'Dame Jane inspired millions to care, to act, and to hope'

OSCAR-WINNING actor and environmental campaigner Leonardo DiCaprio has led tributes to his “dear friend” and personal “hero”, Dame Jane Goodall, following her death at the age of 91.

- HANNAH ROBERTS

the gorillas of the Budapest Zoo in Hungary, February 11, 2008

(AP)

The conservationist, whose home town was Bournemouth in Dorset, was the world’s leading expert on chimpanzee behaviour, died from “natural causes” in California, The Jane Goodall Institute said in a statement on Wednesday.

Tributes have since poured in for the ethologist, who began researching free-living chimpanzees in Tanzania in 1960, a time when it was unheard of for a woman to venture into the wilds of Africa.

Hollywood actor DiCaprio, said “we all must carry the torch for Dame Jane” and protect “our one shared home”, in a post to Instagram on Wednesday.

The Titanic star, 50, shared photos of him and Dame Jane who was made a UN Messenger of Peace in 2002, 12 years before DiCaprio was also given the honorific title.

“Today we have lost a true hero for the planet, an inspiration to millions, and a dear friend,” DiCaprio said.

“Jane Goodall devoted her life to protecting our planet and giving a voice to the wild animals and the ecosystems they inhabit.

“Her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees in Tanzania transformed our understanding of how our closest relatives live, socialise and think - reminding us that we are deeply connected not only to chimpanzees and the other great apes, but to all life. For decades, Jane travelled the world with tireless energy, awakening generations to the wonder of the natural world.