Woman Of The Week: Jane Goodall
Artwork by Felix Papanikolis
JANE GOODALL
Primatologist, anthropologist and activist
Jane Goodall began studying chimpanzees around 1960, until she recently died on October 1st, 2025. Dr. Goodall studied wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. When Jane first arrived in Kenya, she was advised to meet Dr. Louis Leakey. Working as a secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi, Louis asked her to go to Gombe to study a family of chimpanzees.
Jane began to understand the remarkable intelligence that chimps have, and over time, Jane was able to come in contact with the chimps, naming each of them with a human name, and growing a special friendship that will be remembered forever. Jane said, “In what terms should we think of these beings, nonhuman yet possessing so very many human-like characteristics? How should we treat them? Surely we should treat them with the same consideration and kindness as we show to other humans; and as we recognize human rights, so too should we recognize the rights of the great apes? Yes.”
To me, this quote can apply to many things! This quote teaches us to show kindness not just to other humans, but to other species. I think it tells us to show affection to those who are different from us, and maybe those who we have never met.
Her three months of study in Gombe turned into ongoing research for the rest of her life. Goodall wrote more than 27 books for people of all ages. Towards the later part of her life, she began to advocate for human rights, animal welfare, as well as species and environmental protection. Jane Goodall’s remarkable work with chimpanzees, and bravery to protest for many different causes inspires people of all ages to stick with something they're passionate about, and to try new things, because you never know if you’ll grow to love it.
“You cannot get through a single day without having an impact on the world around you. What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
― Jane Goodall
