Jane Goodall

Hello, my name is Jane Goodall, and I want to tell you my story. When I was a little girl living in London, England, I loved animals more than anything. I didn't play with dolls very much. Instead, my favorite toy was a soft, stuffed chimpanzee. My father gave him to me for my 1st birthday, and I named him Jubilee. I took Jubilee everywhere. We would go on adventures in my backyard, pretending we were deep in a jungle. I would spend hours outside, watching the birds, the squirrels, and even the worms wiggling in the dirt. I read every book I could find about animals, especially animals in Africa. I had a big, wonderful dream. I told my mother, Vanne, “One day, I will go to Africa to live with and help wild animals.” She always smiled and told me that if I worked hard and never gave up, I could do anything I dreamed of.

When I grew up, I saved all my money and finally, my big dream started to come true. In 1957, I traveled on a big boat all the way to Africa. It was so exciting. The air was warm, and the world was full of new sounds and smells. There, I met a kind and famous scientist named Louis Leakey. He saw how much I loved animals and how patient I was. He gave me a very special job: to go live in the forest and learn all about chimpanzees. On July 14th, 1960, I arrived in a place called Gombe, in a country called Tanzania. At first, the chimpanzees were very shy. They would see me and run away into the trees. I knew I had to be very quiet and move very slowly so they would not be scared. I sat in the same spot every day, just watching from far away. It took a long, long time, but one day, a brave chimpanzee I named David Greybeard let me get a little closer. He wasn't afraid anymore. It felt like the sun was shining just for me. He was the first chimpanzee to trust me, and he showed me the secret world of his family.

One day, on November 4th, 1960, I saw something that no one had ever seen before. I watched my friend, David Greybeard, pick a twig from a tree. He pulled off the leaves and poked it into a termite mound to catch yummy termites to eat. He was using a tool. Before then, scientists thought only humans used tools. My discovery changed everything. I learned that chimpanzees were a lot like us. They could feel happy, sad, and angry. They hugged each other and played games, just like you do with your friends. But as I spent more time with them, I saw that their forest homes were in danger because trees were being cut down. I knew I had to do something. I said, “I will be a voice for the animals.” So, I left my home in the forest and began to travel the world. I wanted to tell everyone about the amazing chimpanzees and why we must protect our beautiful planet. My message is simple: every single one of us can make a difference, every single day.