President Lee Teng-hui this morning , while meeting with Dr. Jane Goodall, commonly known as the "Mother of Chimpanzees," promised to donate NT$1 million from his own pocket to the Jane Goodall Institute to help finance its program to set up a branch in the ROC.
The President also expressed his hope that local residents will support the current fund-raising drive for the Jane Goodall Institute in Taiwan,which will be dedicated to enhancing the younger generation's care and respect for the environment and wildlife.
This was the second tete-a-tete between President Lee and the world-renowned British primatologist. Dr. Goodall asked the President to autograph a black chimpanzee puppet that he sent her during her first visit to Taiwan last November.
During the meeting, President Lee decided to take time out of his busy schedule and accompany Dr. Goodall on October 2 on a trip to the Kenting National Park at the southernmost tip of Taiwan to see Taiwan conservationists' success in breeding to rare Siko, also known as the Formosan spotted deer, which had been extinct in Taiwan's wilderness areas since 1969. Over the past three years, specialists at Kenting have managed to increase the herd of Siko deer from 22 to 200, some 50 of which have been released into the wild.
According to the original itinerary , Vice President Lien Chan was to accompany Dr. Goodall on her Kenting tour. As President Lee last November promised to accompany Dr. Goodall to travel on the island to see Taiwan's efforts at conserving and protecting endangered species, the President insisted on keeping his promise even though he would have to change his working schedule.
Dr. Goodall said she was deeply moved by the president's insistence, adding that few world political leaders would do so.
Noting that honoring a promise is a traditional Chinese virtue, President Lee emphasized that he would take great pleasure in accompanying Dr. Goodall to inspect Taiwan's conservation efforts.
"I also hope that your visit will help upgrade our residents' awareness of the importance of environmental protection, wildlife conservation and humanitarianism," the President told Dr. Goodall.
Dr. Goodall, who has been studying chimpanzees in Africa since 1957, is considered one of the world's three leading primatologists. Her greatest achievement was to find out chimpanzee's ability to make use of tools.
This behavior had been considered the basic differentiation between animals and human beings. In recent years, Dr. Goodall has traveled around the world to promote the "Roots and Shoots" campaign, a conservation program for children.
Dr. Goodall was accompanied by Dr. David Tawei Lee, director-general of the ROC Government Information Office, to the Office of the President for the meeting.
Dr. Ding Mou-shih, secretary-general of the National Security Council, and Mr. Stephen S. F. Chen, deputy secretary-general to the President, were also at present.