Jane Goodall’s Education Programme: www.rootsnshoots.org.uk. So everybody laughed at me and said, “Jane, dream about something you can achieve.” But my mother said, “If you really want something, you’re going to have to work hard, take advantage of every opportunity and never give up!”. Jane Goodall with Tess, a female chimpanzee at the Sweetwaters Chimpanzee Sanctuary north of Nairobi, 1997. Perfectionism May Be To Blame, Marani’s Ann Holder On The Importance Of Improving Maternal And Fetal Health Outcomes, Collaboration With The Mayo Clinic And The Future Of Remote Healthcare, Best Career Tips To Maximize 2021’s ‘New Normal’—So Far, Time’s Wasting: How To Work Smarter And Reclaim Personal Time. So given all the many serious issues we are facing in this unprecedented moment ten years later, in the midst of a global pandemic, social unrest, and with devastating hurricanes and wildfires demonstrating the concerning effects of climate change, I decided to reach out to Jane for another interview for my new video series The Shift, talking to prominent thought leaders who are helping to usher in the necessary paradigm shifts to create a better world. Jane: I was ten whenI decided I wanted to go to Africa and live with wild animals and write books about them. Thanks a lot Jane and Happy Birthday. I don't know what's going to happen, but we can't just ignore this. So it's not the same. We wouldn't have believed that 20 years ago. I looked down in 1990 and saw a little island of forest surrounded by completely bare hills—more people living there than the land could support. We've got to get together and take action now.”. I always love this Indigenous person from Latin America, it was a chief, and he told me his tribe was like an eagle. He’s the one who demonstrated making and using tools for the first time. During the height of lockdown, people living in big cities had the luxury of breathing clean air for the first time because of the factories that were shut down, less traffic on the road. I think we're all looking for guidance on that right now. You will hear her call herself “virtual Jane,” as she has been doing through interviews, videos, as well as soon launching her own podcast. They’re big, bulky and can deliver one serious chomp! And the other is helping people, including scientists, to admit that we're part of the animal kingdom, so that we look at animals in a different way and treat them more humanely, more compassionately. And it's been also proven that if you start “greening” a very disadvantaged area of a city where there are high crime rates, as you put in trees and shrubs and flowers and birds come back, crime rates drop. NGK: Who was your favourite chimpanzee in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park? Mariner Books. “My job now is to try and help people understand every one of us makes a difference. It's much, much easier for an affluent person in the United States, for example, to have access to emergency treatment than it is for somebody from a poor community, particularly if they're Black. But opting out of some of these cookies may affect your browsing experience. So we need the two qualities. We need it now more than ever. Necessary cookies are absolutely essential for the website to function properly. And say hello to your children for me. What advice or encouragement would you offer? Jane: Sadly, they’re capable of a type of war – they can be violent and aggressive. But now they're aware, and we give them the opportunity to choose what to do, or they even demand it. Jane: I studied animals differently from other people. Photo: Dr. Jane Goodall signs a book at the Esri Conference in 2019. Report. We brought this on ourselves. She is also the founder of Feminist.com and What Will It Take Movements. Goodall: Yes, that's true in a way, but when we think of the different access to medical treatment that different people have, there is still discrimination. And we do have to actually admit that right now, the 7.2 billion of us, already we’re using up natural resources in some places faster than nature can replenish them. For the past 60 years Jane Goodall has been an inveterate traveller. There’s always a new development proposed, a new shopping mall, a new road, a new dam, a new whatever, and maybe that can lead to environmental destruction—that is less important. What lessons can we at least learn that can wake us up during this time? In some countries, they can't do much about it; in other countries, they can. You may opt-out by. If there was time to go into it, it's a really fascinating program. Goodall: Well, this year is the 60th anniversary. We send them to be eaten or as medicine or sold as pets to the wildlife markets in Asia, we sell them in the bushmeat markets in Africa. From the beginning of the pandemic, I've been in lock down, basically. 