The Chimpanzee- The Living Link Between Man And Beast By Jane Goodall Book Review Example

Jane Goodall is a famous anthropologist who has spent 30 years of her life in the research of Gombe chimpanzee. She was a nature lover from her childhood and with time she excelled her knowledge in the field and traveled around the globe to give lectures about chimpanzee and environment. Goodall has also established an institute which promotes research and knowledge about chimpanzees and also provides guidelines about ways to protect these animals. Goodall has written numerous popular biology books among which ‘the chimpanzee- the living link between man and the beast’ has attracted an avid number of readers. The book was published in 1992 and contains 64 pages.
The story of the book revolves around chimpanzees, and it gives a detailed insight to readers about the behavior patterns of the animal. Goodall has clearly mentioned the similarities of a chimpanzee with human beings and according to the author, the biological difference between man and chimpanzee is just 1 percent. By reading the book, one can fully understand how these animals develop psychological, political and social relationship with one another.
Among the stories and experiences mentioned in the book, there is an inspiring story about Wounda, a wounded chimpanzee who was on the verge of death and at that point; Goodall gave refuge to the animal and took care of her in the institute after which she returned to normal life.
The incident took place in the republic of Congo, and when Wounda was found, she was weak and suffered from numerous illnesses. If she hadn't received proper care at that time, she would have died. Goodall took Wounda in her institute namely Jane Goodall’s institute and the caregivers gave her one-liter milk daily and after proper medication and care; they noticed fast recovery in the animal.
The institute in Congo is established since 20 years, and the main aim of Jane was to provide refuge and care to all the victim chimpanzee of the area. The Congolese government also provided their support to Goodall and gave Tchindzoulou Island as a new space for chimpanzees. The island proved to be a magical place for the animals with dense trees filled with delicious fruits. Numerous chimpanzees are facilitated in the area, and as they mature, they are released to live a free and normal life. Moreover, Jane had made sure that the environment inside the institute provides a natural feel to all the animals in the institute.
When Wounda successfully recovered from her illness, she was carried in a crate to be freed to live a normal life. Jane kept her hand on the crate in the whole time of journey to comfort Wounda and gave her feeling of affection and love. When the people reached the destination, they opened the crate of Wounda to allow her to go but she sat on top of the crate near her caregivers and carefully observed the nearby location. Before leaving she hugged Jane tightly and without a word it continued for several minutes. The warmth and tenderness in the hug clearly expressed Wounda’s feelings and with a subtle goodbye; Wounda headed her way towards the island delightfully. The emotional exchange between the chimpanzee and Jane clearly expressed her closeness to humans.
The book is a must read for all people as it brings the reader closer to nature and gives deep knowledge about chimpanzees and their closeness to humans in all aspects.