The history of Jane Goodall and her chimpanzees It is one of those rare scientific adventures that turns everything upside down: what we are, how we behave, and where we draw the line between humans and animals. For more than six decades, this British primatologist observed, with almost infinite patience, the lives of wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania, until she discovered behaviors that no one had imagined and that forced a rewriting of textbooks.
At the same time, his figure has become a global symbol of activism, conservation, and hopeFrom the young woman without a university degree who traveled to Africa with a notebook and binoculars, she became a UN Messenger of Peace, founder of an institute present in dozens of countries, and a global leader in the defense of great apes and the planet. This is, in a calm and detailed way, the story of her most important discoveries and how they have transformed our understanding of chimpanzees… and ourselves.
From Jubilee to Gombe: the origins of a unique vocation
From a very young age, Jane showed a overwhelming fascination with animals and through Africa. She was born in London, in the Hampstead neighborhood, on April 3, 1934, the daughter of Mortimer Herbert Morris-Goodall, a businessman, and the novelist Margaret Myfanwe Joseph, who wrote under the pseudonym Vanne Morris-Goodall. When she turned two, her father gave her a stuffed chimpanzee which she named JubileeFar from scaring her, that doll became her inseparable companion and the first step in a lifelong relationship with great apes.
As a child, I devoured stories like The Jungle Book, Tarzan, or Doctor DolittleShe dreamed of living among wild animals. She didn’t come from a wealthy family, so going to university wasn’t in her immediate plans. Instead, she studied secretarial skills and worked for various companies, including a documentary production company, while saving up to fulfill her deepest desire: to travel to Africa.
At 23, in 1957, Jane traveled to Kenya to visit a friend’s farm. There, following some advice, she dared to call the famous paleontologist and anthropologist. Louis LeakeyConvinced that he could guide her toward a job related to animals, Leakey first hired her as a secretary in Nairobi and soon took her and his wife Mary to Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the center of research on early hominids.
Leakey was convinced that studying great apes could shed light on the behavior of the human ancestorsMeanwhile, he was looking for someone patient, observant, and flexible enough to spend years in the jungle following chimpanzees. He ended up noticing Jane, who, unbeknownst to her, was about to begin the longest-running chimpanzee field study in history.
Although she did not have a university degree at the time, Leakey trusted her instincts and obtained funding and colonial permits to send her to the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, to what was then Gombe Stream Game Reserve (today Gombe Stream National Park). Earlier, in 1958, he sent her to London to train with experts such as Osman Hill (primate behavior) and John Napier (anatomy), so that she would arrive in the field with some scientific foundation.
The arrival in Gombe and a new way of doing science
When Jane Goodall first set foot in Gombe on July 14, 1960, she was 26 years old and no formal academic experience She had no background in primatology, but she did possess enormous curiosity and a special ability to observe. The British authorities in Tanganyika wouldn’t allow her to live alone in that remote area, so her mother, Vanne, agreed to accompany her for the first few months as a volunteer.
The beginning was not easy at all: the chimpanzees, very distrustful, They fled as soon as they saw «the white human»For weeks, Jane could barely see them from afar with binoculars, unable to get any closer. Her main challenge was getting them used to her presence, and to do this she used a combination of extreme patience, fixed observation times, and very gentle movements so as not to intimidate them.
One of the keys to their success was that It broke with the usual coldness of the science of the timeInstead of numbering the animals, he named them according to their appearance or character: David Greybeard, Goliath, Flo, Fifi, Mike, Humphrey, Gigi, Mr. McGregor, among many others. For much of the scientific community, this bordered on sacrilege: giving names, it was thought, implied losing objectivity and falling into anthropomorphism.
Goodall, however, was convinced that chimpanzees had distinct personalities, emotions, and complex mindsHe did not hesitate to describe in his notebooks the childhood, adolescence, motivations, moods, and emotional bonds he observed. Decades later, those same terms that earned him so much criticism would be widely accepted in ethology and animal psychology.
In parallel, Jane was developing a long-term study method: following the same individuals and families for years to record changes in their relationships, hierarchies, and behaviors. This approach to prolonged and detailed observation It then became a standard in modern primatology, and its research center in Gombe ended up generating hundreds of articles, theses, and books.
The discovery of tools: goodbye to the exclusive «homo faber»
One of the key moments in Jane’s career came when she observed an adult male, David Greybeard, introduce grass stalks in a termite moundThey waited until the trees were covered in termites and then pulled them out to eat them. Shortly after, he saw other chimpanzees break off small branches, strip them of their leaves, and use them in the same way—that is, modifying an object to make it more effective.
