ABU DHABI // Dr Jane Goodall is sitting on a bench, engaged in conversation, when suddenly a swarm of children line up, stretching papers and pencils in her direction.
“Hi, can I have an autograph?” a boy of about 10 asks. “‘To Sameer, with an e – two ‘e’s. And can I get one for my sister?”
“You know, I’m just doing an interview,” Dr Goodall says in her gentle, soft-spoken voice, as she signs her name on a blank piece of lined paper. “What’s her name?”
“Faryal,” the boy answers with delight. “F-a-r-y-a-l.”
Dr Goodall was in Abu Dhabi on Tuesday to meet about 100 children who are members of Roots & Shoots, an international programme of the Jane Goodall Institute that encourages youngsters to take on community projects that protect the environment and animals, strengthens social ties and promotes conservationism.
A pilot version of the programme began a year ago in the capital with five schools. Since then, more schools in Dubai and Al Ain have joined, expanding the number to 14.
Dr Goodall has been a household name since the 1960s when, as a young British woman, she moved to Tanzania to live among chimpanzees. Her decades-long work led to breakthrough discoveries, but she didn’t initially set out to be a scientist, she says.
“No, I wanted to write. I didn’t want to do science,” says Dr Goodall, who will be 82 in April and is the mother of one son and grandmother of three. “When I got out into the field, it was just my love of animals.”
The strong bonds she shares with animals go back to when she was a child.
“All my toys were animals of one sort of another. It was animals, animals, animals from the time I was born.”
As a child, she once took worms to bed with her to observe them.
Another time, she spent four hours hiding in a hen house for a chance to learn how hens lay eggs. She was also an avid reader.
“There was no TV growing up. I had no other options, I loved books.”
After reading The Voyages of Dr Dolittle when she was eight, she pretended with her friends that she could talk to the animals.
“But the real spark was when I was 10. I had saved up just enough money to buy Tarzan of the Apes. I fell in love with Tarzan and decided I would grow up, go to Africa, live with animals and write books about them.”
While others may have scoffed at her idea, Dr Goodall says she didn’t waver from her goals, thanks in part to the support she received from her mother.
Today, she tells children: “Push yourself towards what you love and hope other people encourage you.”
“That’s what my mum once told me, if you really want something – like I wanted to go to Africa and everybody else laughed at me, everybody except my mother, who said, ‘well then, you’re going to have to work really hard, take advantage of the opportunity and never give up.’ That’s what I did.” Julia Grifferty, 17, a pupil at the American Community School, says Dr Goodall’s message inspired her to launch a campaign to ban the sale of bottled water at her school.
The initiative, called Boot the Bottle, is expanding to more schools in the emirate.
“Our vision is we won’t stop, and like Jane Goodall says, you should never give up. You should have courage of your own conviction,” says Julia.
Debra Bufton, a service learning coordinator for the American School of Dubai, says Dr Goodall is “very inspiring” to the young children.
“I think this opportunity, they will go back and take this excitement and excite other students and other kids. I have no doubt that this will live in their memory for a lifetime.”rpennington@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
TO A LAND UNKNOWN
Director: Mahdi Fleifel
Starring: Mahmoud Bakri, Aram Sabbah, Mohammad Alsurafa
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Paatal Lok season two
Directors: Avinash Arun, Prosit Roy
Stars: Jaideep Ahlawat, Ishwak Singh, Lc Sekhose, Merenla Imsong
Rating: 4.5/5
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
- Riders must be 14-years-old or over
- Wear a protective helmet
- Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
- Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
- Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
- Do not drive outside designated lanes
Tearful appearance
Chancellor Rachel Reeves set markets on edge as she appeared visibly distraught in parliament on Wednesday.
Legislative setbacks for the government have blown a new hole in the budgetary calculations at a time when the deficit is stubbornly large and the economy is struggling to grow.
She appeared with Keir Starmer on Thursday and the pair embraced, but he had failed to give her his backing as she cried a day earlier.
A spokesman said her upset demeanour was due to a personal matter.
Labour dispute
The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.
- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law
Leaderboard
63 - Mike Lorenzo-Vera (FRA)
64 - Rory McIlroy (NIR)
66 - Jon Rahm (ESP)
67 - Tom Lewis (ENG), Tommy Fleetwood (ENG)
68 - Rafael Cabrera-Bello (ESP), Marcus Kinhult (SWE)
69 - Justin Rose (ENG), Thomas Detry (BEL), Francesco Molinari (ITA), Danny Willett (ENG), Li Haotong (CHN), Matthias Schwab (AUT)
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
Other workplace saving schemes
- The UAE government announced a retirement savings plan for private and free zone sector employees in 2023.
- Dubai’s savings retirement scheme for foreign employees working in the emirate’s government and public sector came into effect in 2022.
- National Bonds unveiled a Golden Pension Scheme in 2022 to help private-sector foreign employees with their financial planning.
- In April 2021, Hayah Insurance unveiled a workplace savings plan to help UAE employees save for their retirement.
- Lunate, an Abu Dhabi-based investment manager, has launched a fund that will allow UAE private companies to offer employees investment returns on end-of-service benefits.
Know before you go
- Jebel Akhdar is a two-hour drive from Muscat airport or a six-hour drive from Dubai. It’s impossible to visit by car unless you have a 4x4. Phone ahead to the hotel to arrange a transfer.
- If you’re driving, make sure your insurance covers Oman.
- By air: Budget airlines Air Arabia, Flydubai and SalamAir offer direct routes to Muscat from the UAE.
- Tourists from the Emirates (UAE nationals not included) must apply for an Omani visa online before arrival at evisa.rop.gov.om. The process typically takes several days.
- Flash floods are probable due to the terrain and a lack of drainage. Always check the weather before venturing into any canyons or other remote areas and identify a plan of escape that includes high ground, shelter and parking where your car won’t be overtaken by sudden downpours.
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre turbocharged four-cylinder
Transmission: Constant Variable (CVT)
Power: 141bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh64,500
On sale: Now
