Dr. Jane Goodall Passes Away at Age 91
The world mourns the loss of a true icon today.
Dr. Jane Goodall, the renowned primatologist and UN Messenger of Peace, has passed away at 91 from natural causes. The Jane Goodall Institute announced her passing on October 1st, noting she was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.
Photo: Britannica
For Disney fans and conservation advocates, Dr. Goodall’s Jane Goodall conservation legacy holds special significance due to her decades-long partnership with The Walt Disney Company and the Disney Conservation Fund.
Her groundbreaking work with chimpanzees revolutionized our understanding of primates and sparked a global conservation movement that Disney proudly supported.
World-renowned primatologist and chimpanzee expert Dr. Jane Goodall visits Sydney’s Taronga Zoo, on July 14, 2006, to observe the extended family of 19 chimpanzees. Greg Wood/AFP via Getty Images
A Partnership Built on Shared Values
Dr. Goodall was honored as one of five Disney Conservation Legacy honorees in April 2006, receiving a $100,000 gift on behalf of the Disney Conservation Fund. This recognition celebrated her extraordinary contributions to wildlife conservation and environmental protection.
The Jane Goodall conservation legacy extended far beyond that single honor. Dr. Goodall assisted with the launch of the Disney Conservation Fund, attended the opening day celebrations of Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort, and served as a conservation ambassador for Disneynature since the release of 2012’s Chimpanzee.
Disney Legend Joe Rohde posted this on his Instagram shortly after the news broke.
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Bob Iger, current CEO of The Walt Disney Company, also shared a tribute to Dr. Goodall.
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Her connection to Disney’s conservation efforts represented a perfect alignment of values between two organizations committed to protecting our planet’s most vulnerable wildlife.
Jane Goodall appears in the television special “Miss Goodall and the World of Chimpanzees” originally broadcast on CBS, on Dec. 22, 1965, in Gombe Stream National Park, Tanzania. CBS via Getty Images
Throughout her partnership with Disney, Dr. Goodall was an avid supporter of the work the Disney Conservation Fund championed around the world. The fund, established in 1995, has directed more than $132 million to community conservation programs, supporting organizations working to protect wildlife and inspire environmental action.
Dr. Goodall’s collaboration with Disney helped amplify the message that everyone has a role to play in conservation.
Jane Goodall and her son Hugo Eric Louis van Lawick appearing on the ABC TV special ‘Jane Goodall and the World of Animal Behavior: The Lions of the Serengeti’ in Africa, 1976. Walt Disney Television Photo Archive
Visitors to Disney’s Animal Kingdom can still see a lasting tribute to her work – a carving of David Greybeard, the first chimpanzee to trust Dr. Goodall, adorns the iconic Tree of Life.
This permanent reminder ensures that the Jane Goodall conservation legacy will continue to inspire guests for generations to come.
A Life Dedicated to Understanding and Protection
Dr. Goodall’s groundbreaking research at Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania challenged scientific conventions and revealed that chimpanzees have complex social structures, use tools, and display emotions remarkably similar to humans.
Jane Goodall with one of her research chimpanzees in the Gombe National Park in northern Tanzania. Bettmann Archive/Getty Images
Her patient observations and revolutionary discoveries changed how we view our closest evolutionary relatives and sparked worldwide interest in primate conservation.
These discoveries also helped us understand other great ape species better, like the two troops of Western Lowland Gorillas featured in Disney’s Animal Kingdom’s Pangani Forest Exploration Trail.
Her work extended far beyond academic research. Through the Jane Goodall Institute and her Roots & Shoots program, she inspired countless young people to become environmental stewards and advocates for wildlife protection.
The Disney community joins the world in mourning this extraordinary loss while celebrating the incredible Jane Goodall conservation legacy that will continue to protect wildlife and inspire future generations to care for our planet.
Our thoughts are with Dr. Goodall’s loved ones.
