On Wednesday, Earth lost one of the most beloved heroes, Dr. Jane Goodall, who passed away at the age of 91. She was a renowned primatologist who devoted herself to a lifetime of advocacy and rediscovery of the natural world. At the time of her passing, Dr. Goodall was actively advocating in Pasadena, California. After a message she had pre-recorded was shared, it became her final plea to humanity.
A lifetime of humanitarian advocacy and impact
Dr. Jane Goodall was a visionary scientist and true friend to the planet. Her revolutionary career began in 1960 at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream National Park, where she refined our understanding of nature, most especially the primate kingdom. Through her hard work, we were able to uncover social and emotional traits long disputed within the animal kingdom.
Her most celebrated work with the chimpanzees helped redefine old assumptions about the primate world, breaching the communication gap between us humans and primates. Decades later, she grew from a naive researcher to a world-renowned activist for environmental and wildlife protection.
Dr. Goodall later went on to become the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) and the UN Messenger of Peace. Earlier in March, she filmed an Interview with Netflix, understood to be her final message to the world on her passing. This message was displayed in her stead at her event in Pasadena, California.
Dr. Jane Goodall’s final appeal to humanity
In solemn respect, Eric McCombs, a member of the Jane Goodall Institute, announced the news of her death to over 1,000 audience members. Then her pre-recorded message was played, in which she shared her final thoughts concerning the planet, the environment, and the role we play as the most intellectual creatures on Earth.
Her message was an urgent plea for humanity, resonating with a mix of hope, sorrow, and concern for our only home, Earth. She begins her message by reminding us that we are part and one with nature, and the choices we make or don’t become apparent throughout our lifetime, just like this warning of an unseen event by NASA.
Dr. Goodall reflected on her life and career, striving to make the world livable for animals and humans alike. But most of all, she emphasized her hope for the future of our ecosystem. She argued that if we truly lived to our potential as intelligent creatures, we would not destroy it, but make every deliberate plan to make it livable.
Why does her message matter to us today?
Now more than ever, the final words of Dr Jane Goodall matter to us for many reasons. At the time of her death, research scientists had released a consistent record of devastating disasters around the world. These include rising heat waves, raging storms, earthquakes, and floods.
According to her, these records show an exponential rise in the destruction of our planet, and her worry as a witness to this decay. Not only do these disasters affect our livelihood, but they have also led to an increase in the extinction of primate life.
Her hope and expectation from humanity
The parting message of Dr Jane Goodall stands as both an invitation and a challenge for the human race. She believes that if we truly are the most intelligent creatures on the planet, our actions should reflect it. This means the way we live, the choices we make, and more especially how we produce and consume, should separate us from the rest of the lower primates.
The simple choices we make as humans play a long role in our ecological habitat. We should then take our position seriously and make conscious efforts to care for the planet. Doing this not only strengthens our fragile world but also extends towards the rest of its natural inhabitants, like this forest hiding Earth’s oldest creature.
