempts to closely observe the animals failed; she could get no nearer
than 500 yards before the chimps fled. After finding another suitable
group to follow, she established a non-threatening pattern of
observation, appearing at the same time every morning on the high
ground near a feeding area along the Kakombe Valley. The chimpanzees
soon tolerated her presence and, within a year, allowed her to move as
close as 30 feet to their feeding area. After two years of seeing her every
day, they showed no fear and often came to her in search of bananas.
Contribution in Chimp Behavior Discoveries
Goodall used her newfound acceptance to establish what she termed the
"banana club," a daily systematic feeding method she used to gain trust
and to obtain a more thorough understanding of everyday chimpanzee
behavior. Using this method, she became closely acquainted with a
majority of the reserve's chimps. She imitated their behaviors, spent time
in the trees and ate their foods.
By remaining in almost constant contact with the chimps, Goodall
discovered a number of previously unobserved behaviors: She noted that
chimps have a complex social system, complete with ritualized behaviors
and primitive but discernible communication methods, including a
primitive "language" system containing more than 20 individual sounds.
She is credited with making the first recorded observations of
chimpanzees eating meat and using and making tools. Toolmaking was
previously thought to be an exclusively human trait.
Goodall also noted that chimpanzees throw stones as weapons, use touch
and embraces to comfort one another and develop long-term familial
bonds. The male plays no active role in family life but is part of the
group's social stratification: The chimpanzee "caste" system places the
dominant males at the top, with the lower castes often acting
obsequiously in their presence, trying to ingratiate themselves to avoid
possible harm. The male's rank is often related to the intensity of his
entrance performance at feedings and other gatherings
Upending the belief that chimps were exclusively vegetarian, Goodall
witnessed chimps stalking, killing and eating large insects, birds and
some bigger animals, including baby baboons and bushbucks (small
antelopes). On one occasion, she recorded acts of cannibalism. In
another instance, she observed chimps inserting blades of grass or leaves
into termite hills to insects onto the blade. In true toolmaker fashion,
they modified the grass to achieve a better fit, then used the grass as a
long-handled spoon to eat the termites.
