The funeral of British primatologist Jane Goodall, the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, was held on Wednesday at the Washington National Cathedral in the presence of family and friends such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who honored her with some emotional words. “Most people knew her as Jane Goodall, the icon, the legend, but Jane I was lucky to know She was kind, curious, funny, smart and absolutely unstoppable.“, he announced from the cathedral pulpit.
The actor, known for his advocacy for the environment and indigenous people since 1998 with the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation, recalled his friendship with Goodall, the trips, conferences and conversations they had, as well as their “shared hope” that future generations will be better. “Jane was always guided by hope, and never gave in to despair. He added: “He focused on what can be done, and reminded us that change begins with empathy and that our humanity is our greatest tool.”
Born in London in 1934 in Goodall She was a pioneer in the study of chimpanzees in the wild, He discovered patterns of behavior and unknown abilities in his research, to which he devoted more than 60 years of his life. The primatologist was in California as part of her US speaking tour when she died on October 1 at the age of 91 of natural causes.
Members of the Jane Goodall Institute also spoke at the funeral, such as its executive director, Anna Rathmann, and one of the conservationist’s descendants, Merlin van Lawick. “I promise I will use my intelligent human mind to find solutions that allow us to do this Develop in harmony with natureVan Lawick said, referring to his grandmother.
The ceremony was held at the Washington National Cathedral, a temple that welcomes all religious denominations, and was presided over by Bishop Marian Bode. The cathedral was the scene of official funerals for former US presidents, the most recent of which was the funeral of Jimmy Carter, in January. On the steps of the temple, About twenty therapy dogs symbolically received the urn containing Goodall’s ashes He provided comfort to those present.
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