How Jane Goodall Changed the World of Science and Conservation

by Sandy Flores Ruiz, age 18

Valerie Jane Morris Goodall is most famously known for her research with chimpanzees and her 1965 documentary “Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees”. Her research wasn’t easy. Goodall faced criticism for being a scientist without a college degree and a woman in a field that was primarily dominated by men. Nevertheless, she was able to make impactful discoveries and became a leader of the conservation movement.

Jane Goodall was born in England on April 3, 1934. At an early age, Jane loved animals and always talked about wanting to work with them in Africa. Unfortunately, her family couldn’t afford to send her to college, so they sent her to a secretarial school. With her secretarial degree, she was able to obtain a variety of jobs. She worked for Oxford University and a documentary film company before working for Louis S.B Leaky, a paleoanthropologist.

Working with Leaky changed her life forever. At first, Jane was hired to do secretarial work, but Leaky soon realized the potential she had for becoming a scientist. He arranged for her to study primates while he raised enough funds for her to conduct chimpanzee field research in Tanzania. Months later, Leaky confessed to her that he was in love with her. Jane was terrified of what this implied because she didn't feel the same way about him and she feared he would withdraw her funding. Despite this, Leaky kept his commitment and raised sufficient funds to enable her to carry out her fieldwork.

In the summer of 1960, Jane set up her camp in Gombe Stream Reserve near the shores of Lake Tanganyika, Tanzania. Government officials would not allow a female to live in the reserve alone so her mother Margaret Myfanwe accompanied her. When she first started her research, she wrote about the chimpanzees as unique individuals with distinct personalities and qualities rather than following protocol and simply numbering the animals. Her test subjects were called Mrs. Maggs, Mr. McGregor, Flo, David Greybeard, and Fifi. Jane observed them for months, getting to know them better so they would become comfortable with her presence. As her research was coming to an end, she hadn't produced any noteworthy discoveries, but in the final month, she made three that would permanently alter the scientific community.

In her first discovery, she observed David Greybeard chewing on a little animal carcass. Before, it was believed that chimpanzees did not eat meat. As Jane continued to watch him she also discovered in his hunt for termites, he removed the leaves from a twig and used it to fish for termites, then used a blade of grass to get termites out of a tunnel. This observation was revolutionary: he demonstrated the creation and use of tools, two things that were previously thought to be only done by humans. When she published her discovery she was met with skepticism from the scientific community because she lacked a degree in science to support her claims.

Amid her discoveries, Leaky helped Jane go back to school and she entered a Ph.D program at Cambridge University as one of the only students without an undergraduate degree to be admitted. She also wrote an article about her discoveries in Tanzania for the National Geographic Magazine. However, they wouldn’t publish it without any good pictures of the animals, as she had previously told the magazine that she did not want any photographer to interfere with her developing relationship with the chimpanzees. She was sent a camera along with several films, but when the magazine received them, the images weren't clear. The National Geographic Society threatened to stop supporting her if she didn't provide any excellent shots. She thus consented to have a photographer visit. Hugo, a fantastic photographer who got along well with animals, arrived in Tanzania in August 1962. He took multiple shots of the chimpanzees and Jane interacting with them, as well as her daily life. During the time they spent together Jane and Hugo developed a relationship and by the end of 1963 they told their family and friends that they were going to get married. On March 28, 1964, they were married, and a month later she gave her major public lecture in the United States about her profound discoveries in Tanzania. The positive feedback she received prompted the offer to film her famous documentary.

Today, Jane still travels around the world giving multiple lectures and visiting different schools. Her discoveries of chimpanzee behaviors allowed the world of science to expand and she has encouraged other younger women to pursue a career in the science field that still appears to be predominantly men. She continues to be a leader in the conservation movement with the Jane Goodall Institute, which encourages younger generations to become makers of change by participating in projects that help protect the environment, wildlife, and other communities.

[Source: National Geographic]