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Jane Goodall died on October 1, 2025, at age 91. The Jane Goodall Institute said she died of natural causes; the Associated Press independently reported her death and noted that she was in California on a U.S. speaking tour.
Goodall’s legacy reaches far beyond one famous discovery. Her patient fieldwork gave individual chimpanzees recognizable personalities, family relationships and social histories in the eyes of science. She later used that authority to build conservation programs, support communities living near wildlife habitat and encourage young people to take practical action for animals and the environment.
The chimpanzee observation that changed science
Goodall began studying wild chimpanzees at Gombe in Tanzania in 1960. At the time, many scientists drew a sharper line between humans and other animals than is common today. Tool-making, in particular, was often treated as a defining human trait.
In 1960, Goodall observed a chimpanzee named David Greybeard fashioning a twig tool to fish termites from a nest. The Jane Goodall Institute and the Associated Press describe the observation as challenging the prevailing belief that only humans made and used tools.
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The finding was scientifically important, but its significance was not limited to termite fishing. It helped show that the boundary between human and nonhuman abilities was more complicated than many people had believed. Goodall’s observations also included complex social behavior.
It is more accurate to say that Goodall’s long-term observations were foundational and highly influential than to describe her as the sole discoverer of everything now known about chimpanzees. Later researchers have expanded, tested and refined the field. Goodall’s lasting contribution was helping create the conditions for a richer scientific understanding of animal behavior.
She saw chimpanzees as individuals, not abstractions
Goodall’s approach also changed how animal behavior could be documented. She gave chimpanzees names rather than referring to them only by numbers and recorded differences in temperament, family relationships, alliances and habits. The Associated Press notes that some scientists criticized this practice at the time.
Her observations documented strong mother-infant bonds and complex social behavior, including hunting, altruism and compassion. Chimpanzees are not identical machines responding to fixed instincts. They have distinct personalities and form relationships.
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This perspective matters to anyone who lives with or cares for animals. It does not mean that chimpanzees, dogs, cats and other species are interchangeable with humans. It does mean that animal behavior is often more flexible, social and individual than a simple “instinct versus intelligence” story suggests.
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From field researcher to conservation leader
Goodall’s scientific career gradually became inseparable from conservation. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977. The Institute describes its current work as including scientific research and innovation, community-led conservation, animal welfare and rescue, forest restoration, and youth action.
The Institute’s work includes Tacare, its community-led conservation program, two sanctuaries for rescued chimpanzees and other species, and ongoing research at Gombe. Its approach connects wildlife and forest protection with community priorities.
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For that reason, the Institute’s approach connects chimpanzee and forest protection with community priorities. Conservation can include supporting sustainable local action, restoring forests and involving residents in decisions about the landscapes around them. The goal is not simply to keep people away from wildlife, but to make coexistence more workable and conservation more durable.
The Jane Goodall Institute describes its approach as science-driven and community-led. That reflects the practical side of Goodall’s public work: concern for animals was meant to lead to better choices, stronger institutions and local efforts—not only admiration for wildlife.
Roots & Shoots made conservation personal for young people
Goodall also founded Roots & Shoots, a youth action program. It encourages young people to identify problems in their own communities and develop projects addressing people, animals or the environment.
The Jane Goodall Institute says Roots & Shoots reaches 75 countries, according to its biography page. That is the Institute’s reported figure, not an independently audited count.
The program’s design reflects Goodall’s belief that people are more likely to protect the natural world when they can see a connection between global problems and their own daily choices. A project can start with habitat restoration, animal welfare, waste reduction, community education or another achievable local goal.
A public voice for animals and the environment
Goodall became a prominent science communicator and conservation advocate. The Jane Goodall Institute identifies her as a United Nations Messenger of Peace. The Institute says she was named to that role in 2002, gazetted a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2003, received France’s Legion d’Honneur in 2006, and was awarded the U.S. Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025.
Those honors mattered less than how she used public visibility. Goodall connected scientific evidence with questions of responsibility: how humans treat animals, how forests are protected, how communities participate in conservation and what individuals can do when environmental problems seem too large to solve.
Her message was not that optimism requires ignoring ecological damage. It was that despair is not a conservation strategy. Research, education, habitat protection, animal rescue, community partnership and youth participation all provide ways to turn concern into action.
How her work continues
The Jane Goodall Institute continues work in research, education, conservation, forest restoration, animal welfare and community-based programs. Readers who want to engage with that legacy can learn about its conservation initiatives or explore its youth programs.
Readers can visit the Jane Goodall Institute official store for books and other items. An adoption listed by the store is symbolic, not a way to take an animal home. The dossier does not establish an affiliate relationship, so the store should not be described as an affiliate partner.
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There are also meaningful ways to honor Goodall without buying anything: support habitat protection, choose responsible wildlife tourism, reduce pressure on forests and endangered species, volunteer with a local animal or environmental organization, and help children develop informed, compassionate relationships with animals.
Recommended reading: The Book of Hope
Readers looking for Goodall’s own reflections can start with The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, co-authored by Goodall and Douglas Abrams. The Jane Goodall Institute says the book has been translated into more than 20 languages.
It is best understood as a book about hope and perspective, not as a comprehensive biography of Goodall’s entire life. Edition, format, price and availability can vary, so readers should check the current listing before buying.
Why Jane Goodall’s legacy endures
Goodall changed science by showing that careful, long-term observation could reveal complex social lives in wild animals. She changed public conversation by making chimpanzees recognizable as individuals with relationships and distinct personalities. And she broadened her work into conservation, animal welfare and youth action.
Her most important lesson was therefore broader than the image of a chimpanzee using a twig. Animals deserve to be studied with patience and respect; conservation must account for people as well as habitats; and hope has value when it is expressed through sustained action.
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When did Jane Goodall die?
Jane Goodall died on October 1, 2025. The Jane Goodall Institute said she died of natural causes.
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How old was Jane Goodall when she died?
She was 91. The Jane Goodall Institute lists her lifespan as 1934–2025.
What was Jane Goodall known for?
She was known for her long-term study of wild chimpanzees at Gombe, which began in 1960, and for her later work in conservation, animal welfare and youth action.
What did Jane Goodall discover about chimpanzees?
She observed chimpanzees using tools, including David Greybeard fashioning a twig to fish termites from a nest. The observation challenged the belief that tool-making was uniquely human.
What is the Jane Goodall Institute?
Founded by Goodall in 1977, the Institute works in research, community-led conservation, animal welfare and rescue, forest restoration and youth action.
What is Roots & Shoots?
It is a youth action program founded by Goodall. The Jane Goodall Institute says it reaches 75 countries.
What is a good Jane Goodall book to read?
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times, co-authored by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams, explores hope and perspective in difficult times. The Jane Goodall Institute says it has been translated into more than 20 languages.
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