Reading Comprehension: Making Contact

We know that some animals understand basic instructions, allowing travellers to control their horses or camels, for example. But although some of the more intelligent animals can figure out what we want them to do, we have long assumed that communication with – and between – animals must be limited. However, thanks to the work done by the naturalist Jane Goodall since the 1960s, we should take the possibility seriously that some animals can both take in what we are saying and get across complex ideas.

As a child, Jane loved reading books about a fictional character called Dr Dolittle, who could talk to animals. Perhaps this is what inspired her to go to Africa when she was in her 20s. Here she came across a scientist who asked Jane if she might want a job observing chimpanzees in the wild. She immediately said yes. She went with her mother to the shores of Lake Tanganyika in Tanzania to start her new job, and it was not long before she made out a group of chimpanzees in the trees around an area now called the Gombe Stream National Park.

How could a young English woman with no scientific training possibly make contact with a group of wild chimpanzees? At first, the animals ran away as soon as they saw her. But maybe because she knew very little about these wild animals, it is highly likely that her calmness gained their trust. It was only later that Jane would learn how dangerous they could be. She saw that different groups of chimpanzees had battles in which they tried to wipe out the rival group. But before this, her studies showed her that the chimpanzees could clearly communicate, allowing them to groom and help each other, share food as well as have arguments. Jane pointed out that the animals couldn't communicate using language like people, but they could communicate by touch and sound. Amazingly, she also realised they could use sign language.

At this time, people believed that only humans could use tools, but Jane watched chimpanzees using sticks to take ants from a tree, and then used the sticks to feed the ants to their young. Through her work, Jane spelled out to the scientific community for the first time that animals, too, could use tools.

Jane went on to write a number of books about her work. As well as explaining chimpanzees' highly developed social behaviour, she taught us that they are omnivores (people used to think they were vegetarian). In 2002, she became a UN Messenger for Peace.

In my opinion, Jane Goodall brought about a complete change in the way people understood how animals can communicate. Since her work in Tanzania, naturalists have continued to study different forms of communication between animals such as whales and elephants, who can pick up sounds made by other whales and elephants over large distances. I feel that we may well learn even more about animal communication in the future.