Jane Goodall

Background

In July 1960, Dr. Jane Goodall began her landmark study of chimpanzees in what is now Tanzania under the mentorship of famed anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey. Her work at Gombe Stream would become the foundation of future primatological research and redefine the relationship between humans and animals. In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), a global leader in the effort to protect chimpanzees and their habitats. Today, the Institute is widely recognized for establishing innovative, community-centered conservation and development programs in Africa. JGI’s environmental and humanitarian youth network has groups in more than 120 countries. Goodall’s scores of honors include the Medal of Tanzania, the National Geographic Society’s Hubbard Medal, and Japan’s prestigious Kyoto Prize. She was invested as a Dame of the British Empire, the female equivalent of knighthood. Her list of publications include her best selling autobiography Reason for Hope (2000); The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior (1986), the definitive scientific work on chimpanzees and culmination of Goodall’s scientific career; and Gombe and Beyond: The Next 50 Years (2010). She has been the subject of numerous television documentaries and is featured in the large- screen format film Jane Goodall's Wild Chimpanzees (2002) and five Animal Planet specials. We are pleased to share the Q&A portion of the event.