World-renowned conservationist Jane Goodall’s work takes her around the world — and she always travels with a special companion to remind her of the “indomitable human spirit.”

That companion is a stuffed monkey named “Mr. H,” given to her by Gary Haun, a blind magician. Mr. H has been with Goodall for 28 years and has traveled to 64 countries.

Haun “thought he was giving me a stuffed chimpanzee, and I took his hand and made him hold the tail,” Goodall said in an interview at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. Monkeys have tails, while chimps do not.

“He said, ‘Never mind. Take him with you, and you know my spirit’s with you.’ So he symbolizes the indomitable human spirit,” she said.