Animals have been loved ever since humans existed. In Homer's Odyssey, Odysseus's dog was the only one to recognize him. Ancient Egyptians worshiped Bastet, who was the goddess of cats and other felines. But what about the chimpanzees? They have been majorly underrepresented both in literature and scientific research. In fact, most of the facts known about them are actually incorrect. This was until Dr Jane Goodall, an English primatologist and anthropologist, shared her research with the world. Today, she is considered the world's foremost expert on chimpanzees, after 60 years of studying the social interactions of wild chimpanzees. Goodall's research revolutionized contemporary knowledge of chimpanzee behavior. Before her discoveries, chimpanzees were thought to be herbivores, meaning that they did not eat meat.…show more content… She also challenged the belief that only humans could construct and use tools when she saw a chimpanzee repeatedly "fish" for termites. In response to Goodall's discoveries, palaeoanthropologist Louis Leakley wrote "We must now redefine man, redefine tool, or accept chimpanzees as human!". What set Goodall apart from other researchers of her time was the fact that she saw chimpanzees as animals rather than test subjects. She gave names to the animals in her studies instead of assigning them a number, like scientific methods at the time required her to do so. This allowed her to develop a close bond with the chimpanzees, leading her to discover that humans and chimpanzees are more alike than previously thought. She found that chimpanzees had personalities and were capable of rational thoughts and emotions, just like humans. She also observed behaviors such as hugs, kisses, pats on the back and even tickling in chimpanzees, all of which were considered "human actions" before. Goodall's journey was in no way a simple
