On October 1, Dr. Jane Goodall, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, passed away at age 91 peacefully in her sleep while in Los Angeles, CA for her speaking tour in the United States.
In a statement the Jane Goodall Institute wrote:
Dr. Goodall’s life and work not only made an indelible mark on our understanding of chimpanzees and other species, but also of humankind and the environments we all share. She inspired curiosity, hope and compassion in countless people around the world, and paved the way for many others — particularly young people who gave her hope for the future.
In 1960 Dr. Goodall established the longest running wild chimpanzee study in Gombe National Park, Tanzania which continues to this day. She pioneered and sustained the Jane Goodall Institute’s community-centered conservation initiatives across the chimpanzee range for over four decades. Her legacy includes the creation of JGI’s international environmental and humanitarian youth program Roots & Shoots, which is actively driving change in 75 countries and counting around the world.
The Jane Goodall Institute is incredibly grateful to all our supporters, partners, and friends, especially during this difficult time. To add a personal remembrance of Dr. Goodall and continue her legacy for future generations, please visit JaneGoodall.org/RememberingJane
Dr. Jane Goodall was a British primatologist and anthropologist.
Regarded as a pioneer in primate ethology, she is best known for her more than six decades of field research on the social and family life of wild chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania.
Under his sponsorship beginning in 1960, Louis Leakey arranged for Goodall to study for a PhD in Ethology at Newnham College, Cambridge. Having witnessed Jane’s patience and determination, Leakey asked her to travel to Tanzania, to study families of wild chimpanzees in the forest of Gombe. In July, 1960, Jane arrived in Gombe. It was there that she developed her unique understanding of chimpanzee behaviour and made the ground-breaking discovery that chimpanzees use tools. An observation that has been credited with “redefining what it means to be human.”
Goodall’s doctoral thesis, The Behaviour of Free-living Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve, was completed in 1965. Her three-month study evolved into an extraordinary research program lasting decades and it is still ongoing today.Goodall’s work challenged prevailing scientific views by showing that chimpanzees make and use tools, hunt cooperatively, and display complex emotions and social structures once thought unique to humans.
Looking back, Jane always said she’d have “studied any animal” but felt extremely lucky to have been given the chance to study man’s closest living relative in the wild.
She later founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to promote wildlife conservation, followed by the Roots & Shoots youth program in 1991, which grew into a global network. She also established sanctuaries and reforestation projects in Africa and campaigned for the ethical treatment of animals in research, farming, and captivity. Goodall was appointed a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002, advised organisations such as Save the Chimps and the Society for the Protection of Underground Networks.
In addition to her scientific research, Goodall published several memoirs and remained an active lecturer throughout her career, travelling extensively to promote conservation and climate action. Goodall was an honorary member of the World Future Council. Among other honors, she was the recipient of the Kyoto Prize, the Templeton Prize, and was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025. She was on the board of the Nonhuman Rights Project from 2022 until her death in 2025
San Pedro Connection
Dr. Jane Goodall made a significant appearance at the 2024 Day of Peace celebration at Point Fermin Park in San Pedro. She also participated in a tree-planting service project there in honor of her 90th birthday.
Previous appearances include the Warner Grand Theatre in 2013 and in 2017, when her appearance at the theater supported the Jane Goodall Institute and included a VIP reception.