Under Leakey’s guidance, Jane Goodall first traveled to Tanzania in 1960 at the age of 26. While Goodall had spent months tracking the elusive Chimpanzee troops and observing their daily habits, her attempts to get a closer look into their society failed as the Chimpanzees fled from her in fear. Despite this, Goodall persevered and stayed near the Chimpanzee troops as much as she could. Eventually, she managed to gain the trust of David Greybeard, one of her favourite Chimpanzees till today, and was rewarded with acceptance by the Chimpanzees at Gombe.

Jane describes her magical first encounter with David Greybeard:

“And I picked up this red palm nut and held it out on my palm. And he turned his face away. So, I held my palm closer, and then he turned; he looked directly into my eyes. He reached out– hold out your hand with a nut on it. He took it. He didn’t want it. He dropped it. But at the same time, he very gently squeezed my fingers, which is how a chimp reassures. So, there was this communication. He understood that I was acting in good faith. He didn’t want it, but he wanted me to reassure me that he understood.” – Jane Goodall’s interview with Bill Moyers on Bill Moyers Journal (Nov 27, 2009)

---

Check out where Goodall lived back then in Gombe!