In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall

The book, In the Shadow of Man by Jane Goodall, tells the story of a scientific adventure in the Gombe Stream Reserve in Africa about the lives of chimpanzees. Goodall narrates the story discussing how over the course of the years she had to gain the chimps trust as they had to gain hers in order to carry out her research. Throughout the story Goodall discussed the lives of the chimps giving them names and making them become true characters of the book. Towards the end you were able to develop your own opinion about each of their personalities becoming more familiar with each of the chimps.

In the first few chapters Goodall speaks about how she got to Africa from England. To get to Gombe Stream Reserve to observe the chimpanzee, Goodall had to look for someone that believed in her enough to give her funds for her stay at the Gombe. She details her first observations which took a lot since the chimps were just beginning to get used to her. She woke up early in the mornings put on her same dull clothing and off she went with her notebook and pen to observe. Every time she got close to the chimps they ran away frightened. After months there at the Gombe for the first time she was able to approach a chimp. The first chimpanzee that allowed Goodall to approach him without running was David Greybeard. There were also many other chimps that we got to meet through the stories that Goodall will share about them. Some were Mike, Goliath, Mr. McGregor, Flo. Faben, Figan, Fifi, Flint and much more.

The relationship that Goodall established with the chimps was seen to be strong when Goodall left Africa for the first time from being there. She had to go back to England to continue studying in Cambridge and to convince her sponsors that it was worth continuing the research. When Goodall returned to the camp in the Gombe she was told by the cook Dominic, and Vanne, another researcher who had accompanied her in the studies, how David Greybeard had paid a visit to the camp. Later on in the book Goodall was joined by Hugo Van Lawick to film and take pictures of the chimps for the National Geographic Society. Also in the book we are told about how Lawick and Goodall fall in love, get married and become parents. Goodall and Lawick created feeding stations near the camp, where they put out bananas in order to attract the chimps.

The second time that Goodall left to Cambridge for another semester and came back a new baby was added the Flo family which were very important throughout Goodall's research. This family was made up of the old female mother named, Flo, who was also very attractive, the eldest son Faben, the second oldest, Figan, the only girl, Fifi and the new addtion to the family Flint, who became a brat when another child was born, little Flame, also a girl. Throughout the years that take place in the story Goodall tells us about how this family grew and how they took care of each other. One of the interesting things about this chimp family was when the mother, Flo, had Flint. Fifi, the only girl and youngest until now, wouldn't separate from her mother and newborn baby brother. She continually tried to touch him and show affection towards him. Flo would move Flint away trying to avoid Fifi but she wouldn't give up and Flo began to tolerate her. Eventually Flo permitted Fifi to touch and play with Flint and even take him with her. When Fifi took Flint she would protect him from everyone and everything just like her mother did. Through this family we see lots of similarities with human families as well as differences. One of these differences is the fact that there isn't model for the male offspring because when the female chimp becomes sexually attractive it mates with a number of chimps. Therefore it is impossible to know who is the father of the offspring.

Another interesting thing that Goodall discussed was the hierarchy between the chimpanzees' community. At first the dominant adult male was Goliath but when Goodall left to Cambrige once more for another semester and came back, she was told of the changes that were made. Flo still remained to be the dominant adult female of the chimps but Mike, who once had been one of the quiet and submissive ones, rose and took Goliath's place becoming the dominant adult male among the chimp community. Goodall was told that he gained this place by the fits it through with some kerosene cans. These tools were what eventually made him threaten the other chimps and gained him the place. Goodall says that these manmade tools showed his intelligence which was threatening g to the others.

Goodall became very attached to all the chimps. She even went through the disease polio which affected the Gombe and infected fifteen chimps. Out all these chimps six died. One of the chimpanzees that suffered the most was Mr. McGregor. Polio paralyzed his legs and for a while he was suffering moving around with his hands. He had to eat from food that he could find on the floor or on bushes. Also he was always covered in flies because he lost the use of the sphincter muscle of his bladder. One day Mr. McGregor was found dead and Goodall together with her husband, Hugo made sure the chimps didn't see his dead body. After a few days some of the chimps noticed his absence.

This book relates to science because it is the study of chimpanzees relation to humans. Throughout Jane Goodall's research she came to many conclusions that related the chimps to humans. It also has been scientifically proven that the brain of a chimpanzee is most closely related to a humans than a gorilla. The studies that Goodall did in the Gombe Stream Reserve got scientists a step closer to how humans may have evolved. Overall In the Shadow of Man is a great story that reveals a lot of information for anyone interested in the lives of chimpanzees and their similarities to humans.