Jane Goodall, Ambassador of Hope for the Earth

 

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Hebrews 11:1 NRSVue

Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91 and while I'm saddened I'm also in awe of her legacy. She was a ground-breaking primatologist, her work with chimpanzees in Tanzania, beginning the 1960s, resulting in a major rethinking of how humans relate not only to primates but to all creatures. She gave the chimps she studied at Gombe names, a violation of scientific protocol at the time.

In her later years she became an ambassador of climate hope for our beleaguered planet, speaking an astonishing 300 days a year. She died peacefully, hours before she was scheduled to plant trees in an area of fire-ravaged Los Angeles. 

Goodall had Canadian connections, spending time in Sudbury, Ontario, to highlight the remarkable regreening of the city and region. A Jane Goodall Act to protect captive animals was introduced in the Canadian Senate. 

                      Jane Goodall planting the ten millionth tree in Sudbury with then Prime Minister Trudeau

Just last month Goodall spoke in several Canadian cities and in response to a question from the audience in Toronto she said: You don't need to have a degree to learn about nature, you can learn as I did. I used to have a nature notebook. I drew the little insects and butterflies and birds that I saw, and that makes you a biologist." 

I wrote in this blog about hearing Jane Goodall interviewed on CBC Radio's The Current and how near the end she was candid about her climate activism as a calling and the spiritual, almost mystical aspect of her commitment. While Jane did not espouse any particular religion she was a strongly spiritual person. To my dismay the transcript for that interview omitted this part of her conversation with Matt Galloway. Why? 

I thank the Creator for her witness until her last breath. It is somehow fitting that she died during Creation Time/Season of Creation/Creationtide because she embodied respect for the Earth.

Jane had a sense of humour. Although some people were indignant about this Far Side cartoon she loved it and licensed the image from Gary Larson to use on tee-shirts for her institute.