That completely shattered the deeply ingrained idea that Only humans could make and use toolsUntil then, the definition of «man» (homo faber) was based precisely on that supposed exclusivity. When Louis Leakey received the news, he responded with a phrase that would become legendary: now we must redefine man, redefine tools, or accept chimpanzees as human.
The significance of that discovery was enormous. It showed that chimpanzees were capable of plan, modify objects and transmit techniques from one individual to another, something very similar to what we call culture. Subsequent studies in other populations, both in West and Central Africa, have confirmed the existence of different traditions in the use of tools according to each group, which reinforces the idea of primitive cultural variations.
Goodall documented these behaviors exhaustively over the years and systematically captured them in her most important scientific work, The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behaviorwhere he analyzed in detail two decades of observations of tool use and other social and ecological habits.
This discovery not only transformed primatology, but also forced philosophical reflection on the continuity between humans and other animalsIf a chimpanzee can make simple tools, cooperate to hunt, or show empathy, the boundary that separates us from the rest of the animal kingdom no longer seems so clear.
Vegetarians? Jane proves that chimpanzees also hunt
Another major blow to established ideas came when Jane discovered that the chimpanzees of Gombe They were not exclusively vegetarianas was believed. Through long days of monitoring, he observed how they organized themselves to stalk and capture small mammals, especially red colobus monkeys, but also young of other animals such as small wild pigs.
In one of the most well-known scenes, he described several males coordinating to to isolate a colobus monkey high up in a treeblocking their escape routes while one climbed up to capture them. After the capture, the group divided the meat amidst ferocious shrieks and insistent demands from those who hadn’t directly participated in the hunt but claimed a share of the spoils.
These cooperative hunting and meat-eating behaviors showed that the chimpanzee diet included a significant proportion of animal proteinto the point that it is estimated they can prey on a significant percentage of the colobus monkey population in certain areas each year. Again, this forced a re-examination of overly idealized notions about the supposed docility of these primates.
Goodall and her colleagues’ observations also revealed the selective nature of these hunts: sometimes groups spent long periods stalking specific prey, suggesting a combination of opportunism and strategyThis type of study has served to draw parallels (with all due caution) with some hunting dynamics in primitive humans.
The inclusion of meat in their diet adds to other findings that underscore the ecological complexity of chimpanzees, who are capable of exploiting very varied resources in their habitat (fruits, leaves, insects, termites, nuts that they break with stones, etc.), and to adapt their behaviors to the seasonal availability of food.
War, violence and the dark side of chimpanzees
If anything truly shook the public image of chimpanzees, it was the discovery that they could to organize to kill members of other groups and even annihilate neighboring communities. Between 1974 and 1978, Jane documented with enormous sorrow what would later be known as the Gombe Chimpanzee War.
In that conflict, the main group from Gombe, known as Kasekela, ended up facing another group, Kahamaformed by former splinter members. Over four years, several males from Kasekela carried out organized attacks, stalking isolated individuals from Kahama until they were virtually eliminated.
Goodall was a direct witness to scenes of extreme violence, coordinated attacks and behaviors These included prolonged beatings, severe bites, and even episodes of cannibalism among dominant females who killed the offspring of other females to maintain their social position. She herself acknowledged that it was very difficult for her to accept this brutal side of animals she loved deeply.
These findings changed the romanticized view of chimpanzees as peaceful creatures and reinforced the idea that they share with us a disturbing capacity for organized aggressionAt the same time, numerous examples of compassion, cooperation, adoption of orphans, and expressions of grief after the death of close relatives were also observed, painting a very complex emotional picture.
Some researchers have suggested that the supplemental feeding practiced in Gombe’s early years may have increase the intensity of certain aggressionsby altering the dynamics of competition for resources. Jane acknowledged that provisioning had influenced aggression within and between groups, although she argued that it had not created behaviors out of thin air that did not already exist.
Personalities, family and emotional bonds
One of Jane Goodall’s most profound contributions was showing that chimpanzees possess such marked individualities It is therefore inevitable to discuss character, temperament, and individual traits. In his writings, he describes each individual with a wealth of nuance that, for years, scandalized part of the scientific community.
Females like Flo’sWith their bulbous noses and protruding ears, they became famous for their maternal nature and high social status. Their children—Figan, Faben, Freud, Fifi, and Flint—were followed for decades, becoming a veritable living family tree that allowed for extensive study. How social positions, parenting styles, and strategies are inherited to climb the hierarchy.
Other individuals, such as MikeThey went from a subordinate position to alpha male using not so much brute force as cunning and innovation: he became famous for using metal drums to produce an impressive racket during his exhibitions, which intimidated his rivals and reinforced his prestige.
