Jane Goodall became a relentless advocate for wildlife, traveling the globe well into her 90s – Image: Bruce Coleman/Photoshot/picture alliance
World-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has passed away at the age of 91, while in the United States.
“The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away due to natural causes,” a statement on her Facebook page said, adding that Goodall was in California as part of a speaking tour of the United States.
“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 statement said.
Tributes for Goodall
The United Nations said it was mourning the loss of Goodall and highlighted the legacy she left behind in a post on X.
“Today, the UN family mourns the loss of Dr. Jane Goodall. The scientist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature.”
Jane Goodall – Image: United Nations
Encyclopaedia Britannica said Goodall was among just a few people to earn a Ph.D. without an undergraduate degree.
“It was thought that her lack of formal academic training would allow her to remain unbiased by traditional thought and study the chimps with an open mind. It worked,” Encyclopaedia Britannica said on X.
Goodall considered a pioneer in her field
According to a biography posted on her website, Goodall was born in London in 1934 and first arrived in Tanzania in 1960 to begin studying wild chimpanzee communities.
The discovery that chimpanzees made use of tools fundamentally changed the understanding humans had of their relationship with the animal world.
Remembering Dr. Jane Goodall, Scientist. Conservationist. Humanitarian, 1934-2025 – Image: Photoshot/picture alliance
In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which works to protect the species and supports youth projects aimed at benefiting animals and the environment.
Goodall was regarded as a pioneer in her field and would go on to partner with the National Geographic Society to continue bringing the natural world into sharp focus.
(DW.com/NAN 02-10-25)
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