Presenter: Good evening everyone. We are happy to welcome you to our weekly program "Animal world". Today is a very special day as we have a great opportunity to hear from an amazing woman who knows a lot about wild life and wild animals. Sarah Thomas, it is very good to see you today. Thank you so much for coming.

Sarah: Hello, it is good to be here, thank you for inviting me.

Presenter: So, before we start talking about your experiences with the animals, let me ask you how it all started. Where were you born and were you interested in animals from childhood? How did it all start?

Sarah: Well, I was born in London and my fascination with animal behavior began in early childhood when we moved to York. We lived in a cozy thatched cottage in the most picturesque part of the city and in my leisure time, I observed native birds and animals, making lots of notes and sketches, and I also read a lot in the area of zoology. From an early age, I dreamed of traveling to Africa: I was eager to observe exotic animals in their natural habitats.

Presenter: We know that your dream came true and that you spent quite a bit of time in Africa.

Sarah: Yes, when I was 18 I left school and got a job as a secretary at Oxford University. In my spare time, I worked at a London-⁠based documentary film company because I wanted to make some money for my trip to Africa. One day, completely out of the blue, my childhood friend invited me to visit Kenya, and so I did. There I met an anthropologist Thomas Wild who wanted to perform a study about chimpanzees to see if it would throw more light on evolution. You know, some of my friends and relatives thought that was a crazy idea because I had no college education to do these studies but Thomas believed I had the right kind of character to be able to live in the wild for a long time. Since it was actually my childhood dream, I agreed. That was my very first attempt to study the monkeys. Unfortunately, it wasn’t successful.

Presenter: Did you try again, then? I know you have written several books and filmed a few documentary films about your experience with the chimpanzees.

Sarah: That’s true. I started all over. In 1960 I went to Africa again together with my mum and an African cook. We established a camp on a lake shore. Can you imagine: crystal clear water, sand banks … Anyway, it took me two long years to get close to the monkeys, to the point when they allowed me to be a part of their group.

Presenter: Two years! You’ve got more patience than I have! How did you make them like you in the end?

Sarah: Bananas! For two years I offered them bananas until they actually began to accept me as their own. I came to the same spot every day at the same time and fed them bananas. After one year they stopped running away, after the second year they allowed me to climb trees with them and eat their food.

Presenter: What? Are you serious? You climbed trees with the chimps? That was probably lots of fun!

Sarah: You bet! I had to learn to use my arms and legs like never before. It only looks easy when you observe the animals. We as people are very limited in our abilities to use our limbs: our legs and arms aren’t designed to hang onto tree branches and plant leaves. The monkeys, on the other hand, don’t even have to think about what they are doing when they move. So, there was a lot I had to learn not to fall off those tall trees. That was a real challenge!

Presenter: Was it all worth it, though?

Sarah: Definitely, I still think of that time as one of the best periods of my life. I got so close to these animals that I was able to understand them. I was able to experience what it is like to be inside an animal world.