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Jane Goodall is Born
Jane Goodall, a primatologists, is born in London, England. -
Jane Goodall Travels to Kenya
As there weren't many job opportunities in England for women who wanted to pursuit science, Jane Goodall went on an individual research project to Kenya. She chose to study chimpanzees in Kenya because she had always been interested in the African continent and on primates. -
Jane's First Trip to Tanzania
On July of 1960, 26 year old Jane Goodall traveled to western Tanzania for the first time with the intention to find out more about wild chimpanzees. Jane and her mother stayed in the Gombe Stream Chimpanzee Reserve. She went there after being hired by Louis Leaky, a very famous scientists, who long with National Geographic, wanted to sponsor Jane's research. -
Jane Discovers That Humans Aren't the Only Ones Using Tools
Still in her first year of observing chimpanzees, Jane found out that they use the tools they make by themselves. For example, chimpanzees used leaves of twigs and grass to make sticks that would take termites and ants from the earth, so that they could eat. This was important because humans were considered homosapiens which means Man the Toolmaker, but now it wasn't true anymore because humans weren't the only who constructed tools. -
Jane's First Discovery
During her first year at Tanzania, Jane discovered that chimpanzees eat meat, so they weren't vegetarians (like most people believed at that time). She also found out that to eat, the chimpanzees themselves hunt. For example, the group she studied hunted a red colobus monkey and ate a bushpig. -
Chimpanzees Have Emotions
After observing the interactions between chimpanzee groups and with her, Jane realized that chimpanzees have their own personalities and emotions, just like humans. This was really important because until then, humans were though to be the only ones capable of feelings. As she believed each chimpanzee was different, she attributed different names to them. However, many people disliked this because they thought she was getting too emotionally attached, so her research would be subjective. -
Chimpanzee Family Bonds
Jane Goodall discovered that just like humans, young chimpanzees have a really strong relation with their mother. Plus, she observed how close siblings are within the group, making it easy to distinguish which chimpanzees were family related and those who weren't. -
Chimpanzees Feel Compassion
Jane Goodall found out that chimpanzees are capable of feeling compassionate which was something that only humans were thought to be capable of. She found this after witnessing a family of chimpanzees adopting an infant whose mother and died. Plus, she saw the adoptive parents hugging and taking care of that infant as if he was their own. -
Jane Goodall's Doctorate
After her recent discoveries that Chimpanzees had feelings, made and used tools, and ate meat, Jane Goodall decided to go back to England to deepen her studies on animal behavior, known as ethology. To do so, she took her doctorate degree in the University of Cambridge. -
Jane Goodall Goes Back to Tanzania
After completing her doctorate on ethology, Jane Goodall travelled back to Tanzania to specify her studies on chimpanzees. She stayed there for 55 years and studies the same group during the whole time. -
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Jane Goodall's Investigation in Tanzania
During these 55 years, Jane Goodall studied the social and family life of the same group of chimpanzees. As the chimpanzees grew accustomed to having her around, she was able to be close to them and live like them, giving her a taste of how this species behaves. -
The "Four Year War"
1974 was the start of the fight between two groups of chimpanzees that Jane Goodall studied, the Kahama and Kasakela. This fight lasted four years, so it is known as the "Four Year War". This was important because we realized that humans aren't the only ones who have conflicts and revert to violence to solve them. -
Chimpanzees are Cannibals
On the year of 1975, Jane Goodall witnesses a mother, Passion, and her daughter, Pom, stealing babies from their group and eating them. -
The Start of the Jane Goodall Institute
On 1997, Jane Goodall founds her own institute. Her mission was to conserve and protect the environment, as well as teach other about it. -
Jane Goodall as an Activtist
Jane Goodall stops researching and observing chimpanzees, and decides to shift her attention to educating the world about the relationship that should exist between humans and animals. This change occurred after she went to the first conference in Chicago of "Understanding Chimpanzees". -
The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior
Jane Goodall publishes one of her many books: The Chimpanzees of Gombe: Patterns of Behavior. This book included her findings regarding chimpanzees' use of tools, eating meat, and tendency to fight. -
Start of Roots and Shoots
The Roots and Shoots program is founded with the goal to involve young adults and children with the problems faced by the environment. This idea arose from a group of students who worked with Jane Goodall in Tanzania. -
Tchimpounga Sanctuary
On the year of 1991, Jane Goodall founds the Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center which provided housing and care for chimpanzees who were engaged in the illegal commerce for meat and pets. In now a days, it has more than 150 chimpanzees. -
Lake Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education
The Lake Tanganyika Catchment Reforestation and Education was Jane Goodall's first community work in Western Tanzania. Its purpose was to stop the decrease of natural resources while solving poverty. -
Jane Goodall Invests on Science Programs
Jane Goodall started a science program that included information on how to design populated areas as not to harm chimpanzees' environment, make the right decisions regarding conservation and how to control the decrease of the chimpanzee population. -
Roots and Shoots is Taken to a Whole New Level
On 2004, Jane Goodall is granted the position of Messanger of Peace by the United Nations, giving her more incentivation to develop the Roots and Shoots program even further. Thanks to this role, Jane now goes around the world doing presentations, writing and spreading her knowledge. -
Jane Goodall Becomes a Knight
On 2004, Jane Goodall is made a British Knight by Queen Elizabeth of England. -
Jane Goodall's First Action Plan
On 2005, Jane Goodall came up with her first Action Plan. Her goal was to protect the Gombe Stream National Park and its human population by uniting local communities, Non Governmental Organizations and public groups.