Chimpanzees In Jane Goodall's In The Shadow Of Man

Jane Goodall is not only an anthropologist, but she is also a successful author. She has won numerous awards and is acknowledged nationwide for being the first person to observe chimpanzees in their natural habitat. She discovered their behavior up close and also formed valuable relationships with the chimpanzees. In the Shadow of Man Jane starts from the beginning of her success and recounts her first experiences in Gombe, Africa. Jane Goodall begins the story by discussing her fascination with chimpanzees. When she was younger she carried her toy monkey with her everywhere she went, but she never could imagine the life she was destined too. Jane discusses her decision to travel to Africa during her teenage years, and how she raised the money to do so. When Jane arrived in Africa she was lucky enough to study with Louis Leakey. He believed that she was the perfect candidate to research chimpanzees in Tanzania. Jane did not think she was ready, she figured that since she didn’t go to college and was only a young inexperienced girl she was not fit for the task, but Louis convinced her that having someone who was passionate and interested about their studies is the most important factor. Some of her most …show more content…
Jane does not state her exact opinion about evolution, but she does imply it. Jane states that chimpanzees and humans are very similar. The chimp and human have a similar brain, behavior, and posture. Jane also poses the question of whether or not experimenting on chimpanzees is ethically okay. She says that finding a cure is necessary, but chimps are very comparable to humans, and are also an endangered species. Jane does not say what her opinion is, and she does not force others to agree with her, but she implies the importance of forming one’s own opinion. The only thing Jane enforces is the need to properly care for chimpanzees, and to keep them in their natural