By Rachel Muir
Jane Goodall’s dream date is Tarzan. Her scariest moment was an underwater encounter with a deadly cobra. Her hero is her mother, and her drink of choice is whiskey.
Dr. Goodall answered a range of questions about herself and her career Monday night at GW.
Sponsored by the nonprofit Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), the event both celebrated the 50th anniversary of her pioneering research with chimpanzees and recognized the winners of the institute’s Global Leadership Award.
As a child growing up in England during World War II, Dr. Goodall read Tarzan and Dr. Doolittle books voraciously and had a treasured toy chimpanzee—things that she said sparked her interest in Africa.
In 1957, she made her first trip to the continent, traveling to Kenya at the invitation of a family friend. While there, she landed a job as secretary for the famed anthropologist Louis Leakey, who became a longtime mentor.
Three years later, Dr. Goodall first set foot on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in what is now Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. With Dr. Leakey’s support, she was starting an ambitious project to study chimpanzees in the wild.
“I had no field experience and no formal education,” said Dr. Goodall, who later earned a doctorate at Cambridge University. “When I first came, I knew nothing about chimpanzees. No one did.”
Her work over the next five decades has revolutionized the understanding of chimpanzee behavior and culture and set a new standard for primatological research. Dr. Goodall, who travels 300 days a year, is also a tireless champion of conservation and animal welfare across the globe.
“It’s terrible how we’ve harmed the planet, but it’s not true that nothing can be done about it,” she said.
Dr. Goodall was interviewed on stage by JGI President Maureen P. Smith, who said she had wanted to work with the primatologist since seeing her on TV decades ago.
In addition to discussing Tarzan and the cobra, Dr. Goodall answered questions about what keeps her up at night (cruelty to animals, children in plight), her most embarrassing moment (when her very dignified mother’s skirt fell off during a gala), and her exercise routine (doesn’t have one).
She called her mother her “greatest hero,” citing her lifelong support and encouragement. “She never told me no, although girls didn’t get to do that kind of thing back then,” she said of going to Africa to study primates.
The event also paid tribute to this year’s Jane Goodall Global Leadership Award winners, which included actress Charlize Theron, who was recognized for responsible activism in media and entertainment.
“Being able to spend a couple days with Jane Goodall has changed my life and inspired me to do so much more on my Africa outreach program,” said Ms. Theron, who accepted her award via video. The two spent time together at the Tchimpounga sanctuary in the Congo, where Dr. Goodall has worked to save orphaned and endangered chimpanzees.
The National Geographic Society was honored for social responsibility; Mark J. Plotkin, president of the Amazon Conservation Team, for global leadership; and Rick Asselta, for excellence in education.
“There is no better role model on this planet,” Dr. Asselta said of Dr. Goodall.
Kai Neander, Jessica French and Arun Krishnamurthy were also honored for their leadership in JGI’s Roots & Shoots program, an initiative that Dr. Goodall said is her top priority. Started in 1991, the international environmental and humanitarian program for youth now operates in more than 120 countries and has a new chapter at GW.
“If I have a mission in life, it’s giving people hope,” Dr. Goodall said.