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Conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall visits MU to speak about hope

Jenn Cooper
/
KBIA
Dr. Jane Goodall and her stuffed monkey, Mr. H. and stuffed cow, named Cow sit with her as she speeks to a sold out Mizzou Arena.

Dr. Jane Goodall greeted a packed house at Mizzou Area Wednesday night to share her hopeful message for the future. Goodall is best known for her work with chimpanzees. She introduced herself as a chimpanzee would, in noises and grunts, sparking laughter from the packed arena.

Credit Jenn Cooper / KBIA
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KBIA
Dr. Jane Goodall spoke to a packed house at Mizzou Arena as part of the Delta Gamma Lectureship Series.

Delta Gamma, a University of Missouri sorority, helped sponsor Goodall’s ‘Sowing the Seeds of Hope’ lecture. Lucinda Rice-Petrie is the Delta Gamma Foundation’s chairman. Rice-Petrie said she was excited when she found out Goodall was touring the United States and jumped at the opportunity for Goodall to speak at the University. Coincidentally, this week the university is celebrating its 175th anniversary.

Approximately 4,000 people listened to Dr. Goodall speak about where her 80 years in life have taken her. Goodall said as a young girl, she would speak to the birds and translate what they were singing about to her friends and family. These days, a much older Goodall is busy traveling around the world promoting conservation and her community-based organization, Roots and Shoots.

After spending years studying chimpanzees in Gombe National Park in Tanzania, Goodall said she decided to leave her studies to pursue conservation efforts in 1986 after seeing how poorly animals were treated in the name of science and entertainment. Scientists at the time refused to admit that chimpanzees have ‘striking personalities.’ Goodall said, “There are no sharp lines between us and the rest of the animal kingdom.” She said chimpanzee DNA is only one or two percent different than human DNA.

Earlier in life, Goodall knew it was her calling to help animals after reading “Tarzan.”

“He married the wrong Jane,” Goodall said.

Goodall’s mother was supportive of her love of animals from the beginning and credits much of her early success to her mother. Others were not always supportive, Goodall said some people told her to, “dream about something you can achieve.”

During the lecture, Goodall spoke about the grave future for the world if people do not change their ways. Goodall talked about the loss of biodiversity due to pollution, destruction of land and climate change. 

“We have compromised your future. We’ve been stealing your future,” she said

Credit Jenn Cooper / KBIA
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KBIA
Over 4,000 people attend a speech by Dr. Jane Goodall at Mizzou Arena.

Goodall urged the audience to come together to make positive changes to create a better outcome for future generations.

Her answer to some of the problems plaguing the world is Roots and Shoots, her community-based organization. “We’re all interconnected in the world,” Goodall said, and people need to do their part to preserve the earth.

“We have a choice of what kind of difference we’re going to make,” Goodall said.

Roots and Shoots grew from just 12 students to 150,000 groups in more than 139 countries. Roots and Shoots allows young people to get involved with something they care about, whether it’s the environment, animals or people.

Michelle Walker, a University of Missouri Animal Science student, is inspired by Goodall and hopes to start her own Roots and Shoots group. Walker said after listening to Goodall speak, she now has renewed hope for the future.

Goodall said she was once asked if she actually has hope for the future. “I have my greatest hope in the young people,” she said.  She remains hopeful for the future because of human intellect and spirit. She said humans are, “incredibly similar to chimpanzees but it’s the human brain that sets us apart.” Nature’s resiliency also gives Goodall hope for the future. She said, if given the chance to grow and rejuvenate, forests will begin to heal and endangered animals will reproduce. 

Goodall said there are ‘amazing, incredible people’ all over the world who are willing to make a difference.

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