Jane also observed numerous gestures that in humans we would associate with displays of affection: hugs, kisses, pats on the back, tickles and games These behaviors strengthen the bonds between mothers, children, siblings, and close friends. When a chimpanzee suffers a loss or injury, others approach to comfort it, groom each other, or simply sit very close, suggesting remarkable empathy.
In describing the mother-child relationship, Goodall emphasized the enormous importance of the early experiences in the individual’s subsequent development, something that resonated with findings in human child psychology. Her observations of grief, separation, and trauma in chimpanzees have been fundamental to understanding the effects of orphanhood and neglect in primates.
Gombe, a unique natural laboratory
Gombe Stream National Park, with its mere 35 km² on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika, has become one of the most emblematic places in behavioral biologyWhat began in 1960 as a small observation station transformed over the years into the Gombe Stream Research Centre, a world reference.
More than 350 scientific articles and about 50 doctoral thesesIn addition to numerous books and documentaries that have brought the daily lives of wild chimpanzees closer to the general public, the project’s continuity, with records accumulated over decades, allows for the study of complex issues such as aging, generational changes, cultural transmission, and the long-term effects of diseases.
Gombe has been home to key researchers in primatology and evolutionary anthropology. One of the most delicate projects has been the collection and archiving of all field notebooks, photographs and videos by Jane and her team. To prevent this information from being lost, the Jane Goodall Institute created an archive center at the University of Minnesota, and the collections were later moved to Duke University, where they have been digitized and uploaded to an online database.
The immense amount of data obtained in Gombe made it possible, for example, to reconstruct complete genealogies, study the occurrence of twins, document diseases, and analyze paternity through DNA extracted from feces and to compare behaviors across different periods. Few animal populations have been followed in such detail for so long.
Furthermore, Gombe was the setting for numerous documentaries, starting with Miss Goodall and the Wild Chimpanzees In the 60s, it was filmed by photographer Hugo van Lawick, Jane’s first husband. This audiovisual material, along with later works such as Among the Wild Chimpanzees, Jane o Jane Goodall: The Great Hope, has been key in enabling millions of people to to see with their own eyes the daily life of chimpanzees.
From the countryside to global activism: The Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots
Although Jane remained scientifically linked to Gombe, in the mid-80s she decided abandon daily fieldwork to focus on conservation, education, and the defense of animal welfare. She herself has recounted that a primatology congress in 1986, in which damning reports were presented on habitat destruction and the mistreatment of great apes in laboratories and circuses, marked a turning point.
He had already founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI)The JGI, an organization dedicated to protecting chimpanzees and their ecosystems, as well as improving the lives of the human communities that live alongside them, now has around thirty offices in different countries. It develops community-based conservation projects, reforestation initiatives, environmental education programs, and primate rescue programs.
In 1991 he launched Roots & ShootsA youth education program that originated in Tanzania with a small group of teenagers concerned about environmental destruction and the social problems they witnessed around them. What began as a meeting on their porch in Dar es Salaam has grown into a network present in more than 60-100 countries (depending on the source) and thousands of active groups.
Roots & Shoots encourages children and young people to design concrete projects to improve their environmentFrom recycling campaigns to reforestation, protecting local animals, and supporting vulnerable communities, the philosophy is simple yet powerful: each person can make a difference, however small it may seem, and the sum of many local actions generates a global impact.
Jane’s activism has also led her to become involved in causes such as Great Ape Projectwhich proposes extending certain basic rights (freedom, protection against torture, physical integrity) to non-human great apes, as well as campaigns against invasive experimentation with primates, intensive farming of farm animals and wildlife trafficking.
Recognition, awards and cultural projection
The impact of Jane Goodall’s work has been reflected in a impressive list of awards, honors and distinctions awarded by scientific institutions, governments, and organizations worldwide. Among the most prestigious are the Kyoto Prize in Basic Science, the Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Sciences, the Prince of Asturias Award for Scientific and Technical Research, the Tyler Prize, and the French Legion of Honor.
In the British sphere, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire, receiving the distinction at Buckingham Palace, and later a United Nations Messenger of Peace, a designation given by Kofi Annan in 2002 in recognition of her work for peace, the environment and animal rights.
She has received dozens of honorary doctorates from universities in Europe, America, Africa, and Asia, solidifying her reputation not only as a researcher, but also as popularizer and moral role modelUNESCO, the National Geographic Society and multiple scientific academies have recognized her as one of the great figures in biology and conservation of the 20th and early 21st centuries.
Her presence has also seeped into popular culture: she has been honored in animated series, advertising campaigns and artistic projectsShe appeared in Apple’s «Think Different» campaign, lent her voice to projects like «Symphony of Science,» and served as inspiration for characters in series such as The Wild Thornberrys or parodies in The SimpsonsEven Lego and Mattel have dedicated sets and dolls to her within collections that celebrate inspiring women.
