DAME Jane Goodall has died at the age of 91.
The sad passing of the world-renowned primatologist and chimpanzee expert was announced on social media.
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Dr Goodall passed away due to “natural causes” this morning.
A post on her Facebook page read: “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.
“She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.
“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Dr Goodall is widely considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees.
And the world famous anthropologist became synonymous with animal welfare and environmental protection over the years.
She is best known for her study of chimpanzee social and family life in Tanzania in the 1960s.
Goodall began her research aged 26 and revealed their capability to engage in complex social behaviours like tickling.
She theorised that humans aren’t the only species who have individual personalities, a very unconventional way of thinking at the time.
And the conservationist observed “human” behaviours including hugs, kisses and pats on the back of chimps, as well as emotions including joy and sorrow.
The anthropologist started the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in 1977 to support her research in Gombe and to push for the protection of chimpanzees.
With offices around the world, the JGI is widely recognised for community-centred conservation and development programs in Africa.
Goodall was also a board member for the world’s largest chimpanzee sanctuary outside of Africa, Save the Chimps in Fort Pierce, Florida.
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