Jane Goodall, conservationist and chimpanzee expert, passes at 91

Renowned primatologist and environmental advocate Jane Goodall died on Wednesday, October 1, at the age of 91, the Jane Goodall Institute confirmed.

She passed away from natural causes in California during a speaking tour in the United States focused on wildlife and environmental awareness.

“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” the institute said.

Life Devoted to Understanding Nature

Born in London in 1934, Goodall grew up in Bournemouth, England, and dreamed from childhood of living near animals.

A toy gorilla and books such as Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle sparked her interest in wildlife.

She also credited her mother for encouraging her curiosity, saying, “Work hard, take advantage of opportunity, but above all, never give up,” Goodall recalled in 2019 on Chopra’s Infinite Potential podcast.

She saved every penny to travel to Africa and overcame financial and societal obstacles during World War II.

Unable to afford university, she worked as a secretary and in a film company before traveling to Kenya in 1957, where she met anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey.

Encouraged by Leakey, Goodall began her study of chimpanzees at Tanzania’s Gombe Stream Reserve in 1960 to observe their behavior and form lasting bonds.

Rewriting Science with Chimpanzees

At first, the chimpanzees ran away from her.

“They’d never seen a white ape before,” Goodall told Deepak Chopra in 2019.

Her perspective changed when she encountered an older chimpanzee she named David Greybeard, and after tracking him through the forest, she gave him a palm nut.

“He took the nut, he dropped it, but very gently squeezed my fingers,” Goodall recalled. “That’s how chimpanzees reassure each other. In that moment, we communicated in a way that must have predated human language.”

Living in Gombe, Goodall discovered that chimpanzees ate meat and not only used tools, but made them.

“I watched, spellbound, as the chimps went to a termite mound, picked a small leafy twig, and stripped it of its leaves,” she said in the 2017 documentary “Jane.”

The chimps inserted the twigs into the mound and collected termites to eat.

“That was object modification, the crude beginning of tool making – it had never been seen before.”

Despite lacking an undergraduate degree, the young Briton pursued her Ph.D. and spent months building trust with the local chimpanzees. 

Goodall faced criticism from academics at first but remained confident in her methods, saying, “My observations at Gombe would challenge human uniqueness.”

Her practice of naming chimpanzees instead of numbering them, while noting their emotions and personalities, broke scientific conventions and received both praise and criticism from her peers.

She also opened doors for women in science alongside Dian Fossey and Birutė Galdikas, earning recognition as part of “Leakey’s Angels.”

Her work reached a global audience after her first article, My Life Among Wild Chimpanzees, appeared in National Geographic, and filmmaker Hugo van Lawick arrived to document her research; he later became her husband.

Together, they recorded the lives of chimpanzees like Greybeard, who became known worldwide.

From Primatology to Planetary Advocacy

“It was shocking to see right across Africa, wherever chimps were being studied, forests were disappearing,” she said in 2017, describing the moment she became an activist.

After decades in the field, Goodall realized protecting chimpanzees required saving their habitats.

She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to support conservation, research, and community development in Africa.

In 2017, the Institute began using Google Earth to observe the park and its chimpanzees through sophisticated satellite surveillance.

Even in her 80s, Goodall continued extensive travel to consult with officials on climate change, oversee environmental projects, and advocate for the Roots & Shoots program for youth.

Her work earned her numerous honors, including Dame of the British Empire in 2004, the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025, and Messenger of Peace from the United Nations in 2002.

Legacy of Hope and Inspiration

Goodall wrote more than 30 books and shared her observations and conservation message with adults and children alike. Her works include the 1999 bestseller ‘Reason for Hope: A Spiritual Journey’.

She believed in the resilience of the planet and humanity’s ability to rise to environmental challenges.

“Our too close relationship with wild animals… has unleashed the terror and misery of new viruses,” she warned during the Covid-19 pandemic on Anderson Cooper Full Circle.

She hoped her legacy would inspire young people to care for the planet and feel empowered to act.

“Isn’t it bizarre that the most intellectual creature to ever walk the planet is destroying its only home? It seems to me there’s a disconnect between this extremely intellectual mind and the human heart, which is love and compassion.” Goodall said.

Indeed, Goodall leaves a world forever changed by her discoveries, advocacy, and devotion to nature. Her life shows that even the smallest actions in the wild can create the greatest impact.