25:45. Goodall is best known for her studies on chimpanzees, but in recent years has … As a female trailblazer, how do you view the progress that women have made, or have not made, toward gender equality? But men and women have different qualities, and we need the slightly softer approach of women, which I think has come through evolution because our job in evolution was to raise children. Recommended readings. The two things I really am hopeful that will be thought of as my legacy: One is starting Roots & Shoots because that is changing lives. And women are staying for secondary education, some going to university. What are you most proud of? Do the projects that you can do locally. NGK: Sounds like having a childhood pet really helped you in your studies! Report. When I started out, nobody else was studying chimps in the wild, so I was able to show how their behaviour is like ours – kissing, cuddling, holding hands, patting one another, reassurance etc. People are finding ways of living more in harmony with nature, and that program has expanded to six other African countries. “As a conservationist, humanitarian and crusader for the ethical treatment of animals, she is a global force for compassion and a UN Messenger of Peace. Other scientists did not believe that a 26-year-old woman could survive alone in the bush, but Jane Goodall did more than survive. Goodall: Well, it very much depends on the country that you're in. NGK: What surprised you most about the chimps? And this feeling that just because we're eating animals, therefore they're different, they're not different. I sit here, and I can reach out to people around the world, and I get messages back. Now I've got to try and imagine that I'm looking at a little green speck of light that's the camera and trying to create energy from that. Goodall: For many, many years there wasn't this awareness about what we're doing to the planet. All Rights Reserved, This is a BETA experience. And I went to six different range sites to learn more about what was happening to the chimpanzees and what their problems were. Boston. Schnall: And one of the things that you just pointed out, too, because I do think this time is also really revealing all of the cracks in our systems, all of the inequities that there are. Her messages offer a boost of hope and mobilization we can all use now as we live through these challenging times and try to make lasting change. We can clean that stream up.” And then the water that goes into the river will be clean, and then there are other groups cleaning other streams, and that river is going to get cleaner and cleaner. Marianne Schnall is a widely-published interviewer and journalist and author of What Will It Take to Make a Woman President?, Leading the Way, and Dare to Be You. Follow. And what is the enduring message that you hope to pass on to future generations? So today, because science has opened its mind to this, we’re learning more and more about animal personality, animal mind, the intelligence of animals—we’re being amazed all the time. The last time I interviewed Jane was ten years ago on the 50th anniversary of her trip to Gombe. That's what I'm always very happy when people write and say, “I was very inspired by your talk.” I think, Phew! I mean, when I began studying chimps in 1960, the forest was still stretching right across Africa; Gombe was part of those forests. Jane: I was ten whenI decided I wanted to go to Africa and live with wild animals and write books about them. Are there positive signs that give you hope that you see right now among all of the alarming problems we face? Interview With Dr. Jane Goodall: ‘We’ve Got to Get Together and Take Action Now’ By Marianne Schnall This year marks the 60th anniversary of Dr. Jane Goodall first setting foot in Gombe, Tanzania, to begin her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees. But they also show love, compassion and care for others. What tips would you give NG Kids readers who want to have a wild career like yours? I mean, just last week in China was the very first prosecution of the owner of a dog who abandoned it. In addition to the 60th anniversary of your visit to Gombe, Tanzania, this year is also the Centennial of the 19th amendment of women of winning the right to vote, which then, of course, took many decades for all women to receive that same right. How have we lost touch with this, and how can we restore it? Goodall: We've lost touch particularly today because so many people live in a virtual world. And there is a window of time, but we've got to get together and take action now. I am the author of "Daring to Be Ourselves," "What Will it Take to Make a Woman President? Goodall: Well, I do try to live in the moment. But at the same time, going on for some time now, is a worse crisis, and that's climate change. So it's just focused on what you're doing and getting feedback that it's working. British primatologist Jane Goodall during a 2007 visit to Costa Rica. Ask a parent or guardian to check it out first and remember to stay safe online. All hosted affiliate links follow our. You have done so much transformative work and positive change in the world. Jane Goodall interview for Brut. These cookies will be stored in your browser only with your consent. I don't know. And scientists, yes, they predicted the pandemic, and for years they've been predicting this change in world climate and weather patterns. He said, “One wing is male and the other wing is female, and only when they’re equal will the tribe fly high.” And I love that. That’s about 70 years ago now, and back then girls in England didn’t have those opportunities. You can go and volunteer in a shelter. Thank you so much for taking the