Jane Goodall Dies at 91, Conservation Icon and Primatologist

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Jane Goodall holding a sign that says "Vote for Nature!" with a tree drawing and votefornature.com text
Nancy Kaszerman/ZUMA Press Wire

Summary:

  • Jane Goodall, renowned primatologist and conservationist, dies at 91 after groundbreaking research and global advocacy.

  • Her legacy includes the Jane Goodall Institute, Roots & Shoots program, and numerous prestigious awards.

  • Tributes pour in from world leaders, scientists, and celebrities, honoring Goodall’s impact on conservation and humanity.

Jane Goodall, the British primatologist who transformed the study of chimpanzees and became one of the world’s leading conservationists, has died at 91.

The Jane Goodall Institute said she died Wednesday of natural causes in California while on a U.S. speaking tour.

Goodall began her landmark field research in 1960 at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. With no formal scientific training at the time, she recorded chimpanzees using tools — a discovery that challenged the assumption that only humans were capable of such behavior. Her research became the longest-running study of wild chimpanzees and helped reshape modern primatology.

She went on to establish the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and later created Roots & Shoots, a global youth program active in more than 70 countries. Goodall spent much of her later life traveling to advocate for conservation, biodiversity, and climate action.

Her honors included being named a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003, a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002, and receiving the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom earlier this year.

Tributes pour in

News of her death sparked an outpouring of tributes from scientists, world leaders, and celebrities.

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Leonardo DiCaprio called Goodall “a true hero for the planet,” while Jane Fonda said her “heart breaks at the news.” Michael Douglas honored his fellow UN Messenger of Peace, and Maria Shriver remembered her as “someone I adored.” Julia Louis-Dreyfus, Al Roker, Ellen DeGeneres, and Rosie O’Donnell also shared personal remembrances, underscoring the breadth of Goodall’s influence far outside the scientific community.

UN Secretary-General António Guterres said she left “an extraordinary legacy for humanity and our planet” in a statement. Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and U.S. Senator Cory Booker also paid tribute on social media.

Goodall’s research at Gombe documented the complex emotional and social lives of chimpanzees, from hunting and territorial conflict to family bonds — and shifted how the scientific community approached animal behavior.

Her later activism extended to campaigns against animal captivity, habitat destruction, and climate change. Even in her 90s, she continued to travel and lecture, telling audiences last year, “Surely people want a future for their children.”

Goodall is survived by her son, Hugo van Lawick Jr., from her first marriage to Dutch photographer Hugo van Lawick.

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