In today’s post we want to remember and celebrate the legacy of Jane Goodall, a pioneer female researcher in primatology, who make us change the way we see humans, chimps and all primates. There are so many lessons Jane taught us…from never give up if we really wanted something, to appreciate nature and the value each living thing has just for being in this planet and to have hope that we can have a better future in which humans and the rest of the planet can live in peace…

Life has given me many opportunities, one of those was to have a few minutes chat with Jane Goodall in 2010. At that time I was feeling frustrated for not being able to talk with the different productive sectors that converge in my study area (palm oil, cattle ranchers, among others), in just a few minutes she just listened me and said to keep going and continue trying, just don’t give up…a lesson she always were repeating as one of the reason to continue working for nature and keep having hope for our planet. I’m not sure I’m exactly in speaking terms with those productive sectors but I keep trying and continue to try for as many years as I’ll be able to do it, our monkeys and other native fauna needed.

Another of the many stories she used to tell in her talks was how many of the professors in Cambridge told her that she shouldn’t say primates have personalities, even after three decades some of my own professor used to tell me the same thing. When I started, I was studying the development of red howler monkeys and I remember that for me, part of the differences that I was observing in the way the females were behaving around their infants seems to be related to their own personalities, their own life histories, but my professor though I was not scientific enough by saying that. I still agree with Jane that primates had personalities and that definitely influence the way in which they respond and behave in different situations…

Thank you, Jane, for your inspiration, for giving us hope and for sharing your love for animals with all of us. Rest in peace…

If you want to support our activities, please visit https://fineartamerica.com/art/xyomara+carretero or get in contact with us at xcarretero@gmail.com if you want to collaborate, donate or volunteer in our activities. You can also support our activities by buying our ornate titi monkeys stuff dolls https://www.instagram.com/p/Ctm_sEORvk8/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA== and our new journals in Amazon https://www.amazon.com/X-Carretero/dp/B0CWD1DBJM/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?© Copyright Disclaimer. All pictures used on this web page are protected with copyrights to Xyomara Carretero-Pinzón. If you want to use any of these pictures, please leave a message on the website or contact xcarretero@gmail.com