Particle.news

Download on the App Store

Jane Goodall, Pioneer of Chimpanzee Research, Dies at 91

Her institute said she died in her sleep of natural causes in California during a U.S. lecture tour.

Overview

  • The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed her death on Oct. 2, noting she was in California for a series of talks.
  • Beginning in 1960 at Gombe in Tanzania, she documented chimpanzee tool use and individuality, reshaping scientific assumptions.
  • She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to protect chimpanzees and their habitats and remained active in public outreach into her 90s.
  • Zookeepers in the Netherlands recalled recent visits to De Beekse Bergen and Dierenpark Amersfoort, crediting her with influencing enclosure design and animal welfare practice.
  • Former colleagues and caretakers, including Frans Plooij and staff at Burgers' Zoo, remembered a charismatic mentor whose legacy guides ongoing conservation work.