Overview
- The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed she died in her sleep of natural causes in California while traveling for a series of talks.
- Dutch zoos and colleagues, including Burgers’ Zoo spokesman Bas Lukkenaar and researcher Frans Plooij, mourn her passing, with Plooij calling it the end of a era.
- Her immersive fieldwork at Gombe documented tool use and distinct personalities in chimpanzees, overturning assumptions about human uniqueness.
- She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to protect chimpanzees and their habitats, and Dutch partners such as Safaripark De Beekse Bergen and Dierenpark Amersfoort highlight her influence.
- She remained active into her nineties with recent visits to Dutch facilities and a U.S. speaking tour, and her Gombe program stands as the longest‑running chimpanzee study as the institute pledges to carry on her work.