Roots & Shoots

Jane Goodall is famous not only for her work with chimpanzees but also for her effort nature. Here, Ken interviews her about her life and work.

Ken: Dr. Goodall, thank you for time for this interview. I know that you spent many years chimpanzees in Africa. When did you first decide to Africa?

Jane: It was after I read the Doctor Dolittle and the Tarzan books. When I was 11, I knew that somehow I would go to Africa with animals, them, and books about them.

Ken: I'm sure there are lots of young people 関??? want with animals someday. How can they prepare themselves?

Jane: There are a lot of things you can do in order animals. It is very important 構??? you watch them and observe their behavior. It is also important that you write notes and ask questions. If you are really determined, you’ll have to work really hard. Take advantage of every opportunity, and don’t give up.

Ken: You did a lot of fieldwork, chimpanzees in the wild. Are they in any way like humans?

Jane: Chimps and humans have a lot in common, 98.6 percent of DNA. Their brains are very much like ours and much of their behavior is like ours. The members of a chimp family are very close, often one another. They can feel sad, happy, afraid, and angry.

Jane: The males sometimes attack chimps from another community their territories. But they can be very kind and loving too. Once, when he was about three years old, a chimp Mel lost his mother and was left alone. We all thought he’d die. But, to our surprise, a 12-year-old male chimp Spindle took care of him.

Jane: Mel 構??? ride on his back and share his nest at night. He shared his food if Mel asked for it. Chimps can indeed be loving and caring.

Ken: You travel all over the world, talks about the conservation of nature. Do you have any comment?

Jane: Yes, we humans must understand that wild animals have the right . They need wild places. Besides, there are some kinds of living things 関??? we must not destroy. Many drugs for human diseases come from plants and insects. When we destroy a wild area, maybe we are destroying the cure for cancer without it.

Jane: Everything in nature is connected. Plants and animals make up a whole pattern of life. If we destroy that pattern, all kinds of things can go wrong.

Jane: One time in England, rabbits were destroying farmers’ grain. The farmers killed the rabbits. Then foxes didn’t have enough to eat and they started the farmers’ chickens. The farmers then killed the foxes, and rats quickly increased in number and destroyed just 構??? much grain as the rabbits had eaten. We humans are in danger of our environment and ourselves along with it.

Ken: Are you worried about our future?

Jane: Yes, I am. But my hope lies in young people. That’s why I started Roots & Shoots. It began with a group of high school students in Tanzania in 1991. It is called Roots & Shoots because roots can work their way through rocks water. And shoots can break through a wall the sunlight. The rocks and wall are the problems 関??? humans have caused to our earth.

Jane: We now have groups all over the world and each group chooses three projects: one people, one animals, one the environment. The world is a better place when a sad person smiles at you, when a dog wags its tail for you, or when you give water to a thirsty plant. That’s 関??? Roots & Shoots is all about.

Jane: People should think about the consequences of the little choices they make each day. What ? What ? What ? You are just one person, but 関??? you do affects the whole world. The changes you make may be small, but if a thousand, then a million, finally a billion people all make those changes, this is going to make a big difference.