Jane Goodall, Going Strong At Seventy - Denver Post

[hatrack]

Many people remain active beyond their seventh decade, but few have been as doggedly persistent as renowned primatologist Jane Goodall in pursuing a solitary goal. If chimpanzees could vote, she would be queen of the jungle, if not the world. Goodall began her work with chimpanzees more than 40 years ago on the shores of Lake Tanganyika in the East African country of what is now Tanzania.

Her concern stemmed from the depletion of a once-flourishing forest, which caused the primate population to decrease to a few protected acres. As a result, chimps no longer mate with neighboring communities, preserving the genetic diversity needed for long-term survival. Over the years, British-born Goodall - installed earlier this year as a Dame of the British Empire for her groundbreaking research - has intensified her focus on chimp preservation because, besides being threatened by diminishing habitat, they also have gained appeal as a food source.

"Subsistence hunting (in Africa) has been going on for ages," she says. "But in the '80s, big commercial logging companies came in. Even where they've done sustainable logging, they've (added) roads. And along the roads they shoot everything that can be eaten. The meat is either cut up or sun-dried. This is not to feed hungry people. The elite in urban communities will pay more for bush meat than they will for chickens." Chimpanzee communities also are threatened by the spread of disease, especially ebola, she adds, noting that it has killed hundreds of gorillas.

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Goodall's newest mission is to generate worldwide support for the shift her work has taken from research to preservation and humanitarian efforts. "People ask 'What can I do?' and I tell them they can help us fund programs that educate and find alternative proteins for the logging companies and villages," she says. "This is not just a problem for the animals. When the logging camps move, the villagers will have nothing to eat. It's a grim situation. Habitat is lost, populations grow and land is useless for decades."

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http://www.denverpost.com/Stories/0,1413,36~45~2094507,00.html

[arcane1]

1. Jane rules

:loveya:


Got to hear her speak 2 years ago (?) about her Roots & Shoots program, in a huge cathedral. You haven't lived until you see a woman at the podium speaking in Chimp language, and having it replied to by the congregation, also in Chimp language. Surreal... in a Huxley, Ape & Essence kind of way

[tabasco]

2. Anyone who spends their life fighting for conservation of nature ..

has my love and utmost respect. Go Jane!