“I knew what I witnessed amongst the chimpanzees would startle science. Putting it all together it has changed the way we view animals and ourselves.”

Ground-breaking and world-renowned primatologist Dr Jane Goodall, is now on a Christmas mission to raise funds for her sanctuary in the Congo which cares for more than 150 orphaned chimpanzees.

The Bournemouth resident rose to fame after her landmark study of chimpanzee behaviour in Tanzania and then established the Jane Goodall Institute which continues her innovative research. Jane and her dedicated team are hoping to raise £5,000 to buy new insulators for the fences at Tchimpounga rehabilitation centre and other items including baby formula, life jackets, kayaks and kit for the eco-guards.

She said: “We give traumatised chimpanzees who are often close to death a second chance at a happy life and we also try to improve the lives of the people in the surrounding area. At the moment we are looking after around 160 orphans from the bush meat trade.”

After more than 50 years of working alongside chimpanzees you could be forgiven for thinking they were the scientist’s favourite, but it’s actually dogs which have always occupied a special place in Jane’s heart.

“I learnt from my dog and childhood companion Rusty that all animals have feelings and personalities. This is why I gave the chimps names instead of numbers and made observations about their vastly different personalities.”

This unconventional method was initially baulked at by the experts of the day, but her special relationship with David Greybeard allowed her to become accepted into the family of wild chimpanzees in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.

“It’s all about the patience. Once David Greybeard lost the fear the others relaxed and I was able to work more closely with the whole group.

“I had no training whatsoever, so I just went about things the way I thought was right and I still think it was the best approach.

“It was viewed by scientists at the time as rubbish.”

Initially inspired to work with animals in Africa after watching iconic films, Tarzan and The Jungle Book, Jane headed out to Tanzania at the age of 23 after being invited there by a friend.

“It was exactly how I expected it to be. I had to spend around five months working after the war to try and save up the money for the fare.”

At her Bournemouth family home, The Birches, the world-celebrated anthropologist is a picture of serenity and a joy as she reminisces about her first trip to the highlands of Kenya and her return to work alongside Louis Leakey in Olduvai Gorge.

She is also keen to talk about her education programme, Roots & Shoots which provides young people with the knowledge, tools and inspiration to improve the environment and the quality of life for people and animals.

“Imagine that the brick walls are all the problems we have inflicted on our planet. Hundreds of thousands of roots and shoots, hundreds of thousands of young people around the world, can break through these walls. We can change the world.”

With her 80th birthday approaching, the conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace also has a new book, Seeds of Hope, ready for release.

Long before her work with chimpanzees, Goodall's passion for the natural world sprouted in the backyard of her childhood home in Bournemouth, where she climbed her beech tree and made elderberry wine with her grandmother.

Seeds of Hope takes the reader on a journey from England to the Goombe forest in Africa where she and the chimpanzees are enchanted by the fig and plum trees they encounter.

Looking at the world as an adventurer, scientist, and devotee of sustainable foods and gardening, Jane delivers an enlightening story of the wonders we can find in our own backyards.

  • For more on the appeal, visit janegoodall.org

Dr Goodall’s Christmas shopping list

Sanctuary

  • £20 – Baby formula for one infant chimpanzee for a week
  • £35 – Fresh food for an adult chimpanzee for a week
  • £65 – Life jacket
  • £70 – Infant formula for one chimpanzee for a month
  • £500 – 1,000kgs of Bananas
  • £520 – Two-person Kayak
  • £700 – Fresh food for an infant chimpanzee for a year
  • £1,710 – Paddle boards

Reserve

  • £170 – Binoculars for ecoguard
  • £350 – Kit for ecoguard (uniform, raingear, tent, backpack)

Education

  • £35 – One lesson for 200 students
  • £170 – Emergency kit for female students in a school (scholastic materials, underwear, sanitary items)
  • £350 – Permanent billboard for raising awareness on protecting chimpanzees in Congo
  • £700 – Scholastic materials for a classroom of 30+ students in neighbouring communities