Icon: The Life of Jane Goodall

[Music] [Music] that's hello everybody Jane Goodall is one of the world's most prominent experts on chimpanzees she has devoted her life to animal welfare human rights and the environment Goodall spent 55 years studying wild chimpanzees at the Gombe stream National Park in Tanzania during her research could all discovered that chimpanzees could make and use tools and that they have personalities and emotions similar to human beings in 1977 Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute a global organization committed to conserving and protecting chimpanzee habitats the Institute's Roots & Shoots program focuses on empowering students to work on environmental conservation and humanitarian issues in 1986 Goodall changed her focus from observing chimpanzees to becoming an activist for human rights animal protection and Environmental Conservation today at the age of 82 Jane Goodall travels the world 300 days a year to promote awareness for endangered chimpanzees human rights and protecting the environment after speaking at an event for the Roots & Shoots branch in Beijing Goodall stopped by her studio to talk about her life and career good afternoon and now welcome to Beijing welcome back to Beijing to visit China a lot busier I think the sitting for 30 years and I used to come once a year now it's once every other year because I have to go so many other countries yeah it's still on the the crazy legendary story of 300 days out of a year you're on the road yes and that's after living from 1960 to 1986 out in the forest what a difference I see you brought that though worthy message right famous message the famous mr. H given to me by a man who went blind when he 21 Gary horn and fights mr. H decided to be a magician I mean he said well I'm going to try and the children don't know he's blind so then he'll in your life don't give up there's always a way for him and he just published a book of paintings a blind man he's done a beautiful portrait of Missy just by holding him and feeling him he's got him on to the Popo it's unbelievable actually the other day when I went there to hear you speak he also talked about mr. age but at the same time you mentioned the tale story that's right because Gary Horn gave him to me 24 years ago for my birthday thought he was giving me a stuffed chimpanzee I made him hold the tail my Gary chimpanzees don't have tails you know what I mean before you told that story I didn't realize humanzees don't have tails because five grade eight biologically right grade eight the most like us are chimpanzees not not this guy he's a monkey chimpanzees like this bonobos and then gorillas the other big African ape and the Asian one orangutan the fifth grade eight you will need mmm biologically we differ from these guys by just over one percent of our DNA I mean I think the big difference between them and us is the way our brain has developed this intellect and you know think what we've done with our intellect it's amazing isn't it if we talk about your expends your research life in Africa in Tanzania whether it's and indeed what you think is your biggest or most important success out of that 38 years in Africa you know when I first began and I was told by my mentor Louis Leakey that I had to get a degree because when I went to Africa I hadn't been to college we couldn't afford it and he got me a place to do a PhD he said there was no time for a BA and I went to Cambridge University in England yeah and at that time 1962 it was truly science believed there was a sharp line with humans on line hand me a barnacles on the other side and I was told that I shouldn't have given the chimpanzees names I wasn't scientific and I couldn't talk about their personalities their minds right or their emotions but I'd been taught by my good teacher that was my dog my dog taught me I mean you can't share your life with any animal and not know that they have personalities minds and emotions it can feel happy or sad so I think because biologically chimps are so like us you know the DNA and the immune system and anatomy of the brain and everything that that enabled me to push the fact that psychologically and behaviorally they're so like us as well and finally science began to accept it and now we know birds can use and make tools we know that a bumblebee can be taught to pull on the string to pull up a little drop of nectar nobody would have believed that five years ago it's very exciting a new approach to see the world again yes initiatives began that it was the chimpanzees because they're so like us that really opened the door for the other animals juicing human being and during research going to where they live do think this is also an intrusion well the better break could be it could be if you get too much tourism but I think just me out in the forest sitting quietly I don't think I wasn't true Civ they trying to drive me away at first you know first they were frightened and ran away then they treated me like a predator shook branches another much stronger than we are but I pretend that I wasn't interested like a dumb little holes in the ground and I suppose eventually they were ah she's harmless they accepted you and they accepted me I never tried to get into their lives just to be allowed to like look through a window do you still go back to Gombe yeah twice a year twice a year just short the chimps I used to know gone now you know they can live to be 60 years but it's 55 years since we began yeah and there are very few that I know really well do you still do research now I don't do the search but I direct the students so I got the research station there we do all kind of different research now but to be just out in the forest was very important for me spiritually but somehow you shifted your focus from being a scientist in Africa of