LONDON
Scientist and global activist Jane Goodall, who transformed her childhood love of primates into a lifelong mission for environmental protection, died on Wednesday at the age of 91, her institute announced.
The Jane Goodall Institute confirmed in a social media post that Dr. Goodall died of natural causes. The institute stated, “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionised science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Scientific Breakthroughs and Legacy
The primatologist-turned-conservationist channeled her passion for wildlife into a global campaign that took her from a seaside English village to Africa and across the world. Her quest was to better understand chimpanzees, as well as the crucial role humans play in safeguarding their habitat and the overall health of the planet.
- Pioneering Work: Goodall was a pioneer in her field, both as a female scientist in the 1960s and for her groundbreaking work studying primate behaviour. She notably paved the way for other women, including the late Dian Fossey.
- Upending Scientific Norms: She challenged the scientific norms of the time by giving chimpanzees names instead of numbers, observing their distinct personalities, and incorporating their family relationships and emotions into her work. Crucially, she also discovered that, like humans, they use tools.
- Human Connection: As she stated in a 2002 TED Talk, “We have found that after all there isn’t a sharp line dividing humans from the rest of the animal kingdom.”
Shift to Climate Advocacy
As her career advanced, Goodall shifted her focus from primatology to climate advocacy after witnessing widespread habitat devastation. She continuously urged the world to take quick and urgent action on climate change, emphasizing the importance of human responsibility. “We’re forgetting that were part of the natural world,” she told CNN in 2020, adding, “There’s still a window of time.”
Early Life and Journey to Kenya
Born in London in 1934 and raised on England’s south coast, Goodall had always dreamt of living among wild animals, a passion she credited partly to the gift of a stuffed toy gorilla from her father and immersion in books like Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle. Unable to afford university after leaving school, she worked as a secretary and for a film company.
Her dream became attainable when a friend invited her to visit Kenya. After saving money for the journey by boat, Goodall arrived in the East African nation in 1957. There, an encounter with the famed anthropologist Dr. Louis Leakey and his wife, Mary Leakey, set her on the course to work with primates and changed the world of science forever.
