How Jane Goodall changed the way humans see animals

Jane Goodall has spent half a century watching chimpanzees. Here's how she changed our connection to the animal kingdom...

Transcript

00:00What the chimpanzees helped me to do was to persuade science back in the early 60s that

00:11there wasn't, after all, a major gap between us and all the other animals.

00:18The first time I saw David Greybeard using and making tools to fish for termites was

00:27the turning point in my career.

00:42I suppose the main thing that we take away from being with chimpanzees for so long is

00:49just how like us they are.

00:52Their non-verbal communication is the same as ours really, kissing, embracing, holding

00:57hands, patting one another, competing for dominance, swaggering, looking like a lot

01:03of male politicians I know, humans, and long-term relationships between mothers and their offspring.

01:12The fact that like us they can be violent and even engage in a sort of primitive warfare,

01:18they can kill each other, but at the same time, just like us, they can be loving, kind,

01:23and truly altruistic.

01:25So because they're so like us biologically, our closest living relatives, and because

01:30my husband's film showed chimpanzees using tools and behaving in the way that I'd said,

01:39scientists had to finally agree that we are part of and not separated from the rest of

01:45the animal kingdom.

01:56The old golden rule which applies to every single major religion, do to others as you

02:01would have them do to you.

02:02So once you realize that an animal feels pain, is an individual, then you should know how

02:11you should treat them, and then you can learn about them.

02:15There's an awful lot of information out there now.

02:18That's an answer that depends on what sort of animal you're talking about, what country

02:22it's in.

02:23Right now, there are estimated 7.8 billion people on the planet, and I can't remember

02:30the billions of their livestock, cows, pigs, poultry, and so on.

02:35And already, as I've said, we're using up natural resources so fast in some places.

02:41In 2050, there's an estimated closer to 10 billion of us.

02:47So if we carry on with business as usual, if we don't find a way of lessening our impact

02:53on the natural world, what will that world be like with 10 billion of us?

03:00It won't be livable, will it?

03:02It will really change all life on the planet and probably cause most species to become

03:10extinct, including us, because we are part of this natural world.

03:16We can't live without it.

03:17We depend on it for food, for water, for clothing, for clean air, clean water.

03:24If we're using up nature faster than nature can replenish herself, the time will come

03:30when there's nothing left.

03:32And so we need to find a balance.