Dr. Jane Goodall Dbe, an eminent primatologist, environmentalist and humanitarian, has died. Announced Wednesday by Jane Goodall Institute, Goodall has passed in his sleep at 91 years old. Tributes have flocked on social networks, many remembering the activist of her pioneering research, her unwavering compassion and tireless efforts to protect our planet.
Jane Goodall’s golden rule on how to change the world
Born in 1934 in London, in England, the love of Goodall animals was initially triggered by the novels of Dr. Dolittle and Tarzan in his childhood. She began to study the primates at the beginning of their twenties, going to Africa in the pursuit of her passion for animals, and was taken under the wing of the paleontologist Dr Louis Leakey. She thus became the first of “trimates”, a group of three women who studied primates under the mentoring of Leakey.
It was in 1960 that Goodall made a revolutionary discovery, observing that a chimpanzee used long grass blades to collect and eat insects from a mound. Until then, it had been widely accepted that the creation and use of tools were only a human trait.
“I was told at school that the best definition of a human being was the man the tool manufacturer – but I had just looked at a manufacturer of chimpanzee tools in action,” said Goodall 50 years later. “I remember this day as well as if it was yesterday.”
Goodall’s revelation led Leakey to declare: “We must now redefine” the tool, “redefine” man “or accept chimpanzees as humans”.
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In addition to the use of tools, Goodall has also observed chimpanzees displaying personalities and emotions, features that were also considered exclusive to humans. This included behavior such as embraces, embracing, fighting and even the use of weapons. She also discovered that chimpanzees are omnivorous rather than vegetarians, as we used to believe. The discoveries of Goodall have experienced major repercussions, upsetting scientific consensus at the time and ultimately revolutionizing the way the world includes both primates and humanity itself.
Although Goodall has not yet obtained a baccalaureate, Leakey managed to pursue a doctorate in ethnology, which earned her legitimacy in academic circles and to help her research. Continuing his work, Goodall finally established the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. This non -profit organization adopted a holistic approach to conservation, not only of the protection of animals and their habitats, but of the education of people and support for local communities.
Goodall has received many honors and prices for his work, including the presidential medal of freedom, the Templeton Prize and the Kyoto Prize. She was also appointed Commander Dame of the Order of the British Empire, as well as a messenger in the United Nations Peace.
Continuing his decades of work even until his death, Goodall was to speak in Los Angeles this Friday, encouraging and always inspiring others to take care of the planet.
Goodall is survived by his sister Judy Waters, his son Hugo Eric Louis Van Lawick and three grandchildren Merlin, Angel and Nick.
“What you do is a difference, and you have to decide the type of difference you want to do,” said Goodall.
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