English anthropologist and primatologist Dame Jane Goodall, celebrated as the world’s leading expert on chimpanzees, has died at the age of 91 by natural causes while on a speaking tour in California.
Tributes poured in from across the globe. Former US president Barack Obama hailed her as a trailblazer for women in science, while actor Leonardo DiCaprio called her “a true hero for the planet.”
The UN, Greenpeace, and leading environmentalists described her as a tireless advocate for nature, whose discoveries revolutionised science.
Goodall rose to prominence in 1960 after documenting a chimpanzee using tools in Tanzania, reshaping scientific understanding of animal intelligence. Her close observations revealed that chimpanzees form deep social bonds and even wage territorial wars, challenging long-held assumptions in evolutionary science.
Despite having no formal training at the outset, she went on to earn a PhD and became a global symbol of conservation.
She later founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977 and campaigned against animal captivity, deforestation, and climate change. Honoured as a Dame in 2003 and recipient of the US Presidential Medal of Freedom in 2025, Goodall remained active until her final days.
Leaders, activists, and admirers worldwide mourn her passing, praising her extraordinary legacy for humanity and the planet.
