Jane Goodall

British primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall was considered the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees, responsible for discovering that they have distinct personalities, use tools and display complex social behaviours once thought to be exclusively human.

Born in London in 1934, Goodall was fascinated by animals from a young age, sparked in part by the gift of a soft toy chimpanzee named Jubilee. Aged 10, she dreamt of going to Africa to live with wild animals and write books about them. In her early 20s, she travelled to Kenya where she met famed anthropologist Louis Leakey, who later encouraged her to travel to Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania to begin her research. Without formal scientific training at the time, her empathetic, immersive approach set her apart from her contemporaries, though she would go on to earn a doctorate from the University of Cambridge.

In 1977, Goodall established the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), dedicated to wildlife research, conservation and education, and in 1991 launched Roots & Shoots, a youth programme now active in more than 65 countries.

Throughout her life, Goodall continued to travel the world as a tireless advocate for environmental protection, climate action and animal welfare. Named a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002 and honoured with countless awards, including the Presidential Medal of Freedom presented to her by US president Joe Biden in January 2025, she was a global voice of hope—reminding us all that the survival of our species is inseparable from the survival of the natural world.

Jane Goodall died in 2025, at the age of 91.