02/10/2025
Jane Goodall is one of my icons from my childhood. I remember hearing things about her when I was in elementary school. I knew she loved animals and she was doing something not everyone did, and sge is not small minded, yet content to change the world in her way. She indeed has a lasting impact in science, through cimpanzees shes positively effected human behavior. Last year we attended her exhibit at our local museum- she is amazing, and inspiring.
I feel hope from her life story.
Jane Goodall, the influential primatologist who changed how people see chimpanzees and themselves, died Wednesday at the age of 91.
She died of natural causes while she was in California on a speaking tour, the Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement on social media.
"Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world," the institute wrote.
Born in London in 1934, Goodall became fascinated with animals at an early age after reading "Doctor Dolittle" and "Tarzan" books.
In the 1960s, Goodall, without a college degree, traveled to what is now Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to live with and study chimpanzees.
She immersed herself in their lives, documenting animals' use of tools and social behavior. Her unconventional approach and observations helped transformed the world's fundamental understanding of animal behavior and emotions, as well as how scientists study the social behavior of animals in the wild.
After her experiences in the field, Goodall became a conservationist, working to protect animal rights and the environment. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit that works to protect chimpanzees and their habitats.
Goodall, who received the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025, continued to work into her later years. A week before she died, she spoke at Bloomberg Philanthropies Global Forum 2025 at The Plaza Hotel.
In 2020, PBS News Hour's Jeffrey Brown spoke to Goodall about her work and the legacy she may leave behind.
"The main message that I have is that every single one of us, every single day, we make some impact on the planet," Goodall said. "And we have a choice as to what impact we make."
Photo by Apic via Getty Images
