25 (non-Bravo) real life housewives who are pretty badass

Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall pioneered work for animal rights and environmental studies, and what we know about ourselves as humans are in some part thanks to her extensive work with primates. She brings a gentleness to her profession that the animals connect with, and that her human colleagues can’t seem to resist.

Goodall’s father gave her a stuffed chimpanzee when she was little much to the horror of her mother and her society friends. Thinking it would scare the child, her mother discouraged her curiosity about it, but she found a way to answer her own questions.

Goodall has been married twice, once to a baron, but it’s her work through her institute that has made the most impact on the world. Let us just repeat that: she has her own institute. Her second husband’s influence in the Tanzanian government helped to secure funding and education for her programs and methods of research.

Above all else, Goodall comes from a place of compassion and love. Through her 60 years of service to the apes and monkeys of the planet, she’s come to build a reputation for selfless service and tireless dedication She is an active protestor against the mistreatment of animals, and you can follow her on Twitter right now.