Stories from Gombe (1974)


My First Night at Gombe

January, 2026

View of Gombe hillsides from a boat.

Stepping off the water taxi at Gombe in January, 1974, I had no idea that three extraordinary events had unfolded on consecutive days just before my arrival.


The Ghost in White Pants

March 17, 2026

Depiction of a ghost in white pants in the forest at night.

My first glimpse of the spiritual side of Jane Goodall came from her unexpected reaction to a ghost story told over dinner at her camp in Tanzania.


Gigi Lets Go!

July 10, 2026

The chimpanzee Gigi eating fruit.

Fifty years after it happened, Jane Goodall greeted me with a smile and asked, “Weren’t you the student Gigi defecated upon?”