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"Dr. Jane Goodall"

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Jane Goodall was born in England on April 12, 1934. As a child in the seaside town of Bournemouth, Jane learned to love and appreciate nature. Jane liked to watch animals and take notes on their habits. Her favorite reading matter was Rudyard Kipling's animal stories and Tarzan. She wrote a weekly newspaper about animals called "The Alligator," which her mother typed for Jane and her friends. Jane disliked school and was frequently late - she wanted to be outdoors watching animals. Jane did better after her mother convinced her that she needed to get good grades to become a scientist and go to Africa.

Although Jane wanted to attend a university, her mother could not afford to send her, so she went to secretarial school. After this schooling, Jane worked for a London movie company for three years. Jane's opportunity to go to Africa came when a school friend, who lived on a farm in Kenya, invited her to come for a visit. To save money for her trip, Jane moved back home and worked in a restaurant.

In 1957, at the age of 23, Jane left England for Kenya, Africa. Although she enjoyed living on her friend's farm, she still wanted the opportunity to study wild animals. Jane went to see Dr. Louis Leakey, a famous scientist who was studying the origins of ancient man. She got a job as his secretary at the National Museum of Natural History for Kenya. Here, Jane learned anthropology and paleontology, and, worked with Dr. Leaky on digs searching for fossils and bones.

Dr. Leaky suggested that Jane go to Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania to study the chimpanzees that lived there. The Wilke Foundation agreed to pay for six months of expenses. Jane's mother went with her because the government wouldn't let her go into the jungle alone. Camp was set up in Gombe, the chimpanzee area. Jane had much to learn about the jungle. There were numerous hardships and dangers - insect bites, malaria, poisonous snakes, and fierce animals.

Gradually the chimps came to accept her presence. She gave them names, such as Flo, Fifi, and Goliath. Jane observed chimp behaviors that humans had not recorded before. She saw chimps eat meat, use twigs to pull termites out of mounds, and sop up water with leaves.

From 1961 to 1965, Jane spent each winter at Cambridge University in England studying for a doctorate degree in animal behavior. Summers were spent with the chimps in Africa. During this time she married Baron Hugo Van Lawick, whom she met when he came to film her work for the National Geographic Society.

In 1965 a permanent research center was established at Gombe. The chimpanzee area was made a national park.

Jane's son was born in 1967. She nicknamed him "Grub", which means bush baby in Swahili. Jane and her family traveled about Africa, filming and writing about lions, cheetahs, and hyenas. She wrote books based on her notes from Gombe. She also wrote a book about her son growing up in Africa.

Today, Jane Goodall continues her studies of wild animals in Africa.