time today. Hugely.” And I've seen the aftermath of the terrible hurricanes, the typhoons, the flooding, the terrible, terrible droughts. A primatologist is someone who studies non-human primates such as monkeys, lemurs and gorillas. And then on top of all of that, all these billions of animals are producing methane gas, which is a very virulent greenhouse gas. Hopefully there's a groundswell of people not wanting to go back to the old polluted ways. Meet living legend Dr. Jane Goodall! ... A Listening Post special on environment reporters being attacked and an interview with climate columnist George Monbiot. It's just that as we raise people from poverty and they all yearn for the unsustainable lifestyles we have, what's going to happen? … They weren't aware before; they weren't told anything about it. And yet we can't. There's an awful lot of really bad things happening politically, socially and environmentally. And this legislation in South Korea about breeding dogs to eat, and in the United States, a lot of bills are being proposed, whether they go through or not is another matter, but requiring stiffer sentences for cruelty to animals. You know, when I was a child, there wasn't even television, let alone computers and cell phones. Goodall, J., 2010. Believe it or not, but in the early sixties, when I was sent to Cambridge to do a PhD, never having been to college, I'd been with the chimpanzees about two years. It was Mahatma Gandhi who said, “You can judge your nation by the way it treats its animals.” And I think many nations, if they were measured by that standard, wouldn't score very high right now. And we can choose what to buy, what to wear, what to eat. And by the time the rivers are clean, that will help the pollution in the ocean. And I was nervous going to Cambridge in the UK and shocked when the professors told me that I shouldn't have given the chimpanzees names; numbers were more scientific. Dr Jane Goodall interview: reflecting on chimps in the image of man. Schnall: You often speak about the fact that we have become so disconnected from our environment that we don't see ourselves as part of this integral, delicate ecosystem that of course unravels when you don't see it that way. You’re leaving natgeokids.com to visit another website! Or what signs do you see that humanity's consciousness can and will evolve? Unfortunately, his survival seemed unlikely as he didn’t have an older brother or sister to care for him – which is what would normally happen. Then join Jane’s Roots & Shoots education programme! “How will you do that? So when I first was grounded here, I was frustrated and angry, but then I thought that's no good. We've been abusing our fellow animal friends, and I've heard it said that there's “speciesism,” this sense that somehow humans think we're superior and are more important than animals. I luckily was caught here in the UK, in the house. He was very handsome, and he had a gentle but determined nature. I can get together with my friends. We're part of it. 5:58. Jane: The first one who lost his fear of me and who allowed me to follow him in the forest – David Greybeard. I've got so many friends in California and Oregon and Washington state, and also in other parts of Europe where fires have been raging, Australia last year. Water, which is becoming scarce, fresh surface water in some parts of the world, an awful lot of water is used to get vegetable to animal protein. Because when the women's movement first began, the women who got to the top did so by using the characteristics of males—really aggressive and dominating and strident and forceful. Jane Goodall – Overpopulation in the Developing World at Fora TV; Lecture transcript and video of Goodall's speech at the Joan B. Kroc Institute for Peace & Justice at the University of San Diego, April 2008; Jane Goodall extended film interview with transcripts for … And there, two streets down, the hotel where I worked as a waitress to raise the money to go out to Africa in the first place. I couldn't talk about personality, mind or emotion because those were unique to us. Join Roots & Shoots (see below) while you’re at school and don’t give up! Through a window: My thirty years with the Chimpanzees of Gombe. How do you feel about that anniversary, and how has your thinking and work evolved since then? How, if the young ones know who the father is, I don't see how they can, yet here's some evidence that they seem to be attracted to those males who are their fathers, but we have no idea how. This month marks 60 years since Dame Jane Goodall first ventured into the wilds of Gombe, Tanzania, at the tender age of … So this discrimination is still deeply embedded, even though the disease doesn't care who it attacks, but it has more chance of harming the disadvantaged, I think. And then I think the biggest change is, the reason I left Gombe in ‘86 is because I realized that right across Africa, chimpanzees and forests were disappearing, and I felt I had to try and do something. Jane Goodall on her new doc, her love story in Africa, our changing relationship with animals, and sexual harassment. Keep your ears open for opportunities. Schnall: Thank you so much, Jane, for all of the work that you do and all of your wisdom. As we speak, they're changing