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She Can Speak Chimpanzee Transcript
Host 00:02
This woman has studied animals for 60 years! And she can speak like them.
Jane Goodall 00:08
Hello, NASDAILY. I’m Jane Goodall. I’m 88 years old and I have always loved animals.
Host 00:17
She has studied animals longer than any person in the world. And today I’m going to tell you her incredible story. Sixty years ago, Dr. Jane did something crazy. She spent a month traveling by boat from England to Africa. She lived in a tent in the jungle all by herself, just so she could study these.
Jane Goodall 00:39
Chimpanzees are our closest relatives. And so finding out about them helps us understand human evolution.
Host 00:48
She discovered that humans and chimpanzees are very similar. They cry, fight, hug and kiss, just like humans. They use tools and they even have their own language. Dr. Jane became so close to the chimpanzees that they accepted her as family.
Jane Goodall 01:11
And I was following him. He was allowing me to follow him. So I sat down near him, on the ground between us was a ripe red palm nut which chimpanzees love. So I picked it up and held it out towards him. He turned his face away. I moved my hand closer. He turned, he looked directly into my eyes. He reached out, didn’t want the nut, dropped it, very gently squeezed my fingers, which is how chimpanzees reassure each other. So in that moment, we understood each other perfectly.
Host 01:42
Nearly 40 years after she first went to the forest, science finally discovered that human DNA and chimpanzee DNA were nearly identical. Yes, 99% of our DNA is the same as chimpanzees. Dr. Jane won tons of awards for her discoveries. Until one day she saw a big problem. The chimpanzees were dying. The chimpanzee population went from 1 million to just 300,000. The chimps’ forest homes were being destroyed. Chimpanzees were being stolen and sold as pets. And they were being locked up in cages for medical testing. This broke her heart. So she left the forest to become an activist. She started two foundations that are now saving chimpanzees, protecting forests and teaching youth about how to protect animals, people and the environment.
Jane Goodall 02:37
In seven African countries, chimps are living who would not have been there if we hadn’t arrived. And in order for this to be successful in the long run, we have to work with the young people.
Host 02:50
Dr. Jane is incredible. She spent 60 years of her life living with animals and what she learned from a tent in the jungle has changed the science community forever. And this is her message to the world.
Jane Goodall 03:04
Every individual matters, has a role to play, and that every individual makes an impact every day. So if we choose wisely, then we’re really working together to make a better world for the future.
Host 03:20
There’s not much difference between humans and animals. So if we care so much about humankind, why not care about animals, too?
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