Published on The Leakey Foundation Director’s Diary
by Sharal Camisa Smith for The Leakey Foundation –
When Jane Goodall was asked how she wanted to spend her 90th birthday, the trailblazing primatologist said, “With dogs.” It says a lot when the woman synonymous with chimpanzees, exclaims that dogs are her favorite animal. Jane Goodall has made that assertion in multiple interviews, and recently, her love of dogs was celebrated.
To honor Jane’s birthday wishes, the Wildlife Conservation Network organized a 90-Dog Salute. The four-legged festivities were held on March 23 at Carmel Beach in California. My 13-year-old dog, Honey Bee, was one of 90 dogs selected to salute the legend. We joked that in dog years, Honey Bee is older than Jane.
Jane was happy and relaxed that day on the beach, running along the water’s edge, throwing sticks into the waves, and offering pats and scratches to the dogs. The humans were in awe of the icon’s presence, but the dogs were just happy to spend the day getting the attention of a nice lady.
Photo: Dr. Jane Goodall surrounded by dogs and their people at a 90-dog salute in honor of Dr. Goodall’s 90th birthday. Photo by Greg Smith.
READ MORE HERE
