Madison Cunningham: Jane Goodall Post 1

Jane Goodall

Figure 1. Image of Jane Goodall smiling and holding a chimpanzee.

Morell, Virginia. “For 47 Years, Goodall Has Studied, Communicated with, and Lived with Chimps.” Discover Magazine, 28 Mar. 2007, discovermagazine.com/2007/mar/the-discover-interview-jane-goodall.

Intro:

According to Access Science, Jane Goodall was born in London on April 3rd in 1934. She is a primatologist who specifically studied the species of chimpanzees. She studied their way of life and began to write books on what she found. While she finished her first book, she continued to study and observe the chimps (“Goodall, Jane”). As stated in A to Z of Biologists, some of her biggest discoveries were finding that chimps not only made tools but were able to use them. Before she made this discovery, many thought humans were the only primates who could make and use tools. Sadly, she also saw the dark and scary side of chimps. Goodall observed that chimpanzees would create warfare against other neighboring groups of chimps. They continuously did this to eliminate the other group for resources. The biggest reason chimps are in danger is because of their lack of resources that are being deprived from them by humans. Goodall’s main fight was to help save this amazing species from becoming extinct (Yount, Lisa). 

Education:

As reported by A to Z of Biologists, Jane Goodall, unfortunately, did not have the money to attend college after high school. She ended up taking a secretarial job instead. In 1957, an old friend of hers invited her to go to Kenya. Goodall excitedly accepted and was ready for the adventure. Little did she know that this trip would be life changing. She was then asked to be Louis S. B. Leaky’s assistant in researching chimpanzees. She excitedly accepted and had a new found love for these creatures. Her time spent assisting Leaky made her realize that she wanted to get her degree in primatology which is “the study of humans, apes, monkeys, and lemurs” (Yount, Lisa). In 1965, she obtained a Ph.D. in primatology from Cambridge University (Yount, Lisa). 

Personal Information:

 As stated in Access Science, Jane Goodall had one sister and was the oldest child in her family. Her parents were Moriemer and Vance Goodall raised their two children in a traditional middle-class home. Her father was an engineer and her mother was a typical housewife who enjoyed writing in her spare time. Sadly, Jane’s parents got a divorce which was one of the main reasons why they did not have the money to send her to college. When Jane was younger, she loved to sketch and watch birds and other wildlife creatures. She was so excited when she had the opportunity to go to Kenya that she saved as much money as she could and completely fell in love there (“Goodall, Jane”). According to A to Z of Biologists, after Jane began studying the chimps, the National Geographic Society sent a photographer to capture her work. Jane and the photographer fell in love and married in 1964. Jane and her husband, Baron Hugo van Lawick, had a baby boy three years later who they named Hugo. They were married for a few more years until they too got a divorce. Shortly after her divorce, Jane married Derek Bryceson who was diagnosed with cancer and passed away a few years later (Yount, Lisa).

Major Contributions:

As reported by A to Z of Biologists, Goodall had many great contributions in the field of  biology. She came up with the idea that chimpanzees can make tools and know how to use them. This was a fact that humans believed they could only do. She was able to inform Americans on the chimpanzees life and helped to protect them and keep them safe. She created a program called “Roots and Shoots” which is a project that has been implemented worldwide to help remind kids how to care for our earth. Jane, at the beginning of her time studying the chimps, found them to run away when she moved or was nearby. After several weeks, the chimps began to be curious and wanted to approach Jane. She was able to create bonds with some of the chimps and also began to give chimps different names. Goodall wrote numerous books for children to help inform them on chimpanzees and the way they act and live their lives (Yount, Lisa). She has written In the Shadow of Man and The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (Hall, Brook). Goodall has received numerous awards such as the “Gold Medal of Conservation from the San Diego Zoological Society in 1974, the J. Paul Getty Wildlife Conservation Prize in 1984, The Schweitzer Medal of the Animal Welfare Institute in 1987 and the Unicef/Unesco Children’s Book of the Year Award in 1989.” (“Goodall, Jane”). These awards that she received just proved that the work she did was critical to the knowledge we now have about chimpanzees. In Figure 2 there is a picture of Jane Goodall holding a chimpanzee which shows how the chimps evolved to Jane’s present and created a special bond with her.

Figure 2. “All Posts Tagged ‘Chimpanzee.’” PML Daily, www.pmldaily.com/tag/chimpanzee. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019

Effects:

As stated in Encyclopedia of World Biography, the finding that Jane Goodall had are affecting society today. She put in a policy to help educate all students on their impact on the planet and how they will have implications on themselves and other living species and organisms. She was able to teach many about a creature that not many knew much about. It is crazy the similarities found between chimpanzees and humans. She was affected by her knowledge on the warfare that the gorillas had and how harmful that species can truly be. I believe that Goodall’s work will always be beneficial and will hold a great place in biology’s history. One historic event that affected Goodall was when in May of 1975 numerous research assistants were held captive and most of the American and European researchers left. Unlike Goodall who stayed in Gombe and had some locals help her continue with her research (“Jane Goodall.”).

Similarities:

When looking at the similarities between myself and Jane Goodall, I see that we both have passion. Jane’s passion was her research on chimpanzees and my passion would be helping kids. I am going to be an elementary teacher and love working with and helping kids learn new things. I think another similarity would be that we both are determined. Jane was determined to stay in Gombe to continue her research even when others were telling her to leave. I am also very determined. When I set my mind to something, I will do anything and everything in my power to achieve it. I told myself that I would get my first two years of college paid for with a scholarship and I did it! We are both women who are driven and have goals. I hope that I can have a fulfilling life like Jane Goodall had.

Work Cited

Yount, Lisa. “Goodall, Jane.” A To Z of Biologists, Facts On File, 2003. Science Online, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=11992&itemid=WE40&articleId=301395. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

“Goodall, Jane.” AccessScience, www-accessscience-com.lcc.idm.oclc.org/content/goodall- jane/m0091275. Accessed 27 Sept. 2019.

Hall, Brook. “Jane Goodall.” Science and Its Times, edited by Neil Schlager and Josh Lauer, vol. 7: 1950 to Present, Gale, 2001, pp. 151-152. Gale Ebooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3408504119/GVRL?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=GVRL&xid=13dbd693. Accessed 6 Oct. 2019.

“Jane Goodall.” Encyclopedia of World Biography, 2nd ed., vol. 6, Gale, 2004, pp. 433-434. Gale Ebooks, https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX3404702562/GVRL?u=lom_lansingcc&sid=GVRL&xid=eaa47a80. Accessed 9 Oct. 2019.