the world. “If people wanted to call me comely, it helped with awareness. As she reminds us, “Realize that it's not you alone—together, collectively, we are making a difference. And as we continue to destroy nature, we're destroying the future of our children, let alone the health of the planet. It’s nothing to do with that. Africa, Celebrities, Great Apes, Interviews, Jane Goodall, National Geographic. Schnall: Well, I just want to let you know that my whole family is vegan, which I was encouraged to do by my two daughters, for those very reasons that you just outlined. Her work on chimpanzee behavior produced a wealth of scientific discovery, reminded us of how alike and interconnected we are with the animal world and evolved into a global mission to "empower people to make a difference for all living things." That helps me to keep going, because it's much, much more exhausting than it was traveling 300 days a year. If you're in an urban area, you're going to buy the cheapest junk food. And when you give a talk in an auditorium, there's a lot of energy out there and there are maybe thousands of people, and they're listening to you and they're laughing at jokes and they're applauding and it's live. Here is her message of hope... See more about. You just said you were vegan because of your children. You also have the option to opt-out of these cookies. I've had the chance of reaching millions more people in many more countries than I could have if I'd just been doing the tour. We push animals into closer contact with people in some cases. Is it cheap because of inequitable wages paid to people? Goodall: To think about what you do every day and to make ethical, compassionate choices in what you eat, what you buy, what you wear. We imprison billions of animals for us to consume in these intensive agricultural animal farms, known as concentration camps for animals. What is it that you most notice about youth activists today, and why is that so important to you? And everybody laughed at me. He carried him around on his back, rescued him from difficult situations, reached out and took him into his nest at night, shared his food with him. Marianne Schnall: I want to start by placing us in this historic moment where we're facing a global pandemic, and we're in the wake of devastating wildfires and hurricanes, which are making more real the concerning impacts of climate change. NGK: Hi Jane, when did you first know you wanted to work with animals? More important is this bottom line, and that has to change because as we destroy the environment, mother nature is actually screaming for help now. So that opened the gate into a new consideration, a new understanding, of other animals. In the summer of 1960, her dream brought her to the shores of Lake Tanganyika, to observe the wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream. We listen to them, their ideas, their voices, and they're changing the world. And to be successful in that, you have to be understanding and compassionate and listen to them and learn to understand the needs of a little baby before it can talk. Goodall’s work is the subject of a new documentary called Jane Goodall: The Hope. We often hear that children are the future, but as my daughters always point out, they are the voices of right now, and we need to listen to them. . a pre-selected message and a cool badge. In 1960, a 26-year-old Jane entered the Tanzanian jungle with no formal qualifications or degree, but an unwavering fascination … The 86-year-old global icon, ethologist, environmentalist and UN Messenger of Peace also authored several books and founded her own organization to carry forward her pioneering work, the Jane Goodall Institute, as well as its Roots & Shoots program, which aims to encourage and motivate young people to take action on issues that matter to them in their own communities. Basically, what began in the 12 villages around Gombe is now in all 104 throughout the chimp range in Tanzania, and it's empowering the local people and giving them the tools, like using smartphones to monitor the health of their village forest preserves. I spent all my time outside watching the birds and the squirrels and the other animals, the insects. NGK: That’s amazing! Conversations About Women, Leadership, and Power" and my new books, "Leading the Way" and "Dare to Be You. So there needs to be an endowment that can support a small group when it's in difficulties and can't raise its own money, but that's separate. It's always been the environment losing out against the need for global economic development, the bottom line, the GDP, and we can't go on like this. So it really has changed a lot. I stood in Greenland with Intuit elders and I watched that ice cliff, water pouring out, icebergs breaking off. I’m sending you good thoughts and huge gratitude for your amazing trailblazing work, which is making a difference. She’s a primatologist whose groundbreaking chimpanzee studies in Tanzania, East Africa, changed the way we think about wildlife forever! Do you think that experiencing this moment where people are being affected by COVID-19 across all of these very false divides—race, class, gender, across national boundaries—can help us to see ourselves as one family here on our home, planet Earth?