The international activist and ethologist This Friday Jane Goodall visited the facilities of the La Tahonilla Wildlife Recovery Centera space in which this act has been commemorated with a plaque and in which a turtle that will be released tomorrow has been named ‘Goja’.
In the face of media expectation and palpable excitement among the center’s technical team, Jane Goodall arrived, a scientific reference in 20th century ethology, who has attracted special attention for her “luminosity and firm commitment.”
The center you have visited is located on the La Esperanza road, in the Tenerife municipality of La Laguna, and its facilities have two nurseries, a space for the rehabilitation of species in a state of gravity as well as storage in case of extinction and control of forest fires.
Most of the animals cared for are birds, reptiles and cetaceans, and in captivity crows and falcons, endangered species.
Goodall has toured the spaces together with technical staff and authorities from the Cabildo of Tenerife, and has been interested in endemic species, such as the blue finch, and other birds affected by light pollution, such as the Cory’s shearwater.
Likewise, Goodall has been curious about sperm whales, in addition to insects, about which she has asked if they have also been affected by the use of pesticides and herbicides.
The team at the La Tahonilla recovery center has presented the doctor with a plaque, which shows her visit during this day.
Meanwhile, in the room, the team of specialists watched her with emotion because they have followed her for years and now they can’t believe she is before their eyes.
At the same time, an affable and charismatic Goodall thanked the recognition as well as the work of everyone present, with a story about when she visited the Canary Islands for the first time.
In 1957, on a trip to Africa, he made a stop in the archipelago because “there weren’t so many airplanes then, and he undertook the trip by boat.”
During those days she shared the day with three other young women, who barely had any savings and just wanted to enjoy the surroundings.
The young adventurers, says the activist, decided to try a “banana dessert,” a drink that, to their surprise, contained a lot of alcohol: a banana liqueur.
Regarding her adventures around the world, Goodall laments that “it is sad” to observe how “everywhere” the same pattern is repeated, so she hopes that, soon, humanity will wake up to the loss of its biodiversity.
During the visit, the doctor observed the recovery space for turtles in a serious situation. She also saw the ICU, where kestrels, owls and eagles are housed, as well as the center’s operating room.
He has also enjoyed the turtle sanctuary, outdoor pools equipped for the species that is in good condition and ready for an imminent release.
The doctor congratulated the work carried out at the center, highlighting its commitment to taking advantage of the species “that have died because of us” for a scientific purpose: research.
The president of the Cabildo of Tenerife, Rosa Dávila, thanked the presence of the activist and “reference of female scientists in the 20th century”, which she described as “an honor and pride”.
Rosa Dávila has valued “the impulse” and “understanding” of the activist’s mother when expressing her own curiosity because, she commented, “with that small gesture, the possibility of changing the world for millions was opened.” of people around the world.”
At the end of the visit, Jane Goodall told the media “what a real pleasure it is to see the care given to the animals, especially the turtles, before their release.”
Likewise, regarding these last species, she has announced that tomorrow, in Porís, a turtle can be released under a name that she has chosen: the fusion of the first two letters of her first and last name in reverse, that is, ‘Goja ‘.
“Now there will be a turtle swimming in the ocean and I will pray that it doesn’t get hurt again,” he said.
Goodall recalled the programs of the institute that bears his name and that work for the care and dissemination of animals in danger of extinction, as is the case of the Roots and Shoots project, which is carried out in more than 70 countries, including Spain.
There are many members of Roots & Shoots, children and adults, here in Tenerife with whom we are going to meet tomorrow on the beach of El Porís to do a cleanup, to be involved in the preservation of the oceans on this beautiful island.
And in relation to this, the executive director of the Jane Goodall Institute, Federico Bogdanowicz, has specified that tomorrow, on El Porís beach, adults and children from this project will clean the beach to promote the preservation of the oceans.
In this last action, the participation of the activist and the rest of her team is expected, an action that will be accompanied by the release of the turtle.
Jane Goodall is one of the most recognized environmental activists of the 21st century and was the first person to discover that chimpanzees were capable of making and using tools, something that until then was considered exclusive to the human species.
