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Jane Goodall was a young girl with a dream.
Jane was 10 in 1944. Almost every adult suggested that she dream something else. “Girls don’t do those things,” they said. Jane’s mother felt differently. She was the person Jane listened to. And that made all the difference in the world.
▲ Jane Goodall was born in London. But she grew up in Bournemouth, a town on England’s south coast. That’s where she developed her love of animals and the outdoors. Jane was happiest when she was outside and exploring. She especially liked to watch snails, caterpillars, and slugs. The family had many pets, including a dog named Rusty, who was one of Jane’s favorites. In his own way, Rusty helped Jane decide what she would do in her adult life.
When Jane was one, her father gave her a present. It was a stuffed toy chimpanzee. Family friends thought the toy would scare Jane, but they were wrong. Jane loved the chimp. She named it Jubilee. Jane carried Jubilee with her everywhere. ▶
▲ When Jane was four, she had an idea. She wanted to work with the family pig. She wanted the pig to become used to her being near it. She hoped the pig would take an apple core from her hand. At first, the pig moved away from Jane. But she kept at it. Jane spent seven days holding out apple cores to the pig. Finally, the pig took the apple. Jane’s patience had paid off. She had gotten the pig to accept her being near without being afraid.
◀ Sometimes Jane would worry her family. When she was about five, she went missing. It had been hours since anyone had seen her. Where could she be? What could have happened? Family members searched and searched. Finally they found her in the family henhouse. When asked why, Jane said she wanted to find out how hens lay eggs. She had been in the henhouse waiting to see it happen.
◀ Sometimes Jane would climb a tree. She would find a branch to sit on. There, she would read and read. One of her favorite books was Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Another was The Story of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting. The main character in Tarzan is a human who has been raised by apes. Doctor Dolittle is the tale of a doctor who learns how to talk to animals. Stories like these got Jane dreaming about traveling and working with animals. This is what her mother said. “If you really want to do this crazy thing, you’re going to have to work really hard, and take advantage of opportunities, and don’t give up. You will find a way.”
Jane Goodall’s family was not wealthy. Her parents could not afford to pay for college, but that didn’t discourage Jane. After Jane left high school, she went to secretarial school. After that she worked as a secretary. Later she worked for a filmmaking company. During those years, she saved as much money as she could to pay for a trip to Africa. ▶
When Goodall was 23, she got an invitation from a friend. Her friend invited her to spend a few months with her in Kenya, Africa. While there, Goodall contacted Louis Leakey. Leakey was a well-known paleontologist. (A paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils.) She hoped he could help her realize her dream of studying wild animals. At the time, Leakey was looking for someone to research chimpanzee behavior. He was impressed with Goodall. He thought she might be the right person for his project. Leakey asked Goodall to go on an archaeological dig with him and his wife. They would search for fossils of early humans. Goodall said yes. ▶
◀▲ Leakey and Goodall worked together searching for fossils. That’s when he saw how methodical and serious she was. Leakey was impressed with Goodall’s work, especially since she was not a trained scientist. Leakey felt this was a positive. Why? Because she had no pre-set ideas about chimpanzees that might influence her observations or her work. That’s when he decided she was “the one” for his chimpanzee project. In 1960, Goodall set out for Gombe Stream Game Reserve, in Tanzania (left).
Think Piece!
What words would you choose to describe Jane Goodall’s character? Why would you choose those words?
