How did Jane survive in the Gombe forest?
When Jane was sent to Gombe, many people had doubts whether she would succeed. The risks in such a study were great. Would she be able to get close enough to the chimpanzees to make observations? Would the chimpanzees or some other wild animal attack her? What if she became sick? In fact, Jane spent many months without being able to observe the chimpanzees from nearby. But then she found a mountaintop, “the Peak,” where she could watch them through her binoculars. She would sometimes spend days on the Peak, bringing only some tins of food and coffee with her. She was patient, and took time to build up the chimps’ trust of her. When she observed chimpanzees making and using tools and eating meat, she knew others would see the importance of her work and that she would get the funding she needed to continue.
When Jane was sent to Gombe, many people had doubts about whether she would succeed. The risks in such a study were great. Would she be able to get close enough to the chimpanzees to make observations? Would the chimpanzees or some other wild animal attack her? What if she became sick? In fact, Jane spent many months without being able to observe the chimpanzees from nearby. But then she found a mountaintop, “the Peak,” where she could watch them through her binoculars. She would sometimes spend days on the Peak, bringing only some tins of food and coffee with her. She was patient, and took time to build up the chimps’ trust in her. When she observed chimpanzees making and using tools and eating meat, she knew others would see the importance of her work and give her funding.
