May 24, 2026

“Hope is rooted in action:” Merlin van Lawick on the important lesson he learned from Dr. Jane

Photo: Jane Goodall Institute

Dr. Jane knew that hope isn’t passive, and she would often speak about that – with people across Canada, with people around the world, and with her own family.

One of her grandsons, Merlin, sat down with Mongabay and told this story – highlighting how Dr. Jane saw “hope” and why we need to keep taking action together.

“Jane used to talk about a way to conceptualize hope. She would say: ‘Imagine you’re in a tunnel, a dark tunnel. And at the end of the tunnel, there were these lights. This light symbolizes hope. It’s no good sitting there and just hoping that the light is going to come closer to you. What you have to do is start crawling towards that light. You have to get over obstacles, under obstacles, push against them. Do what you can to get to that light at the end of the tunnel.’ Hence, hope is rooted in action.”

Does this resonate with you? What do you envision when you think about hope? How are you taking action?

Go to JaneGoodall.ca/Take-Action to find out how you can get involved with the work that Dr. Jane championed throughout her life – and let’s work together to keep her mission moving forward.