over 30 years to being a environmentalist that was in 1986 yeah why then what happened there was a big conference so at that time we brought people in from the eight different parts of Africa where chimps were being studied by them and there was a session on conservation and it was shocking so everywhere chimp numbers dropping forest being cut down chimpanzee mothers killed we had a another session on conditions in captive situations the cruel treatment of chimpanzees used in circuses and entertainment the beating in fact that the chimpanzees they may look cute and sweet and do little tricks books based on absolute fear and also in medical research labs cages of 5 foot by 5 foot secretly filmed footage and I just left as a different person and to realize that we can't try and protect the chimpanzees while people are suffering we need to have improve the lives of the people so that they want to help us conserve the forest in the chimpanzees because we see the value of it so how do you see the species how do you see chimpanzees another race just like you maybe they also have feelings they certainly have feelings they have own individual lives they have family relationships and they need to be treated with respect we need to respect the animals we need to respect people of other nations other cultures other religions it respect to such an important word you've been working on your campaign for decades but at the same time people still do not have enough knowledge of the message you're trying to convey that's a that's why I'm still traveling 300 days a year maybe you know I'm very passionate about the wilderness and wildlife and I can I could work my whole life just trying to protect animals and say for it but it's new generations don't grow up to be better stewards than we've been it's a waste of my time and we'll just run out of natural resources so that's why our program for youth flutes and tunes is to make very very important and that keeps me travelling and it's very encouraging that wherever I go there are young people your age who come up and say I was in your roots and troops program when I was a child and I say well did it make any difference and they say well yes because I understand about the environment and I understand that animals have feelings and emotions and we shouldn't be cruel to them so definitely you're feeling the progress being made year by year absolutely and especially in China actually I mean so many during even a short time Chengdu and Beijing the number of people who come up to me and thanked me for helping them understand more about them that to a world I went to the one in Beijing the other end of the men are you had great turnout lots of young students coming from around the country attending that activity and many of them actually were selling goods to support those campaigns just just amazing I mean Ruth saying shoes has been running in China for over 20 years Chloe 30 how would you describe this project in China well first of all the roots into its group its young people of any age mostly its kind of you know six years old up through University and each group themselves choose three projects one to help people one to help animals including dogs and cats and cows and one to help the environment and so together as a group with three projects like that they're all passionate about what they choose to do and they share the information with each other and we as often as we can bring them together like you saw I mean it's amazing what young people are doing to help the world when you empower them to take action and they roll up their sleeves and they get out and they're planting organic gardens they're changing trash into sometimes clothes they're cleaning up wetlands they just have so many ideas what do you think is the most difficult part well it's always a difficulty in raising money everywhere all around the world that's that's that's given financial support scholarship support sponsorship that's you know for all that we're doing in Africa or wherever most difficult some schools are reluctant to to kind of welcome the program in and then I always say to the kids if you want to do the program never mind the school do it at home perhaps your parents will get involved you just need a group of friends and you decide what you want to do it you do it what are the many reasons they didn't welcome a project like I think it's maybe teachers who are overworked and they don't understand and that this won't give them extra work sometimes a government will ask us for a curriculum so if you have a curriculum in the school then the Roots & Shoots philosophy is taught which is about protecting the environment and wildlife and being kind to animals and helping people it's all the things we all should be doing but we are growing I mean you know nearly a thousand groups now so it's growing what are you trying to achieve or what do you hope to achieve or the campaign with a focus on young students say in China a critical mass of young people who understand yes we do need money to live but it goes wrong and we live for money and it's putting the bottom line ahead of thinking about future generations so we hear they're saying we haven't inherited this planet from our parents we borrowed it from our children and always say we haven't borrowed from our children we've been stealing their future but when they grow up when they see all these convocations in other side of the world do you think sometimes they would have to compromise I'm a Jew yes they do what they do have to compromise and it makes some of them really really upset and so I have to talk to them and say look you have to make a living in this world so you know don't worry too much but just keep that little core inside yourself and the time in your life will comes when you can pay back so I find a