Jane Goodall, famous primatologist who discovered the use of Chimpanzee tools, died at 91
Jane Goodall, the first global chimpanzee expert, died at the age of 91, confirmed the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) in a statement Wednesday, October 1). Goodall died of natural causes in Los Angeles, California, during a word tour.
Goodall “was a remarkable example of courage and conviction, working tirelessly throughout his life to raise awareness of fauna, promote conservation and inspire a more harmonious and lasting relationship between people, animals and the natural world,” said JGI’s declaration.
In 1966, Goodall paused to work at Gombe and finished a doctorate at the University of Cambridge. His doctoral thesis detailed his years of study in Gombe. A key observation that Goodall made in the National Park was that the chimpanzees were able to manufacture and use tools – she saw one of the monkeys denigrate a stick with “fish” for termites in a mound.
The discovery of the manufacturing of chimpanzee tools thwarted the dominant hypothesis at the time that only humans were smart enough to make tools. The revelation inspired Leakey at to announce“We must now redefine the tool, redefine man or accept chimpanzees as humans!”
Goodall was the first person to document that the chimpanzees hunt and eat meat, revealing that they are omnivores rather than vegetarian scientists thought. She also saw chimpanzees kissing each other after the death of a member of the troop and developing a kind of primitive linguistic system.
But Goodall has also documented disturbing behaviors never seen before, as dominant Women kill young people other women.
“We found that the chimpanzees can be brutal – that they, like us, had a darker side to their nature,” wrote Goodall in his book “Reason for hope: a spiritual journey“(Grand Central Publishing, 2000).
In the 1970s, Goodall became more and more concerned with conservation efforts in Gombe and throughout Africa, and in 1977, she founded the non -profit organization Jane Goodall Institute. JGI maintains a presence at Gombe Stream Research Center – Now the longest study of Chimpanzee in progress in the world – and also helps to teach young people around the world to conservation the environment.
Until his death, Goodall has traveled the world almost 300 days a year, speaking of the conservation of wildlife and environmental crises, according to JGI’s declaration. His public conferences have often started with “Dr Jane” Hugs of pants A chimpanzee greeting to its audience, and it would focus on the collective power of individual actions for the benefit of the environment. In a 2002 test published in Time MagazineGoodall has written that “the greatest danger for our future is apathy”.
In a press release, Audrey AzoulayThe UNESCO Director General, said that “Dr. Jane Goodall was able to transmit lessons from her research to everyone, especially young people. She has changed the way we see great apes. Her chimpanzee greetings UNESCO last year – Whoever supported our work for the biosphere – will echo for the years to come. “”
Goodall is survived by his sister, Judy Waters, her sonHugo Eric Louis Van Lawick, who was nicknamed “Grub” when he was a child, and three grandchildren. Grub spent his first years in Gombe, and Goodall’s observations on the Chimpanzees helped her understand how to raise his son, she told People magazine in 1977.
“The chimpanzees have an extremely narrow link between the mother and the child,” she said, “and I raised Grub in this way.”
During his 60 years of work with primates and the dissemination of an environmental conservation message, Goodall inspired other women to become scientists and received many pricesIncluding the commander of the Order of the British Empire (1995), United Nations Messenger of Peace (2002), the French Legion of Honor (2006) and the Presidential Freedom Medalthat she was awarded in January 2025 by the American president Joe Biden.
