Lady Jane

In July 1960, at the age of 26, Jane Goodall traveled from England to what is today Tanzania and bravely entered the little-known world of wild chimpanzees. She was equipped with nothing more than a notebook and a pair of binoculars. But with her unyielding patience and characteristic optimism, she won the trust of these initially shy creatures. She managed to open a window into their sometimes strange and often familiar-seeming lives. 
- National Geographic

Photo by Martin Schoeller

   Dame Jane Morris-Goodall, DBE is a British primatologist, ethologist, and anthropologist who’s deemed to be one of the leading experts in chimpanzees. Goodall studied these apes for 45 years and has accomplished studies no scientist has ever accomplished before. Because of her lack of collegiate knowledge on chimpanzees, she observed and studied them on a more personal level than what other scientists might have done. 

     Goodall discovered that like humans, these apes have individual personalities and show affection. Chimpanzees have found out to be capable of displaying emotion and are equipped with strong social relationships within their tribes. These discoveries have concluded that humans and chimpanzees have great similarities beyond genes, which can be seen through their capacity to depict emotion. Despite their friendly behaviors, Goodall also learned that they can be very dangerous. These apes have the tendency to be very violent which can sometimes result to cannibalism. 

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     She is also noted for her strong support towards animal rights. Goodall was the former president of Advocated for Animals which is an organization that denounces the use of animals in medical research. She is also a devoted vegetarian. She strongly believes that animals are more intelligent than people believe them to be and so it is not right to breed them for the use and consumption of human beings. Her active participation in supporting animal rights has led her to establish the Jane Goodall Institute. This institute aims to preserve the habitat of great apes and to provide a greater understanding of animals through public education and advocacy. With this, Goodall also established an education program called Roots & Shoots which teaches the youth to interact with the environment as well as learn more about different lifeforms and cultures worldwide. 

Photo by Hugo Van Lawick

     Goodall has received over 30 different awards for her works including honorary doctorate degrees from eight different universities all over the world and the International Peace Award. 



- Reign Gonzales