Dame Jane Goodall passed away yesterday on the 1st of October, aged 91, dedicating her life to changing how the world understood animals and, in turn, humanity itself.
A statement from her eponymous institute said she died of natural causes while on a speaking tour in California.
“Dr Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
Born in London in 1934, Jane dreamed of living with wild animals and writing about them from the age of 10. Many just threw back their heads in mirth.
“People said, ‘You’re just a girl. Africa’s a dangerous place,’” she once recalled.
But her mother Vanne offered a different message. “Mum said, ‘If you want to do something like this, you’ll have to take every opportunity, work hard and, if you don’t give up, you’ll find a way.’”
At 26, Jane travelled to Tanzania to study chimpanzees in their natural environment. Living in basic conditions, initially with her mother, Vanne she spent long, solitary days in the forest, patiently earning the animals’ trust.
As the first person to be accepted into a chimp community, Jane’s decades of observation changed forever how humans view their closest evolutionary relatives.
Breakthrough
Her breakthrough came in 1960, when she observed a chimpanzee using a twig to extract termites from a termite mound. It was the first recorded instance of an animal modifying a tool for a purpose, something previously thought to be uniquely human. The discovery launched her career as one of the most influential field researchers of the 20th century.
In later years, she travelled widely to promote conservation through the Jane Goodall Institute and the Roots & Shoots programme, which she founded in 1991, inspired young people to care for the planet.
“They are our hope for the future,” she said in 2022.
Jane is survived by her son, Hugo, and three grandchildren. Her life’s work leaves a legacy of compassion, courage and hope for generations to come.
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