Legendary conservationist talks about love of
animals and 'Chimpanzee'
MSN Movies
Disney joined forces with the world's foremost conservationist and authority
on chimpanzees, Dr. Jane Goodall, in spreading the word about conservation and
the life of chimpanzees through the documentary "Chimpanzee." As we took part in the world premiere
of the film, Dr. Goodall discussed what inspired her as a child and what we can
do to take part in the movement for a better Earth.
MSN Movies: How proud are you of "Chimpanzee"?
Dr. Jane Goodall: It's absolutely fantastic. The crew, the sound, the effort
they put into it is stunning, and the story that unfolded is magical. If Disney
had planned it, they couldn't have planned such an extraordinary story.
How rare is it for a male chimpanzee to adopt a baby chimpanzee in
the wild?
We've had brothers adopt their siblings, we've had one 12-year-old adopt an
unrelated infant and over all these 52 years, I've heard of just one other story
of an alpha male adopting an infant. It's very, very rare.
When did your first love for chimpanzees start?
I wanted to go to Africa when I was 10, and that was because of "Tarzan."
That was when I decided I wanted to go to Africa, live with animals and write
books about them.
When you watched the film, were you surprised with Freddy the
alpha-male chimpanzee adopting Oscar the infant chimpanzee?
When I first heard about it, yes, everybody was surprised. The fact that them
filming was wasted because without a mother he would die. (Note: The film was
based on the mother and Oscar, however when she died, the filmmakers thought
what they filmed up to that point would go to waste). Then they find this second
dramatic story unfolding; it's really amazing.
What do you think is the biggest misconception about
chimpanzees?
That they are nice, cute and sweet. That they make wonderful pets. I think
those are the worst misconceptions.
Do you think we are moving toward the right direction when it comes
to being more aware about our planet, or have we lost our way even more so than
ever?
Many people are becoming so much more aware now than ever, that's for sure.
The problem is the awareness isn't necessarily leading the behavior change.
People admit that human activities have caused planet change. I know there is a
whole movement that's fueled by money. The reason I'm so passionate about our
youth program Roots and Shoots is we have to raise a new generation.
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