One of the world’s most famous conservationists and wildlife activists has passed away. Jane Goodall, the British primatologist whose breakthrough studies on chimps transformed our knowledge of the natural world, died peacefully at the age of 91 while on a speaking tour in Los Angeles, the Jane Goodall Institute reported on Wednesday.
A Life Devoted to Chimps and Conservation
Goodall was born in London on April 3, 1934, and her interest in animals began as a kid, motivated by a stuffed chimpanzee and a love for Tarzan books. That one curiosity she had as a child developed into a lifelong mission. In 1957, she flew to Kenya and began working for the renowned paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey, who dispatched her to Tanzania to research wild chimps in Gombe National Park.
Her discoveries were revolutionary. Goodall witnessed chimps employing tools like a twig to fish termites from mounds and documented their complex social behaviors, including aggression and cooperation, calling into question the belief that humans were the only ones capable of such intelligence and emotion.
Trailblazing Achievements
Despite having no college degree, Goodall received a PhD from Cambridge academic, becoming only the eighth person in history to do so without any prior official academic education. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to promote chimpanzee study and conservation, and in 1991, she launched the youth-led environmental initiative Roots & Shoots, which today works in over 60 countries.
Her advocacy went beyond research. After experiencing chimp concerns such as poaching, habitat degradation, and medical research exploitation, she became a global wildlife advocate, traveling far into her nineties to educate and inspire others.
A Life Remembered
Goodall had a global impact. Both leaders and celebrities paid tribute. UN Secretary-General António Guterres described her as a “Messenger of Peace,” and Tanzanian President Samia Suluhu Hassan commended her transformative efforts at Gombe National Park. Jane Fonda, an actress and activist, paid personal tribute to Goodall, imploring others to love and appreciate the Earth and all of its species.
Aside from conservation, Goodall became a cultural icon, immortalized in a Lego figure, a Barbie doll, and even hilariously mentioned in a Gary Larson cartoon. Her warmth, wit, and humanity made her a revered figure for centuries.
Empowerment Through Action
Goodall’s message was simple but profound: everyone has the ability to make a difference. “Each individual has a role to play, and every one of us makes some impact on the planet every single day, and we can choose what sort of impact we make,” she’d once stated. Her life exemplified that belief, combining innovative science, tireless campaigning, and unfailing hope.
Jane Goodall leaves a legacy that will inspire future generations of scientists, conservationists, and visionaries. She is survived by her son, Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick, and plenty of admirers all around the world whose lives she touched.
