Jane Goodall, shown here in 1965, passed away peacefully at age 91 on October 1, 2025.
It comes as no surprise that global tributes are pouring in for Jane Goodall, who died peacefully in her sleep at the age of 91.
Up until her passing, Goodall continued to speak out on the importance of doing all we can to protect life on Earth. In a message always rooted in hope, she believed that even the smallest actions—when multiplied—can bring about great change. And that every individual can make a difference.
As a child growing up in London, Jane Goodall said she became fascinated by animals after reading books like Dr Doolittle. When she was in her mid-twenties, a research trip to Tanzania in 1960 was the beginning of a 60-year study of chimpanzees in the wild. Her goal at the time was to get “as close to talking to animals as I could.”
Her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees challenged previous thinking on primate behavior. Sitting on the forest floor, she slowly earned the trust of a group of chimpanzees. She gave them names, watched them grow and mature, and observed how their personalities changed throughout their lives. She was able to correct a series of misunderstandings about chimpanzees—including how they are not vegetarian but are actually omnivorous; how they engage in complex behaviors; and how they fight with rival groups.
She may not have achieved her ultimate goal of “talking” to the animals, but over the years, Goodall learned the meaning of the embraces, playing, patting, kissing, and other behaviors that gave her unprecedented insights into the primate world. Seeing a male chimpanzee digging termites out of a mound with a stick, she became the first person to witness and record an animal using a tool. Up until then, it was thought that only humans were intelligent enough to use tools—and her observation shaped the future of evolutionary science. Goodall’s work with chimpanzees revealed that they exhibit far more similarities to humans than previously thought—which actually shouldn’t have been such a great surprise since our closest evolutionary relative shares some 99% of our DNA.
But she was a trailblazer in other ways, too. Science in the 1960s and 1970s was a male-dominated field—an era when women scientists were marginalized by their male counterparts. By breaking gender barriers, Goodall’s intelligence and success as a female scientist paved the way for generations of women who followed in her footsteps.
Along with a lifetime spent working to improve the treatment of chimpanzees, her more recent work was devoting her time to educating millions around the world about the fragile nature of our environment. A conference in 1986 attended by scientists from around the world made her aware of the devastating effects of habitat destruction—especially the decimation of rainforests. "I went to that conference a scientist,” she said, “but I left as an activist." Since then, she pivoted her life’s work to science-based activism with a focus on community-centered humanitarian and conservation work around the world.
Perhaps the best tribute we can pay her is to redouble our efforts to protect nature and the environment for the future of the planet we share.
