Frankly, chimpanzees were never my favourite great ape. I found them too hyper, loud, hysterical and neurotic — in other words, too much like ourselves. As a child, I always thought chimps were only good enough for those mad tea parties they threw in circuses to amuse us. I much preferred the other two – orangutans and gorillas.
Then along came Jane Goodall, who affirmed to a startling degree, that yes, chimps were indeed more like us than we would have liked to believe (besides sharing 99 per cent of our DNA). Apart from their obstreperous, tyrannical side, they were also kind, gentle and loving, with a sense of community and empathy (which we are losing). Yes, they went to war with each other, and indulged in cannibalism, but how much better are we, given that our decorated generals and world leaders order the deliberate starvation of infants?
Goodall showed us what patience, quiet observation, steely determination and the ability to last the distance could achieve. Sit quietly, keep a notebook and pen in hand, a camera and binoculars ready, watch all day and there will be revelations. The frenetic “twitchers” and tickers in the birding community and those who visit national parks to tick off species, falling over each other in their zeal to capture their sightings in Instagram reels and social media-worthy photos, would do well to follow this ethos.
Apart from her pioneering work on chimps, Goodall was deeply concerned by issues such as climate change, deforestation and global warming. The resources of our planet are finite, she said, and one day they will finish. What do we tell our children when the treasure chest we have been looting is empty?
But far from throwing up our hands and giving up, Goodall deeply believed in the power of hope. As long as we have hope – as long as there are people, young and old, willing to do their bit, even if it is just a little bit — it is a start. That is how movements develop. One voice joins another, then another, till there’s a full-fledged chorus. It is this hope we must give our children, because they are the ones who are going to live on this planet in the future.
Another sublime message that came through her study of chimpanzees is that violent, tyrannical and brutish leaders never last. So there are things we can pick up from chimp society that will be good for us. Goodall focused a lot on spreading her message to children, beginning a small “Roots and Shoots” movement in Africa that has now spread to 140 countries (India is not amongst them). Spend time with nature and it will change your perspective of the world and make you care for it.
Listen to a world leader or politician thunder, roar and pontificate on television or radio and you will have forgotten what they spoke about in 30 seconds. Listen to Goodall’s soft, gentle voice, filled with conviction and irrefutable logic, and her message will stay with you forever.
All this from a 26 year-old girl, who long ago dared step into the dark African rainforest alone, to observe and study chimpanzees in the wild.
Lal is a writer, environmentalist and birdwatcher
