Remembering Jane Goodall: A Life with Chimpanzees and Humanity

The world has lost one of its greatest scientific and humanitarian voices. Dr. Jane Goodall, the pioneering primatologist, anthropologist, and conservationist, passed away at the age of 91 while on a speaking tour in California. Her death was announced by the Jane Goodall Institute, the organization she founded nearly fifty years ago.

Goodall transformed our understanding of primates and of ourselves. In 1960, at just 26 years old, she arrived in Tanzania’s Gombe National Park. With patience, empathy, and careful observation, she uncovered truths that revolutionized science. She showed the world that chimpanzees, long thought to be mere imitators of instinct, were toolmakers, social beings, and individuals with personalities. Her observations of gestures like hugging, hand-holding, and even violence revealed deep continuities between human and nonhuman primates.

Her work was never confined to the forest. Goodall became a tireless advocate for conservation, education, and climate action, inspiring generations to protect the natural world. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, later became a UN Messenger of Peace, and continued traveling well into her 80s and 90s to call for environmental stewardship. She also became a pop culture icon, honored with a Barbie doll, countless documentaries, and international recognition, yet she always spoke humbly of the chimpanzees who were still “teaching us.”

Goodall’s legacy stretches beyond primatology. She was a trailblazer for women in STEM, a reminder of the power of childhood curiosity (fueled by books like Tarzan and Doctor Dolittle), and a voice of hope even in times of planetary crisis.

As we remember Jane Goodall, we celebrate not only her discoveries but also her belief that compassion and action can shape a better future for humans, animals, and the Earth itself.

Quick Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Jane Goodall

1. At what age did Jane Goodall first travel to Tanzania to begin her chimpanzee research?

A) 21

B) 26

C) 32

D) 40

E) 45

2. Which groundbreaking behavior did Goodall observe in chimpanzees that challenged the definition of “human”?

A) Singing

B) Tool-making

C) Building shelters

D) Farming

E) Domesticating other animals

3. What organization did Jane Goodall found in 1977?

A) Roots & Shoots

B) World Wildlife Fund

C) The Jane Goodall Institute

D) Conservation International

E) United Nations Environmental Network

4. In 2002, Jane Goodall was named:

A) Nobel Peace Prize Laureate

B) A UN Messenger of Peace

C) President of the Royal Anthropological Institute

D) National Geographic Explorer-in-Residence

E) UK’s Minister of Science

5. Goodall often said chimpanzees are still “teaching us.” Which of the following is not one of the human-like behaviors she documented?

A) Hand-holding and hugging

B) Waging war

C) Using tools

D) Writing on cave walls

E) Showing altruism

Answer Key: 1-B, 2-B, 3-C, 4-B, 5-D