Jane Goodall, primatologist, conservationist and anthropologist, has sadly passed away at the age of 91.
Jane was more than a scientist; she was a pioneer.
Her decades-long studies of chimpanzees in Tanzania’s Gombe Stream revolutionised how we see animals, revealing their capacity for emotion and social complexity.
Beyond her research, she turned her influence into activism, founding the Jane Goodall Institute and the youth-driven Roots & Shoots program, traveling the world to speak for conservation, peace, and our planet’s future.
“Dr. Jane Goodall, DBE, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, UN Messenger of Peace and world-renowned ethologist, conservationist, and humanitarian, has died at the age of 91 of natural causes.
“Dr. Jane was known around the world for her 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania. However, in the latter part of her life she expanded her focus and became a global advocate for human rights, animal welfare, species and environmental protection, and many other crucial issues.
“Jane was passionate about empowering young people to become involved in conservation and humanitarian projects and she led many educational initiatives focused on both wild and captive chimpanzees. She was always guided by her fascination with the mysteries of evolution, and her staunch belief in the fundamental need to respect all forms of life on Earth,” a statement on her site read.
Who was Jane Goodall?
Jane Goodall was a world-renowned primatologist, ethologist, and conservationist, best known for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees.
In 1960, at just 26 years old and with no training, she traveled to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to observe chimpanzees in the wild.
What she discovered changed science forever. Chimpanzees were not only capable of using tools but also had rich emotional and social lives.
Her decades of work revealed their intelligence, empathy, and complex family structures, showing the world that chimps are far more like us than anyone had imagined.
