Born 3 April 1934 in the UK, Dame Jane Goodall always had a fascination with Africa, and it’s animals, which turned into a lifetime commitment to chimpanzees. Yesterday the world celebrated Dame Jane Goodall’s 85th birthday (which she celebrated at the Ellen Show, as seen in this link below.)
At the age of 26 (1960), she took her savings, and spent it on a trip to Kenya, to visit a friend of hers. She knew once she was there and had experienced true Africa, that she wanted to work with animals.
She reached out to a well-known anthropologist, Louis Leakey, who was working at a Kenyan museum and was soon working alongside him, observing monkey behaviour and as well as searching for fossils. It was Louis that encouraged Jane to pursue her study of chimpanzee behaviour, which was frowned upon by many, as she had no college education or experience before her meeting Louis. However, this did not hinder Jane, and her research began in 1960 in Tanzania, East Africa, at the Gombe Stream National Park.
She immersed herself into the study and observation of chimpanzees in their natural environment, and in time a local troop of chimpanzees accepted her, giving her a true insight into their social structures. Jane followed their every move and soon learned there was a lot more to these incredible creatures than many had realised.
