To London Zoo (or the Zoological Society of London, as they seem to prefer), for a talk by one of the world’s most famous primatologists, Dr Jane Goodall, DBE.  2010 will be the 50th anniversary of her ground-breaking research into chimpanzee behaviour – our closest cousins in terms of DNA.

She now spends a lot of her life travelling to spread the word about caring for our planet, its peoples and its many varieties of wildlife.  A main project is Roots and Shoots (www.rootsnshoots.org.uk) and its aims are commendable.

Stanley Johnson, father of Boris, was on fine form as he compered the Q&A session, as was the BBC’s John Simpson – both trustees of the Jane Goodall Institute.  Simpson admitted to having fallen in love with Dr Goodall when he read the first article on her work many years ago.  He carried the cutting, from the Sunday Times magazine, in his wallet for many years.

Dr Goodall’s talk and her ready fund of tales about her surrogate family were hugely inspirational and left many of the audience visibly moved.  We were but 150 strong (the previous day, Dr Goodall had addressed 20,000 Rotarians in Birmingham) and were privileged to be able to speak to Dr Goodall individually, and to have our photographs taken with her.

Baobab Expeditions (www.baobabexpeditions.com) supports the Jane Goodall Institute (www.janegoodall.org) as part of its commitment to conservation work and has an exciting trip organised to visit Gombe, Tanzania, to see at first hand Jane Goodall’s work and to meet her chimpanzee companions.  Scheduled for October 2009, I’d better get saving! Sue Ockwell.