She isn’t. But the chimpanzees as a species is alive, because of her.
Jane Goodall lived to be 91, and died today. She studied chimpanzees for over sixty years, and lived among the species for years in the wild. She learned how to communicate to the primates, how to get along with them…. and how to move heaven and earth to protect and preserve their natural habitat.
I’m not an overly emotional person, although I have my moments of great sentimentality. Goodall brings that side of me out. Miss Goodall, holding a baby monkey for instance. She’s old already, her hair grey. And that monkey, just starting its little life, owes its life to her…
There is something very special about someone who dedicates his or her life to a greater goal, a higher calling. Jane Goodall had it, the way Pope Francis had it, the way David Attenborough has it, or Martin Luther King did. A grand purpose. An all-encompassing goal.
So much of what we know today about the social interactions and family life of chimpanzees, we know because of Jane Goodall. She recorded the species in their natural habitat for years, studied them more extensively than any other human being in history… and after that, she dedicated her whole life to preserving the species. God bless her, and those she inspired. They make the world a better place.
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