Her landmark research on chimpanzees and decades of global environmental advocacy reshaped humanity’s view of nature and inspired generations.
Jane Goodall, the celebrated scientist whose immersive studies of chimpanzees transformed understanding of animal behaviour and galvanized the modern conservation movement, has died at the age of 91, the Jane Goodall Institute confirmed. Goodall passed away of natural causes on October 1, 2025, while on a speaking tour in California.
Goodall’s groundbreaking work began in 1960 at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, where she observed chimpanzees using tools, forming complex social bonds, and displaying a spectrum of emotions once thought to be strictly human. These insights challenged long-held scientific assumptions and reshaped discourse on the boundary between humans and other animals.
Beyond her scientific contributions, Goodall built a global legacy through conservation, education, and outreach. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which operates in over 25 countries, and in 1991 launched the Roots & Shoots youth program to empower young people in environmental action.
She was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002 and continued her advocacy well into her later years, speaking widely about climate change, habitat loss, and species protection. Goodall received numerous accolades over her life, including being named a Dame Commander of the British Empire in 2004 and receiving the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 shortly before her passing. Her final days saw her continuing to travel and speak, maintaining her lifelong mission to inspire action and awareness for the natural world.
In its announcement, the institute noted, “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Colleagues, governments, environmental organizations and admirers globally have expressed condolences and vowed to carry forward her mission. As tributes pour in, the magnitude of Goodall’s impact is evident: she not only broadened scientific horizons but left behind a powerful cultural and ethical legacy urging care for nature, compassion for all species, and hope in collective action.
Source: Jane Goodall Institute