Sarah Albee - Jane Goodall: A Champion of Chimpanzees

Jane Goodall sat high in a tree
in a rain forest in eastern Africa.
She peered through the thick leaves.

Jane watched some wild chimpanzees.
Her only tools were a pencil,
a notebook, and binoculars.

Jane was twenty- six.
The year was 1960.
Jane had no science training.
She had not even gone to college.

Over the next fifty years,
Jane would learn more about chimps
than anyone else in the world.

Jane had loved animals all her life.
For her second birthday,
Jane got a huge toy chimpanzee.
She carried it everywhere.

When Jane was five, she decided
to watch a hen lay an egg.
She crept into the henhouse.
Five hours later, the hen laid an egg!
Janes mother couldnt find her.
She was frantic with worry.
But she did not scold her daughter.
She loved Janes interest in animals.

As Jane grew, she took notes
about pets and farm animals.
Her favorite animal of all
was a dog named Rusty.
He lived at a hotel nearby.
But he spent his days with Jane.

Jane dreamed of going to Africa
to study the animals there.
But she had to earn a living.
At eighteen, she became a secretary.

Then one day Jane got a letter.
It was from an old school friend.
The friend lived in Kenya.
Would Jane like to come for a visit?
Of course she would!

Jane met a famous scientist in Kenya.
His name was Louis Leakey.
He noticed Janes way with animals.
He offered her a dream job.
Did she want to go to the rain forest
to study wild chimpanzees?
Of course Jane said yes!

For the first two months,
Janes mother came along to help.
They set up camp in a rain forest,
in a country that would
soon be called Tanzania.

Every day, Jane sat on a hill.
For hours, she watched the chimps.
But they were far in the distance.
They ran when Jane came too close.

Jane tried to remain patient.
She tried not to lose hope.
Some days it poured.
Some days she saw snakes.
Buzzing insects bit her.
Once she was scared by a cougar.

Jane named all the chimps she saw.
There was Flo and Fifi and Olly.
She even named a chimp Leakey.

Then one day a chimp came closer.
Jane had named him David Greybeard.
He showed others not to be afraid.
Gradually, the chimps lost their fear.
They came to visit Jane at her camp.
She gave them bananas to eat.
No one had ever gotten this close
to wild chimpanzees before!

Jane discovered that chimps can feel
angry, sad, lonely, and joyful.
They even have best friends.

One day, Jane saw a chimp make
a tool out of a long stalk of grass.
He poked it into a termite mound.
Then he slurped up the termites.
Before that, people thought
only humans made and used tools.

Another day, Jane discovered
chimps eating meat.
Before that, people thought
chimps ate only plants.

A photographer named Hugo
came to take pictures of Jane.
There was a TV show about Jane.
After that, Jane became famous.
Louis Leakey arranged for Jane
to earn her PhD in England.
Now she would be Dr. Goodall.

Jane and Hugo got married.
A few years later, they had a son.
His name was also Hugo.

Over the years, Jane worked hard.
She started a research center.
She helped many young scientists.
She wrote many books about chimps.
She received many awards.

Jane visited chimps in science labs.