Jane Morris Goodall is currently 84 years old, she was born on April the 3rd 1934 in London. Her parents divorced when she was very young and after that, her father became a distant figure in her life. Jane’s mother was a big influence for her, she encouraged Jane to follow her dreams and she accompanied Jane in her first trip to Africa.

From an early age, she dreamed of traveling to Africa to observe exotic animals in their natural habitats. In her free time she observed animals, made sketches and took notes about them, and read about zoology and ethology.

Jane attended a private school until 1952, when she received her higher certificate. She couldn’t afford going to University so she began to work as a secretary at Oxford University, in her spare time she also worked at a film-making company to finance a trip to Africa. Years later, Jane was accepted in Cambridge University, where she graduated in 1966 obtaining a PhD in ethology and becoming Dr.Jane Goodall.

In 1962, a Dutch wildlife filmmaker named Baron Hugo van Lawick, was sent to Africa to film Jane’s work. The couple fell in love and got married in March 1964. In 1967, she gave birth to her only child, Hugo Eric Louis. Jane divorced Hugo in 1974, and then married Derek Bryceson, a member of Tanzania's parliament and director of its national parks. He died from cancer in 1980.

Jane now dedicates her time to the Jane Goodall Institute, traveling on average 300 days per year around the world giving speeches and lectures.