British conservationist and chimpanzee expert Dame Jane Goodall has died aged 91. The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed her death from natural causes on Wednesday morning.
The Institute announced her passing in an official statement, saying: "The Jane Goodall Institute learned this morning, Wednesday 1 October 2025, that Dr Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, has passed away from natural causes." Dame Jane was in California as part of her speaking tour across the United States when she died.
Scientific legacy and research
The Institute described her transformative impact on science, stating: "Dr Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist transformed science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world." Born in London in 1934, Dame Jane revolutionised animal behaviour research when she began studying free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960.
Conservation mission continues
In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute to continue her conservation work beyond research. The organisation focuses on protecting chimpanzee species and supports youth environmental projects that benefit both animals and their natural habitats.
Sources used: "The Jane Goodall Institute" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
