iconic primatologist jane goodall She changed the way the world viewed chimpanzees, but it was dogs that had the biggest impact on her.
The pioneering scientist's years of research, which began in Tanzania in 1960, have won international acclaim and played a pivotal role in global research. Understanding animal intelligence.
However, Goodall, who is now 89 years old, said in an interview with the New York Times She announced Wednesday that she recalled a time in her career when a powerful scientific authority told her she „did everything wrong.“
She recalled being told, „Chimpanzees shouldn't have names, they should have numbers.“ I can't speak to their personalities. You can't talk about them having brains that can solve problems. And you certainly can't talk about them having feelings. ”
It was memories of her childhood dog, Rusty, that convinced her that her critics were wrong.
„When I was a kid, my dog Rusty told me that that was totally wrong,“ she said. „Shit. Garbage.“
![Jane Goodall in 2022.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6608301e250000330094581d.jpeg?cache=sarSmlanaZ&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
![Jane Goodall in 2022.](https://img.huffingtonpost.com/asset/6608301e250000330094581d.jpeg?cache=sarSmlanaZ&ops=scalefit_720_noupscale)
Tommy Martino/Associated Press
Rusty was a neighborhood dog who belonged to a nearby hotel, but he often came over to her family's house and spent most of his time with them.
It was as if the dog had been „sent“ to her by a higher power, she said, recalling, „Rusty, I've never known a dog like him.“
But she admitted that „any dog“ would have made the same impression.
„We all know that (dogs) can be happy, sad, and scared, and that they are highly intelligent,“ she said.
Goodall has spoken out about Rusty in the past, and her recent remarks echo similar comments she has made about what people can learn from their relationships with animals in their lives.
„I can't share my life in any meaningful way with dogs, cats, rabbits, rats, birds, horses, or pigs. I don't care, and I don't think they have feelings like us. They also have brains that can sometimes solve problems,” she says. told Vox in a 2021 interview..
Although she is best known for her work with chimpanzees, the primatologist has never been shy about revealing which animals she really loves.
„My favorite animal is just a dog,“ she said. said in a 2015 video Published by the Jane Goodall Institute. „Dogs have taught me so much, and they're so loyal and give me such unconditional love that I don't want to imagine a world without them.“