(NewsNation) — Author and journalist David Quammen believes animal researcher Jane Goodall fought against injustice with consistent “goodness, kindness and gentleness.”
Quammen joined “Elizabeth Vargas Reports” to discuss Goodall’s legacy after she died Wednesday aged 91.
“What I learned from her is the way that strength can be combined with with with love and gentleness for other creatures, other forms of life, in addition to humans,” he told NewsNation.
Quammen traveled deep into the jungles in the Congo with Goodall more than two decades ago.
“We slogged for eight miles through through swamp and forest. She was 68 at the time; she said, ‘What are you guys doing? I haven’t walked this far in 10 years.’
“Then we set up camp and sat down around a campfire, and she pulled out a bottle of high quality single malt scotch. So we sat around the campfire with Jane and enjoyed this good single malt scotch. She liked a wee dram.”
Goodall developed a world-famous reputation for her work with chimpanzees, one which Quammen believes allowed the world to see through her eyes that they were “not to be simply anthropomorphized, they were to be appreciated for what they were.
“She died with her boots on. She died unafraid to die. She was not a person who was concerned about herself. She was concerned about her journey about learning,” Quammen added.