The world-renowned primatologist Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91, her institute has announced. The Jane Goodall Institute said she died of natural causes while in California as part of a US speaking tour.
Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, according to the institute’s statement, which described her as a “tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world”. Born in London in 1934, she began researching free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960 and founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, which works to protect the species and supports youth projects benefiting animals and the environment.
Considered the leading expert on chimpanzees, her career spanned more than 60 years. Her research was pivotal in proving the similarities in primate and human behaviour, challenging the idea that only humans could use tools and that chimps were vegetarian. She was made a dame in 2004 and received the Medal of Freedom from President Joe Biden earlier this year.
Tributes poured in from around the world. Greenpeace UK’s co-executive director, Will McCallum, called Goodall “one of the true conservation giants of our time”. The UN praised her for having “worked tirelessly for our planet and all its inhabitants, leaving an extraordinary legacy for humanity and nature”.
Well into her 80s, Goodall showed little sign of slowing down, continuing to write and speak about her work. During the pandemic she launched a podcast called Hopecast. She was due to appear at a speaking event in Los Angeles on 3 October and another in Washington DC the following week.
