Biography
Jane Goodall, a woman on a mission to change the world, was born in London, England on April 3, 1934. She grew on in Bournemouth, the southern coast of England. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a successful novelist. Goodall’s dream has always been to watch “free, wild animals living on their own,” she wanted “to come as close to talking to animals as I could.” Jane Goodall grew up to be a Zoologist specializing in anthropoid apes.
Jane Goodall had always been a good student but she had bigger interest, like being outdoors and learning about animals. When she was eighteen years old, she started doing odd jobs like waitressing and being a assistant editor in a film studio; this was so she could raise enough money for her first trip to Africa.
Her career started when she was twenty-three in 1957. Dr. Louis Leakey hired Goodall as his assistant. She sailed to Mombassa, Africa to meet up with Louis Leakey. They went to Kenya together on a fossil hunting expedition. He then decided that she was the unique individual he was looking for to begin a wild study of chimpanzees on the shore of Lake Tanganyika. Dr. Leakey chose Goodall for his study of primate species because he believed that a women would be more patient and careful then a male observer. Even though she had little formal training she brought with her, her love of animals.
Jane Goodall’s first few days at Gombe Research Center she worked with native guides or by herself. But first she had to gain the trust of the chimpanzees, by this she followed them around until she could sit with them. With this closeness, she organized the chimps into groups with complex social structures. During her time in Gombe the public learned about her work through National Geographic. National Geographic wrote articles and broadcasted television specials about her.
In 1977 Jane Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, education, and conservation. The institute provides support for the research of wild chimpanzees. Today she spends her time sharing her message of hope and encourages young people to make a difference in the world.