RENOWNED CHIMPANZEE EXPERT JANE GOODALL HAS PASSED AWAY AT AGE 91
Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, passed away on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, at the age of 91 due to natural causes while on a speaking tour in California, as announced by the Jane Goodall Institute.
Her groundbreaking work, which began in 1960 under the mentorship of anthropologist Louis S.B. Leakey in Kenya, revolutionized primatology with the discovery that chimpanzees could make and use tools. Goodall’s unique approach of naming chimpanzees and becoming the only human accepted into their society was captured in over 40 documentaries, including the award-winning 2017 film “Jane” and the 2023 Imax film “Jane Goodall: Reasons for Hope,” which highlighted her habitat restoration efforts.
She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to support great ape research, as well as Roots & Shoots, a youth program, and TACARE, which focuses on sustainable development in African villages. A tireless advocate for conservation, climate change, and animal behavior, Goodall toured globally for speaking engagements and lent her voice to animated shows like “The Simpsons” and “The Wild Thornberries.”
She was scheduled to speak at UCLA in Los Angeles on Friday before her passing.
