By: Jordan Park

Website Manager

On Oct. 1, world-renowned ethologist, conservationist, and humanitarian Jane Goodall passed away at the age of 91. With her passing, she left a legacy of courage, devoting her life to raising awareness about the threats facing wildlife, advancing global conservation efforts, and inspiring a more sustainable relationship among animals, humans, and the natural world.   

Born in London on Apr. 3, 1934, Goodall was the eldest daughter of Mortimer Morris-Goodall and writer Margaret Myfanwe Joseph. From a young age, she was fascinated by animals and dreamed of exploring Africa. She worked toward achieving this dream for most of her adolescent life, saving up in the hopes of one day traveling there to observe animals in their natural habitats. That dream became reality when she met paleontologist Louis Leakey. He hired Goodall as his secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi, a role that led to her groundbreaking research in Gombe, Tanzania. Most of her research centered around several generations of a chimpanzee group of 30 to 40 members. She named many of them, including Flo, Fifi, and David Greybeard, and came to know each of them personally. Her studies focused primarily on their courtship, mating, births, and parenting behaviors. There, her patience and keen observation revealed the discovery that chimpanzees use tools, forever changing our understanding of animals. 

While her work with chimpanzees is perhaps her most well-known accomplishment, Goodall’s impact extended far beyond it. A global advocate for human rights, animal welfare, and environmental protection, she dedicated her life to inspiring change across the globe. Over her lifetime, she wrote more than 20 books for adults and children and appeared in numerous documentaries and films. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) to support her research at Gombe. Today, JGI operates in 25 countries, leading diverse programs in conservation, education, and community engagement. In 1991, she established Roots & Shoots. This youth-led humanitarian and environmental program began with just 12 students in Tanzania and has since grown to include members in more than 75 countries, empowering young people to take action for animals, the environment, and their communities. To ensure her mission to better the world continued even after she was gone, she established the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation in 2017.

A truly remarkable woman, Goodall earned some of the world’s highest honors for her achievements. In 2002, the United Nations named her a Messenger of Peace, the organization’s highest recognition for global citizenship. Two years later, Buckingham Palace appointed her a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE), and the United States awarded her the Presidential Medal of Freedom. 

(Sources: Jane Goodall Institute, NY Times)