Goodall had expressed immense interest in animals from a young age. At the same time, her family played an integral role in shaping her curiosity and interest towards animals.
When she was just over one year old, her father gave her a toy Chimpanzee in honour of a baby Chimpanzee born at the London Zoo. Friends warned her parents that such a gift will cause nightmares for a child. However, Goodall loved the toy and named the toy Jubilee, carrying it with her everywhere, where it still remains on a chair in her home in England today. Another cherished toy was a toy monkey given by her father’s friend, Gary Hahn, whom she named Mr H.
Young Jane Goodall loved animals, books, and books about animals.
At the age of four and a half, Goodall habituated a pig after seven long days of holding out apple cores to gain the trust of the pig. The pig eventually accepted her presence and took the apples from her hand. One day, Goodall hid for hours in a henhouse to learn how hens laid eggs, unaware that her family was frantically searching for her. Upon Goodall’s return to the house, Goodall’s mother saw how excited she was and instead of scolding her, sat down and listened to her story about how hens laid eggs.
At the age of 10, Goodall discovered Tarzan in the books and fell in love with him. She had been furious and jealous when he married the other Jane. From then on, Goodall dreamt of going to Africa to live with animals and write books about them. Back then, Africa was a dark continent filled with danger. Her family was not wealthy, World War II was raging, and Goodall’s dream was unconventional and looked down upon by society for a girl at that time. Goodall’s family could not afford to pay for her university education, and it was her mum who suggested for her to do a secretarial course instead before trying to get a job in Africa when the opportunity rose.
Goodall’s mother educated her with the childhood philosophy: “If you really want something, you work hard. You take advantage of opportunity and you never give up. You will find a way.” – Jane Goodall’s interview with Bill Moyers on Bill Moyers Journal (Nov 27, 2009)