Renowned animal rights activist, anthropologist, primatologist and conservationist Jane Goodall, has died. She was 91.
Her death was confirmed by the Jane Goodall Institute in a post on social media on Wednesday.
“The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away due to natural causes,” the post read. “She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.”
“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” it said.
The post did not say what day she died.
Considered the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, Goodall’s research on them, their personalities, social interactions and communication methods in the 1960s showed that the primates were more like people than previously believed. It was believed prior that they were vegetarians and largely peaceful. She showed they used tools, hunted and were capable of exhibiting complex emotions. Her work thus changed people’s understanding of animals and our connection to them.
“We have learned so much,” she told People in 2020. “We’ve learned how alike chimpanzees are to us, which has changed science perception. In the early 1960s, I was told that the difference between people and animals was one of kind. We were on a pinnacle, and there was an unbridgeable chasm between us and the rest of the animal kingdom.”
Primatology was a male-driven field when she began her career in the 1950s, and her work led numerous women to pursue careers in science.
In 1977 she formed the Jane Goodall Institute, a nonprofit group that seeks to improve the welfare and understanding of primates through education and advocacy.
An outspoken supporter for animal rights, she tirelessly campaigned against the use of animals for medical research, farming and in zoos. She also consistently warned of the dangers of climate change, especially for endangered species, and promoted environmental sustainability.
Goodall was the author of several books, including “My Life With the Chimpanzees,” “Reason for Hope,” and “Seeds of Hope: Wisdom & Wonder from the World of Plants.” She has also been the subject of numerous movies and documentaries, including 2017’s “Jane.” She was named an UN Messenger of Peace in 2002.
She is survived by her son, Hugo, and three grandchildren.