Jane Goodall, conservationist and chimpanzee expert, dies aged 91

Jane Goodall, a renowned British conservationist and primatologist who was renowned for her groundbreaking work on chimpanzees, passed away at the age of 91.

Goodall passed away during a speaking engagement in the United States, according to a Facebook post from the Jane Goodall Institute on Wednesday.

Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethnologist transformed science, and she fought tirelessly for the restoration and protection of the natural world, according to the institute.

In 1960, Goodall began researching free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania after being born in London in 1934.

She made the groundbreaking observation that challenged the idea that humans are the only species with the capacity to produce tools by observing a chimpanzee named David Greybeard making a tool from twigs and using it to catch termites from a nest.

She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to promote conservation of great apes and their natural habitat, as well as to support young initiatives that benefit both animals and the environment.

In her later years, Goodall focused on promoting humanitarian causes and protecting the environment. She was known for putting a sincere message of hope for the future in harmony with the grim realities of the climate crisis.

She spent nearly 300 days a year speaking to crowded auditoriums around the world from her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, even after turning 90. Her speeches frequently featured her yeoping like a chimpanzee or lamenting that Tarzan chose the wrong Jane in between more serious messages.

She became a Messenger of Peace in 2002, making a notable United Nations appearance.