Who are your favourite living thinkers / intellectuals?

ArchaeC said:

Jane Goodall for her studies on chimpanzee behaviour and her conservation and environmental work.

Dame Jane Goodall died today, aged 91 years. She was a zoologist, primatologist and anthropologist who inspired so many people to follow in her footsteps in animal welfare and conservation issues. I am very saddened about this. 

RIP Jane Goodall, we've lost one of the greats

RIP Jane Goodall, we've lost one of the greats

She was passionate about passing on her observations to others and continued this work up until her death, in her latter years mainly through her talks to groups around the country. In fact she had been due to speak to a group tomorrow. 

I have followed her work closely for many years and if circumstances had been different, I sometimes think I would have liked to have been a primatologist. I have always had a fascination with animals, especially dogs, horses and apes. For as long as I can remember, I used to spend hours staring at our dogs, horses and goats, since they were the animals around me. I dream of going to Uganda where eco tourism initiatives enable people to encounter mountain gorillas face to face in the wild. Local people are employed in eco hotels and safari lodges, trained in conservation, ecological farming, tree planting, hospitality and tourism. People endeavour to protect the mountain gorillas because their livelihood depends on them.

Access to the mountain gorillas is restricted to a group of only a few people each day and it must be accompanied by experienced guides and rangers. The gorillas have been habituated to the presence of the guides, and while there is an argument that they should be left undisturbed, they remain free to travel great distances and the initiatives have helped protect their habitat, welfare and the planet.