Jane Goodall A Life Dedicated to Conservation and Hope Leaves Us at 91

The renowned conservationist and primatologist Jane Goodall has passed away. Her age was 91.“This morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, the Jane Goodall Institute announced through a social media statement that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and the Institute's Founder, had died of natural causes,” the Institute shared. The statement added, “She was participating in her U.S. speaking tour in California.”The Institute's message ended by stating, “As an ethologist, Dr. Goodall’s groundbreaking findings transformed the scientific field, and she ceaselessly championed the safeguarding and revitalization of our planet.”Her passing occurred just days prior to a scheduled address at Royce Hall, University of California Los Angeles, on Friday, October 3.The deceased anthropologist gained widespread recognition for her pioneering studies of chimpanzees conducted at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania. Having dedicated over six decades to observing the social and familial behaviors of chimpanzees, Goodall was regarded as a leading global authority on the species.Beyond establishing her namesake institute, she also conceived the Roots & Shoots initiative, dedicated to environmental conservation and animal well-being. In 2022, she received the title of United Nations Messenger of Peace and held an honorary position on the World Future Council.Goodall featured on the “Call Her Daddy” podcast earlier this year, where she spoke about her achievements as a woman in her professional domain.“I believe I was placed on this earth for a specific purpose,” Goodall stated during the May podcast segment. “Currently, as I mentioned, we are experiencing challenging periods, and the primary issue is that individuals are losing optimism.”She advised her audience that while they “cannot resolve all global problems,” they can concentrate on more localized, manageable concerns.“My purpose fuels my drive. There is a great deal to accomplish, and if we surrender to despair, our fate is sealed,” Goodall further explained. “When hope fades, individuals grow indifferent and cease to act.”Notable Figures Departed in 2025: Jane Goodall and Other Personalities We Mourn This Year

Goodall remarked that she is “not working in isolation” on her cause, as the Jane Goodall Institute has grown to encompass 25 nations, and Roots & Shoots operates in 75 countries.In that identical podcast installment, Goodall attributed much of her accomplishments to her mother.“My innate affection for animals was present from birth, and my mother was the most significant influence in my early years because of her encouragement,” Goodall recounted. “When I was eighteen months old — a memory I don't retain myself but was shared by her — she discovered me in my bedroom with a handful of squirming earthworms in my bed.”Goodall’s mother reacted without “anger,” understanding instead that “this was the beginning of a budding scientist.” She further commented, “Another parent might have stifled that nascent inquisitiveness, and I might not be having this conversation with you today.”Her scientific work commenced when the esteemed researcher was 26 years of age.“My mother’s counsel is what immediately comes to mind. If you aspire to achieve something, dedicate yourself, seize chances. The crucial element is to be certain you genuinely desire it,” Goodall stated. “I encounter young individuals, perhaps in their second year of higher education, who express, ‘You know, I actually made an error, but it’s too late to alter course.’ That, however, is the gravest error, because if this is to define the remainder of your existence, then pivot now, while it's still possible, towards an alternative professional trajectory.”