lot of like grandparents you know they now they're doing everything they can to help the grandchildren and to think about their future you're trying to cultivate a new lifestyle for this younger generation in the future yeah a new lifestyle all over the world of people who understand that nature is important for us and if we destroy nature and the different animal species in the end that will destroy [Music] [Applause] do you think the environment has been improving for the chins continued first started no it's much worse thus far far less forest far less forest but we are now working with other groups and we are very determined to save and not only saved the forest but create corridors to link one forest with another so that the chimpanzees don't get trapped and the other animals too so if you save chimpanzees you're saving all the other amazing animals who live in those forest how come it's getting worse I mean people like yourself working so hard for so many more and more and more people eating away their territory foreign companies coming in building roads building dams do you think we can reverse that train well we're sort of beginning to I mean that I think people politicians and so on big companies are really beginning to think in a different way like the oil and gas companies they've come to understand that the general public is more educated now the general public if they can choose between some oil got in a dirty way and energy from the Sun providing the sun's energy is not more expensive they're going to choose the Sun so the wise companies are losing the clean green energy and China has a lead in this I mean some of the solar developments in China are ahead of other countries and so moving in that direction just for profit doesn't matter why you do it some people do actually care about the environment in the future some people do it because they're smart enough to see this is what's going to sell in the future so let me be ahead and get some of the best wind or whatever it happens to be interesting you mentioned oil and energy company because some of your sponsors of your campaign roofing shoes are actually oil and energy companies yes and I discussed this very openly with them and said you know there are a lot of of my colleagues who are angry that I would take money from an oil and gas company but because they are the ones minute accused you know damaging the environment iams they do some do it much more than others but the point is I couldn't travel around the world I couldn't have got here today without using the product from these companies so it would be very hypocritical to use the oil and gas for my own life and say yes but you're so dirty and horrible that I won't touch any of your money if that money is being used and I told them this I said you realize you're sponsoring Roots & Shoots and we are educating these people to be your customers of the future who probably will want to buy your product unless you move in this direction and so you have to think about things honestly and you have to realize that you know some things are not good but it's not necessarily that people are bad it's that they don't know any other way to go or the competition is so intense and they got to make a life a living so the world is little it's not black and white on any sponsorships you would refuse to accept yes I only take anything from something like a tobacco company because they're killing people and I wouldn't take anything from people manufacturing arms and weapons couldn't do that that the bottom line is and there are some oil companies I wouldn't touch also oil company yes I mean some of them responsible for these terrible oil spills and not not using nearly enough money to clean them up can you accept animal for medical research usually not mainly because I've learned so much about it and that most of it has not actually benefitted human health and if we put the resources into the alternative ways of testing dry that's actually so much safer because even chimpanzees so like us medicine that works on them is harmful for us and the other way around because there are those differences so if we can use you know human cells and things like that then we would actually be much further on about zoos wild animal zoo 0 to some zoos in the cities it depends on the zoo and it depends on the animal I don't think I don't think whales and dolphins and things should ever be in captivity they need the ocean elephants unless you've got a huge space just feel so sorry for elephants chimpanzees a lot of other animals if they have space if they have an enriched environment so that they have something to do because they get bored stiff sitting in a cage if they have people who understand them then their lives can be useful in that they can help children understand how wonderful they are and that helps to conserve the ones out in the world and you know there are so many bad zoos how I mean what what those are batteries well bad twos are ones where and analyzed in a small concrete cell with nothing to do with no comfort with pets no companions and totally the wrong environment nobody really understanding them and people allowed to tease them and those animals if they're in the wall they might be poached or they might just just die yeah they might so night which side of the story is a good story I mean a zoo they they're being taken care of that's why I'm saying in a good zoo they can probably be safer than many places in the wild that's right so we try to save the really wild places where the animals can be saved that's the best but also you know I've watched chimpanzee groups and really good zoos where there's a good group and there's a couple of babies and think well they're having a really good life you also have a huge campaign about protecting the elephants I find that many