Beyond the media spotlight, what’s relevant is that his figure has helped entire generations become interested in primatology, animal ethics, and conservationespecially many young women who saw in her a role model of a committed and approachable scientist.
Written work and intellectual legacy
Jane Goodall’s work is not limited to her field notebooks; she has also dedicated herself to a extensive production of scientific and popular science books, for both adults and children and young people. Among his most influential works are In the Shadow of Man, where he recounts his early years in Gombe and presents chimpanzees as individuals with their own history.
His scientific magnum opus is The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior, a monumental work in which he systematizes decades of data on ecology, social relations, reproduction, tool use and communication in the chimpanzees of Gombe. This book has become an essential reference for anyone researching primate behavior.
On a more personal level, titles such as Through a Window o Reason for Hope They combine memoirs, spiritual reflections, and narratives of discoveries, offering an intimate glimpse into their doubts, fears, joys, and convictionsShe has also co-authored works on animal ethics and conservation, such as The Ten Trusts or books focused on endangered species.
For younger readers, Jane has written numerous stories and picture books, such as My Life with the Chimpanzees, The Chimpanzee Family Book or stories like Dr. White y The Eagle & the Wren, with which he seeks to convey their message of respect for all living beings to new generations from an early age.
Although there have been some setbacks, such as the case of the book Seeds of Hope, in which fragments were detected that were not properly documented, Jane publicly admitted her mistake. and pledged to review the references, also showing that human side of a figure that is often idealized.
Methodological controversies and scientific debates
Jane Goodall’s role in science has not been without its challenges. methodological debates and critiquesFrom the outset, his decision to name chimpanzees and discuss emotions and personality was criticized as anthropomorphism. Over time, however, most of the scientific community has acknowledged that his approach opened the door to a richer understanding of the animal mind.
Another source of controversy has been the use of power stations to attract the chimpanzees, especially in the early years at Gombe. Some primatologists have argued that this artificial provisioning may have exacerbated aggression, altered foraging patterns, and fostered intergroup conflicts, including the famous Gombe War.
Researchers like Margaret Power have questioned the extent to which data collected under these conditions reflect the «natural behavior» of chimpanzees. Others, like Jim Moore, have refuted these criticisms, arguing that similar behaviors have been observed in unprovisioned populations. comparable levels of aggression and similar territorial dynamics.
Food was an almost indispensable tool. Initially, this was necessary to observe social interactions in detail, without which much of the accumulated knowledge would not exist. He acknowledged that distortions had arisen in the intensity of certain behaviors, but maintained that the basic nature of aggression and hierarchies was already present.
Personal life, spirituality and later years
Jane Goodall’s career cannot be entirely separated from her personal and emotional historyIn 1964 she married National Geographic photographer Hugo van Lawick, who documented her work in Gombe with thousands of photographs and hours of footage during the 1960s and 1970s. They had one son, Hugo Eric Louis, and divorced in 1974.
Later, in 1975, he married Derek BrycesonA Tanzanian politician and director of national parks, his position allowed him to protect the Gombe project by limiting tourism and ensuring a quieter environment for research. Bryceson died in 1980 from cancer, leaving Jane a widow and even more devoted to her work and her burgeoning role as a public figure.
On a spiritual level, Jane has expressed an open vision: she claims to believe in a greater spiritual forceShe feels this especially strongly when she is in nature, although she doesn’t strictly adhere to any particular religion. This spirituality accompanies her in her talks, in which she often appeals to hope and moral responsibility towards other beings.
Until shortly before the COVID-19 pandemic, Goodall maintained an astonishing pace of travel, spending more than 300 days a year at conferences, meetings with young people, visits to conservation projects, and charity events. Even as the years passed, she remained an active voice against the destruction of ecosystems, animal cruelty and climate change.
He spent his final years between his home in England and extensive international tours. Obituaries have noted that He died at the age of 91, in 2025.During a lecture tour in the United States, he left behind a dense network of projects, disciples, and admirers who continue his work.
Looking at the whole picture, Jane Goodall’s life and work form a fascinating story in which they intersect revolutionary scientific discoveries, an uncommon empathy towards other living beings, and tireless activismHe demonstrated that chimpanzees make and use tools, hunt, wage war, love, get angry, and cry; that their societies are full of nuances; and that, by observing them with respect, we inevitably end up questioning our own species. His legacy lives on today in every primatology study, in every educational program that bears his name, and in thousands of young people who, inspired by his example, have decided to dedicate their lives to caring for animals and the planet.
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