Jane Goodall — Mothers in Science

Jane Goodall is a famous primatologist who combined parenting with her fieldwork studying chimpanzees in the depths of the African jungles.

Jane Goodall (1934, age 85) is an English primatologist who is best known for her pioneering studies on the social structure of wild chimpanzee populations at Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. Goodall’s field research and especially her discovery that chimpanzees can use and make tools was a breakthrough that transformed our understanding of chimpanzees and animal intelligence.

As a child, Goodall had always been passionate about animals and Africa. After saving money working as a waitress, she travelled to Kenya on her own at the age of 23 to pursue her dream of studying African wildlife. She had no formal education, but was determined to study the complexities of chimpanzee society by immersing herself in their lives and habitats. She was only allowed to go on her first field expedition in Tanzania with a chaperone (her mother), and she was often scrutinised by the press for her looks or simply for being a woman in a male-dominated profession.

In 1967, she gave birth to her son, Hugo Eric Louis, affectionately known as “Grub”. To protect Grub from the chimpanzees, Goodall built a protective ‘cage’ for him and never left his side as she did her research. The ‘cage’ was like a giant cot where Grub could crawl, stand and walk within it. He was never on his own or left alone until he was 3 years old.

Grub grew up among African wildlife and then was sent to England to study. He became a boat builder in Tanzania, where he still lives today with his family. As Grub grew older, his relationship with his mother became more turbulent and conflicted, as she devoted herself to her research. Eventually, Goodall and her son found ways to compromise and help each other out in their wildlife conservation projects.

“When you meet chimps you meet individual personalities. When a baby chimp looks at you it’s just like a human baby. We have a responsibility to them.” Jane’s decades of work on chimpanzee research motivated her to redefine species conservation and include the needs of local people and the environment. Today, she travels far and wide to raise awareness of the environmental crisis and the threats faced by wildlife. She urges each of us to take action on behalf of all living things and planet we share.