Jane Goodall Dies at 91
The British primatologist, conservationist and UN Messenger of Peace Jane Goodall has died. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed on 1 October 2025 that she passed away from natural causes in California at the age of 91 during a lecture tour.
Goodall is regarded as one of the most influential scientists and environmentalists of the 20th and 21st centuries.
She became known worldwide through her groundbreaking field research at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania, which she began in 1960. There she made the then-revolutionary observation that chimpanzees manufacture and use tools — a discovery that fundamentally redefined our understanding of humans and animals.
Over more than six decades, Goodall shaped primatology, transformed the way we view the animal world and worked tirelessly for the protection of species and habitats. In 1977 she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which to this day coordinates research, educational work and community-based conservation programmes in numerous countries. Through the youth programme «Roots & Shoots», now active in over 70 countries, she inspired generations of young people to engage with the environment and society.
Alongside her scientific work, Goodall used her international profile to draw attention to global challenges such as the climate crisis, biodiversity loss and animal welfare. Even in old age she travelled almost continuously, delivered lectures on every continent and spoke on her podcast «The Hopecast» about her «reasons for hope».
Jane Goodall was born in London in 1934. She received numerous honours for her contributions, including honorary doctorates, international environmental awards and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Since 2002 she served as a UN Messenger of Peace.
Her death marks the end of an exceptional life's work — yet her legacy lives on in the projects of her institute and in the global movement she set in motion.
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