In Memory of Jane Goodall

Jane Goodall died on October 1, 2025, at the age of 91. She spent her life reshaping how humanity saw animals—and itself.

Jane Goodall

Known as a pioneering primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace, Jane Goodall devoted decades to raising awareness, inspiring change, and traveling the world nearly 300 days a year. Her groundbreaking research began in July 1960. At 26, she ventured to Gombe Stream in Tanzania with only binoculars and a notebook. There, she won the trust of wild chimpanzees and revealed to science that humans were not the only beings with minds, emotions, and personalities.

Jane Goodall’s journey had begun much earlier, inspired by childhood dreams of Africa. These dreams were shaped by Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle. Initially, without formal training, she relied on patience, intuition, and empathy to study her subjects. Her observations of David Greybeard using tools and eating meat overturned long?held assumptions about human uniqueness. Yet at Cambridge, where Louis Leakey had enrolled her for a doctorate, she faced skepticism and sexism. This was due to her naming her study animals and describing their emotions. She stood firm, drawing confidence from her childhood experiences with her dogs, Rusty and Budleigh, who had taught her that animals think and feel.

In 1986, after more than two decades of fieldwork, Jane Goodall shifted from research to advocacy. Shocked by the plight of captive chimpanzees and environmental destruction, she became a tireless campaigner for animal welfare, conservation, and ethical science. Her work with Francis Collins at the U.S. National Institutes of Health helped phase out the use of chimpanzees in medical research. She influenced countless people to adopt more compassionate lifestyles.

Until her final years, Goodall continued to travel and speak. She offered hope and practical ways for individuals to help the planet. Her life embodied courage, empathy, and an unshakable belief in the power of one person to make a difference. Even in passing, Jane Goodall’s legacy remained a living invitation to protect the earth and all its creatures.

Please read the Interview of Jane Goodall by Henry Nicholls from OMTimes Magazine July B 2016 Edition.