Jane Goodall shoots her roots at Joburg Zoo
Dame Dr. Jane Goodall talks to the media while holding "Mr H" in the Anglo Gold Board Room at the Johannesburg Zoo about the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots. 280711. Picture: Chris Collingridge 544 Dame Dr. Jane Goodall talks to the media while holding "Mr H" in the Anglo Gold Board Room at the Johannesburg Zoo about the Jane Goodall Institute and Roots & Shoots. 280711. Picture: Chris Collingridge 544
Theresa Taylor
As a BABY, Jane Goodall’s love of animals was so clear that her father brought her a stuffed ape to celebrate the arrival of the first ape at London Zoo.
As a child, Goodall carried animals instead of dolls. And in her early twenties, the young secretary left Britain for Africa to pursue her dream of working with animals.
Today Goodall, 77, is the world’s most highly acclaimed expert on chimpanzees.
She is best known for her 45-year study of the social interactions of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream Park, Tanzania, and has received numerous awards, including being made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire.
Yesterday, Goodall visited Johannesburg Zoo, where she announced plans to expand Roots and Shoots in South Africa. Roots and Shoots is one of the Jane Goodall Institute’s most far-reaching projects, which began with 12 young people on Goodall’s veranda in Dar es Salaam.
The project has one permanent employee based in Joburg, whose job it will be to encourage groups of young people – from preschoolers to university students – to work with people, animals or the environment.
Since the beginning of her activism in the 1960s, Goodall has used humility and positivity to share her message about the plight of animals.
“You can never (create change) with confrontation, it doesn’t work. At least not for me,” she said.
Her speech is peppered with stories ranging from reforming an animal-hating taxi driver to a blind magician who gave her a stuffed ape called Mr H for her birthday 16 years ago.
Hugging the grubby-looking soft toy affectionately, she said: “We’ve been to 59 countries. Mr H has been touched by 3 million people. He is extremely delicate and needs major surgery.”
For Goodall, engaging the youth is her hope for the future.
“There are very few people who are deliberately cruel,” she said. “They’ve been told that animals don’t have feelings or that animals don’t really matter.”
“The youth are the greatest hope I have for peace and harmony, not only with each other but between us and Mother Earth,” she added.
Goodall’s message is simple. “Making a difference is easy… Roll up your sleeves and get out and do it.”