My Life with the Chimpanzees

Book excerpt: Jane Goodall's adventures with the chimpanzees and the important discoveries she has made about them have gained her worldwide recognition. Now she tells her exciting story in her own words! When Jane Goodall was twenty-six years old, she ventured into the forests of Africa to observe chimps in the wild. On her expeditions she braved the dangers of the jungle and survived encounters with leopards and lions in the African bush. And she got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees - intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own. Jane Goodall has also written the bestseller In the Shadow of Man and The Chimpanzee Family Book. In 1977, she established the Jane Goodall Institute for Wildlife Research, Education, and Conservation to promote animal research throughout the world. SUMMARY: A DREAM COME TRUE From the time she was a girl, Jane Goodall dreamed of a life spent working with animals. Finally she had her wish. When she was twenty-six years old, she ventured into the forests of Africa to observe chimpanzees in the wild. On her expeditions she braved the dangers of the jungle and survived encounters with leopards and lions in the African bush. And she got to know an amazing group of wild chimpanzees — intelligent animals whose lives, in work and play and family relationships, bear a surprising resemblance to our own. Jane Goodall's adventures with the chimps and the important discoveries she has made about them have gained her worldwide recognition. Now she tells her exciting story in her own words.