people don't especially in China somehow don't understand that these this ivory comes from elephants who've been very cruelly slaughtered and poached the families of ties are broken and young elephants learn culture from the elders so the oldest of gun a lot of these young elephants who managed to survive they behaved like come and luly's feed kids kids on drugs they don't know how to behave and they go on the rampage and they know that they just behave like unruly teenagers with nobody to discipline them in China we have a long history of ivory carving I know and now we have actually introduced that the new policy of banning all libraries products plans and there was a businesswoman who is actually sent to jail yes in Africa long ago so the government is doing what they are supposed to do to to introduce the band policy to protect the elephants but at the same time people are thinking also what a ways and we've been developing this craftsmanship that's tradition for hundreds of years and all of a sudden it's gone are things black and white but I think we have to find a way that that craft which is so wonderful can be used on a different substance you mean alternative yes alternatives alternatives to the use of animals and medical research or like films now films are being made the supreme chimpanzees to behave in inappropriate ways they're making these incredible ones like in Planet of the Apes with not a living to but all it's virtual reality and they are so real I've watched it this is where our brain comes in this is we now know it's bad so let's find another way of doing it let's find another way of living let's find a different way which is a more ethical sort of in that event Beijing you mentions five reason for feeling total yes for the future yeah one is the energy and commitment of young people when they're educated and empowered to take actions there they're actually teaching their mothers and their grandparents I've met many people in America who say well I recycled my kids make me look - is this resourceful brain we are able to think of different ways of doing telogen intelligence and we're able to think of ways of living our own lives in a more ethical way you know thinking about the consequences of the choices we made what we buy eat where and so on thirdly the resilience of nature you can have in China you know all about colluded rivers and you certainly know about polluted air but we can change those things it's being I know so many rivers in America which used to catch fire they were so polluted they can be cleaned up social media because you can put out information and reach hundreds more people who can join your cause then you could do before and finally this indomitable human spirit people who tackle the impossible and do amazing things and inspire everyone around them like these two Chinese men one was completely blind the other with no arm and somehow they met and they decided they'd plant trees and improve the environment we planted millions of trees story like that is just one other example of this indomitable human spirit that somehow we have the ability to overcome disabilities we have the ability to overcome persecution we have the ability to overcome all of the problems life puts in our paths this is some inspirational stories or inspires other people with disabilities and that's that's so important every day I live every day you live every day everybody who's watching or listening to us now every day we make a difference and we have a choice as to what kind of difference we're going to make today and I think that's the key message that so many people are aware of the problems but they feel helpless and hopeless because I'm one person what can I do I can't do anything I'd love to but I can't change the world and alone you can't but when it's millions billions of people all making more ethical choices then suddenly while we're moving towards the sort of world that I'll be happier to lead to my grandchildren you open backed away the event in Beijing with your chimpanzee language yes my dream cool can you teach me how to do it yes it it's called the pan - because it's all one breath uh-huh yes a long back I was emotion at that that is happy or excited oh this is me Jane and you were saying the belt with you because each to impose his or her own voice and how they locate each other in the forest I mean the final note of today's program would be to feel hopeful for the future yeah there are language for that well not really but I mean I think the very sound of the chimpanzee calling out in the forest 1/2 of fact that they're still there we're still learning about them that's hope for the future all right thank you for your time and thank you for sharing with us your stories and well thank you very much shouldn't we shouldn't I show you a chimpanzee greeting yes can we stand up okay are various let's do it microphone yes we color because it would be like you're the male yeah and I'm the female yeah so I'm a little bit nervous because females are less dominant right so I'm making my life another squeaking what I'm looking to you the big male but actually we're friends so as I come up thank you for telling me the stories I've never actually understood a chimpanzee language value so like the way of greetings right so one again thank you again for your for your time and human ways thank you thank you [Music]

Channel: CGTN

Views: 46,195

Rating: 4.9073358 out of 5

Keywords: CCTVNews, News, CGTN, WorldNews, Jane Goodall, chimpanzee, animal welfare, human rights, environment, Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania, human beings, Jane Goodall Institute, Roots and Shoots, chimpanzee habitats, humanitarian issues, environmental conservation, nimal protection

Id: 15206UTE01g

Length: 29min 5sec (1745 seconds)

Published: Sun Jun 11 2017