Dr Jane Goodall

As the incredible trailblazer passes away, aged 91, we republish an edited extract from our final interview.

- JENNY BROWN AND KATE BARBER.

"I was put on this world with a mission."

The world lost a bright star when renowned ethologist, conservationist and environmental activist Dr Jane Goodall DBE died from natural causes, aged 91, on Wednesday October 1, 2025.

Born April 3, 1934, in London, England, she was interested in animals from a very young age. Jane originally became famous for her research on the chimpanzees of Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania during the 1960s and '70s. She conducted groundbreaking work that revealed that chimpanzees are, for example, capable of making and using tools and that they are omnivorous rather than vegetarian.

Jane gained a PhD in ethology at the University of Cambridge in 1965. In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute and, through that, created a youth program in 1991 called Roots & Shoots, to inspire young people to take action to make the world a better place. For her work, she was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2003.