British conservationist and chimpanzee expert Dame Jane Goodall has died aged 91, The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed. The world's leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour died from natural causes whilst in California as part of her speaking tour across the United States.
The Institute announced her passing in a statement shared to Facebook, describing her as "a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world" whose discoveries "transformed science". Dame Jane was due to speak at a sold-out event at UCLA on Friday.
Global tributes pour in
Maria Shriver, former first lady of California, called Dame Jane "a legendary figure and a friend" in a tribute posted to X. She said: "I admired her, learned from her, and was so honoured to get to spend time with her over the years. She changed the world and the lives of everyone she impacted."
Greenpeace remembered Dame Jane as a conservation giant who inspired millions to act. Will McCallum, Greenpeace's co-executive director in the UK, told PA: "Not only did her pioneering research transform our understanding of chimpanzees and their habitat, but she became a tireless advocate for the protection of wildlife and forests."
The UN family mourned the loss of their Messenger of Peace, with tributes also coming from former Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. Dame Jane had appeared on the Greenpeace stage at Glastonbury Festival last year, speaking about climate change and biodiversity loss.
Scientific breakthrough legacy
Born in London in 1934, Dame Jane began her ground-breaking research at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960. Her observation of a chimpanzee named David Greybeard making tools from twigs challenged the definition of humans as the only tool-making species.
Her research became the longest field study ever undertaken of any group of wild animals. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to continue conservation work beyond research.
Recent recognition and future impact
Dame Jane received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from then-US President Joe Biden in January 2025, though she considered becoming UN Messenger of Peace in 2002 her most prized distinction. She was awarded a damehood in 2004 by the then-Prince of Wales.
Her Roots and Shoots programme, established in 1991 with just 12 Tanzanian students, now operates in more than 60 countries inspiring young environmental leaders. Dame Jane had been scheduled to speak in Washington next week following recent events in Detroit and Austin.
Sources used: "The Jane Goodall Institute", "PA Media", "Greenpeace", "United Nations" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
