Dr. Jane Goodall, chimpanzee researcher and climate activist, dies at 91

I still remember watching the movie “Gorillas in the Mist” when I was a kid. Dr. Jane Goodall changed the way we see primates in the wild. Her research changed our connection with them for the better. She stood up to poachers and spoke for climate change. She earned many top honors from many countries for her work.

The environmental advocate became a beloved household name who transcended generations through her appearances in documentaries and on television, as well as her travels to address packed auditoriums around the world.

The Jane Goodall Institute announced the primatologist’s death Wednesday in an Instagram post. According to the Washington, D.C.-based institute, Goodall died of natural causes while in California on a U.S. speaking tour.

Her discoveries “revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.

While living among chimpanzees in Africa decades ago, Goodall documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. Her observations and subsequent magazine and documentary appearances in the 1960s transformed how the world perceived not only humans’ closest living biological relatives, but also the emotional and social complexity of all animals, while propelling her into the public consciousness.

Goodall, in her later years, devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. In her soft-spoken British accent, she was known for balancing the grim realities of the climate crisis with a sincere message of hope for the future.

Read more about Dr. Jane Goodall’s life and work here.