Dr. Goodall: The great apes have brains more like the human brain, so they can solve simple problems in the same kind of way we do. They're good at using tools. Maybe the most intelligent monkeys (I'm not sure, but I think) are the Capuchin from South America, so they're New World monkeys. A lot of monkeys are very clever too.
Ecojas: If we have a student that would like to become involved in studying a species of interest/intrigue to them, what advice would you give them about getting started in this day and age? I'm sure it would be much different than when you began your studies. What kind of dangers/obstacles might they encounter?
Dr. Goodall: Well first of all, there's more competition than when I began. Nobody did it when I began. So the most important advice is that you must really want to do this, you must work very hard, you must keep alert for opportunities, and never give up. We do have a list of schools on our website that offer the best opportunities.
Ecojas: I recently visited the Dallas Zoo, and witnessed a chimp playing what appeared to be a version of "peek-a-boo" with my mom and me. He seemed to have a real method to what he was doing. Is that possible?
Dr. Goodall: The answer, simply, is yes. They play hide and seek with each other as well. Some of the young adolescent males like to hide in thick vegetation, then leap out and startle passing individuals. They love playing tag around and around tree trunks.
Waldorf: What are you working on now in the realm of chimpanzees?
Dr. Goodall: The research team at Gombe is basically monitoring chimp behavior; in other words, maintaining the long term records that go back to 1960, following life histories of individuals and families. Different students come in with topics to study, such as use of medicinal leaves, feeding choices in pregnancy, female dominance and how it affects reproduction, intercommunity behavior. And we're closely following the development of our only surviving twins — Gremlin's daughters, Golden and Glitter.
Monkey Lover: Is there any way I could help in the United States?
Dr. Goodall: We desperately need members of the Jane Goodall Institute and as a member, you get the opportunity to become aware of all our different programs. You can become a guardian of a chimp, either in a sanctuary or Gombe, which means contributing money for their upkeep. Or you can start a Roots & Shoots group.
Waldorf: Do you think that chimps are equal to human beings in a spiritual sense? Is that where your connection to them comes from?
Dr. Goodall: Human beings have developed very, very sophisticated intellect. It enables us to question our existence, ask whether life has meaning, contemplate immortality. So our sense of the spirit and our understanding is probably greater. But if human beings have souls, which I believe, then I'm sure chimpanzees have souls. I do not think they ask themselves questions about the meaning of their lives. They do, however, have amazing displays or dances at the base of a magnificent waterfall. It seems triggered by wonder or awe, and if they had a spoken language, this might translate into one of the early mystic religions, to worship the elements.
