As a child, Jane Goodall’s first scientific project was waiting for a chicken to lay an egg in her family’s henhouse. Years later, in 1960, after arriving on the shores of East Africa, she engaged in a more sophisticated scientific observation effort.
Alone in the Gombe National Park, she patiently watched human’s closest relatives, the chimpanzees. She discovered that the animals were not gentle, cuddly vegetarians as previously believed, but instead they were highly evolved social creatures that hunted, waged war, and made tools. Her studies changed the field of primatology.
Today, Jane Goodall spends more time on the speaking circuit than she does in the jungle. The chimpanzees numbers are falling dramatically, and she says to save the creatures she loves, she need to leave them.
Guests:
Primatologist Jane Goodall
founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, United Nations “Messenger of Peace,” recipient of the 2001 Gandhi/King Award for Nonviolence
and author of numerous books including In the Shadow of Man, and Reason for Hope.