Dr. Jane Goodall has died. She was 91.
The renowned conservationist, who spent decades studying chimpanzees, “passed away due to natural causes” on Wednesday while in California for a speaking tour, a statement released by her institute shared via Instagram read.
“Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world,” the institute continued.
Goodall was most famously known for her research with chimpanzees, which began at the Gombe National Park in Tanzania when she was 26 years old in the 1960s.
She was appointed by Dr. Louis Leakey, a paleoanthropologist and archaeologist, to study the species in the park alongside fellow researchers Dian Fossey and Birute Galdikas, who studied gorillas and orangutans, respectively, per Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest.
Goodall’s studies showed that chimps are similar to humankind in the way they behave “with their gestures,” including by “kissing, embracing, holding hands and patting [each other] on the back.”
“The fact they can use and make tools,” she told ABC News in 2020. “The fact that they can actually be violent and brutal and have a kind of war, but also loving an altruistic.”
“They’re like us in all these ways,” Goodall added, explaining she was “still learning new things” about chimps after studying them for 60 years.
At the time, the researcher explained her dream of living amongst animals sparked when she read “Tarzan” and “Dr. Dolittle” when she was 10.
She recalled the challenge of adapting to the “steep” and “mountainous” terrain in Tanzania, and having to be cautious of the leopards and buffalo in the area.
“But it’s what I’ve always dreamed of,” Goodall gushed, saying she was “meant” to perform that type of work.
Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 to continue her studies on chimpanzees and to advocate for their protection.
In 1992, she expanded her efforts by establishing The Tchimpounga Chimpanzee Rehabilitation Center in Congo, which cares for 150 of the species, per her website.
Goodwall was also named a UN Messenger of Peace in 2004.
When Goodall celebrated her 90th birthday in 2024, the institute shared she continued to “travel approximately 300 days each year, spreading her inspirational message of hope through action.”