Dame Jane Goodall, Celebrated Primatologist and Conservationist, Dies at 91 – World News

By Karen Beishuizen

Dame Jane Goodall died on 1 October while on a U.S. speaking tour. She was 91.

She became a beloved household name who captivated millions of people through her appearances in documentaries, on television and speaking at soldout auditoriums around the world.

While living among chimpanzees in Africa in her twenties, she documented them doing activities previously believed to be exclusive to humans. She was known for her unconventional approach.

She didn’t simply observe them from afar but immersed herself in every aspect of their lives. She fed them and gave them names instead of numbers.

Her findings were circulated to millions when she first appeared on the cover of National Geographic in 1963. A collection of photos of Dame Jane in the field helped her and even some of the chimps became famous. One iconic image showed her crouching across from the infant chimpanzee named Flint. Each has arms outstretched, reaching for the other.

In 1972, the Sunday Times published an obituary for Flo, Flint’s mother and the dominant matriarch. Flint died soon after showing signs of grief and losing weight.

Dame Jane in her later years devoted decades to education and advocacy on humanitarian causes and protecting the natural world. From her base in the British coastal town of Bournemouth, she traveled nearly 300 days a year, even after she turned 90, for public speeches.

She earned top civilian honors from a number of countries. She was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025 by then-U.S. President Joe Biden and in 2021 won the prestigious Templeton Prize, which honors individuals whose life’s work embodies a fusion of science and spirituality. She received a Damehood by Queen Elizabeth in 2004 and was also named a Messenger of Peace by the United Nations in 2002.

Born in London in 1934, Dame Jane said her fascination with animals began around when she learned to crawl. In her book, “In the Shadow of Man,” she described an early memory of hiding in a henhouse to see a chicken lay an egg. She was there so long her mother reported her missing to police.

She bought her first book — Edgar Rice Burroughs’ “Tarzan of the Apes” — when she was 10 and soon made up her mind about her future: Live with wild animals in Africa.

And that is just what she did: her entire life dedicated to animals. She will always be an International Treasure.

Ringside Report sends their condolences to The Goodall Family in their time of grief.

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