By Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, Executive Director

It has taken me a couple days to gather my thoughts… I do not remember not knowing about Jane. Photographs in National Geographic and television documentaries of her with Gombe Stream chimpanzees fascinated me as a child. When I grew up, I wanted to be Jane Goodall (and oh by the way, until then, could I be her child Grub, who got to live in the field with her amongst the chimpanzees?) — I too wanted to study wild animals, and Jane made that seem eminently achievable. When I was 21, my parents gave me ‘The Chimpanzees of Gombe’ for Christmas. When I had the good fortune of meeting her a few decades later, she signed the book with: “Follow your heart”. When Jane Goodall tells you to do something, you do it!

Of course, her groundbreaking research on the behavior and sociobiology of chimpanzees has always given her a special place in Gorilla Doctors’ hearts: she inspired the world to appreciate the fascinating lives of wild great apes, and in so doing, we can trace a direct line between her work at Gombe Stream to the existence of Gorilla Doctors today.

Reflecting on Jane Goodall’s life — a life so well lived — I am overwhelmed by how simply she embodied the truth that our wellness, our minds, and our lives are intrinsically intertwined with the wellness, the minds and the lives of animals with which we share this planet. She exemplified our absolute responsibility to steward ourselves and the natural world in ways that achieve environmental sustainability and biodiversity.

Sadly, we now live in a world where Jane’s deep and abiding devotion to all life is no longer a physical force for us to revere. She dared us all to believe that a love of animals could change the world. She challenged us to remain hopeful, even in the face of overwhelming challenges. Her legacy lives in each one of us. Every single choice we make — when made from a place of hope, love, kindness, and generosity of spirit — carries forward Jane’s message and purpose.

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