The Woman Who Redefined Man

• Born April 3, 1934 in London,
England
• Traveled to Africa at the age of 23 and met the famous anthropologist and paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey
• Dr. Leakey inspired and supported her interest in animals; and suggested a field study of the chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream
Chimpanzee Reserve in Tanzania

• Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve in 1960 was very untouched, mountainous terrain; almost completely cut off from civilization
• Chimpanzee research in the wild prior to Jane was previously very unexplored and unsucessful, the last attempt lasting only two months in French Guinea
• Dr. Goodall was accompanied by her mother Vanne; both were inexperienced researchers in the field
• Early days of the camp required Goodall to rely on the expertise of African guides to show her how to navigate the bush; and to find the chimpanzees

• Observing the wild chimpanzees was a slow process; took many months before trust was developed
• Jane observed complex social interactions; such as greetings from one chimp to another, youngsters playing games, and affectionate exchanges
• Jane named each chimp individually, to identify each ones distinct personality

• David Greybeard- first chimp to approach Jane; crucial to core discoveries
• Flo- female of approx. 40 years of age, traveled with her young
• Goliath- large male that traveled with David Greybeard, approx. 100lbs in size
• Mr. McGregor- senior male over 40 years of age

• Chimpanzees exhibited “tool-making” behaviors; until this discovery it was previously thought that man was defined by that ability
• Chimpanzees hunted and consumed meat; were previously thought to be strictly vegetarians
• Chimps exhibit a sense of “self”; showed empathy and family bonds

Chimpanzee
Submissive to higher intelligence chimps
Show sex appeal behavior
Show mutual friendships
Shows some signs of mate bonding
Does not show romantic love
Sense of “Self”
Unspoken communication
Human
Values intellect
Values sex appeal
Values friendships
Mate bonding often occurs
Romance often occurs
Total knowledge of “Self”
Spoken communication

• Gombe Chimpanzee Sanctuary research continues on today; assisted by interns and research assistants
• Long term study of chimpanzees necessary for sufficient data collection
• Habitat loss now leading threat facing Gombe; research station has expanded but habitat is being lost readily

• The definition of man itself challenged by the concept of toolmaking
• Do chimpanzees deserve rights the same as man? Or does the spoken language barrier dictate rights?
• Should chimps be accepted as man-like because of their sense of self
• Should the definition of “man” be redefined?

• Anthropomorphism
• Inexperience prior to field research

• Jane Goodall today is recognized worldwide as the worlds leading primatologist
• She was named a U.N. Messenger of Peace in 2002
• Her research is highly respected and regarded as revolutionary in its time; changed the face of how we view animal behavior
• Was one of the very few people to obtain a Ph.D from
Cambridge without first obtaining her B.A.
• Has written multiple books; and is highly regarded for her writing
• She is an accomplished activist and speaker; and travels 300 days out of the year to do motivational and educational lectures

• Improve global understanding and treatment of great apes through research, public education and advocacy
• Contribute to the preservation of great apes and their habitats by combining conservation with education and promotion of sustainable livelihoods in local communities
• Roots & Shoots program is about making positive change happen—for our communities, for animals and for the environment. With hundreds of thousands of young people in more than 120 countries, the Roots & Shoots network connects youth who share a desire to create a better world.