Dr. Jane Goodall's Life in Photos: Remembering the Animal Welfare Activist After Her Death at 91

Dr. Jane Goodall will be remembered for her groundbreaking research on chimpanzees and her advocacy efforts.

Born in Bournemouth, England, on April 3, 1934, the famous animal welfare activist had always been passionate about wildlife. Their family also had pets, including a dog named Rusty, a pony and a tortoise.

After reading the Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle series when she was about 8 years old, Goodall began dreaming of traveling to Africa and learning more about animals.

She attended Uplands School in nearby Poole but was unable to afford college. After going to a secretarial school in South Kensington, Goodall took on a few jobs and saved money to visit a friend outside Nairobi, Kenya. She traveled in March 1957, when she was 23 years old.

Goodall soon met paleontologist Dr. Louis Leakey, who employed her as a secretary at the National Museum in Nairobi.

Goodall began her work with Leakey and his wife, Mary, at the Olduvai Gorge. After witnessing her passion for animals and nature, the paleoanthropologist asked her to study wild chimpanzees at the Gombe Stream National Park.

"Looking back, Jane always said she'd have 'studied any animal' but felt extremely lucky to have been given the chance to study man's closest living relative in the wild," the description on Goodall's website reads.

Goodall returned home in December 1958, while Leakey set plans in motion for her expedition.

According to National Geographic, Goodall prepared herself by working at Granada Television's film library and studying the behavior of primates during her free time.

After Leakey obtained permits and funding from the Wilkie Brothers Foundation, Goodall set sail and arrived in Gombe on July 14, 1960. In the initial weeks of her stay, she faced challenges — including developing a fever — but managed to begin her study afterward.

During her time in Gombe, Goodall uncovered the groundbreaking findings, revealing that chimpanzees are omnivores and capable of using tools.

While still working in the field, Leakey helped her enroll in a doctoral program despite not having an undergraduate degree. She went on to study for a PhD in Ethology at Newnham College, Cambridge, and completed her doctoral thesis, The Behaviour of Free-living Chimpanzees in the Gombe Stream Reserve, in 1965.

Goodall earned her PhD on February 9, 1966.

In addition to her work as a scientist and ethologist, Goodall expanded her work as a conservationist and activist after attending a primatology conference in 1986.

"Equipped with little more than a notebook, binoculars, and her fascination with wildlife, Jane Goodall braved a realm of unknowns to give the world a remarkable window into humankind's closest living relatives," the About page on the Jane Goodall Institute's website shares. "Through nearly 60 years of groundbreaking work, Dr. Jane Goodall has not only shown us the urgent need to protect chimpanzees from extinction; she has also redefined species conservation to include the needs of local people and the environment."

While protecting the chimpanzees, Goodall began raising awareness by establishing organizations and launching programs.

In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI), initially to support the research at Gombe Stream National Park. The organization has continued to grow in recent years, with a total of 25 JGI offices operating diverse global initiatives.

She then established JGI's Roots & Shoots, a global humanitarian and environmental program for young people, in 1991.

In 2017, Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation.

"I have launched the Jane Goodall Legacy Foundation in order to create an endowment that will enable the programmes I have developed to continue, and new ones to be initiated, so that the fight to make a better world for people, animals and the environment may carry on beyond my lifetime," she said.

In 2006, Goodall attended the Reason for Hope Gala in New York to support the work of the JGI.

Goodall made an appearance at the 5th Annual Wings WorldQuest Women of Discovery Gala in New York in March 2007.

During Live Earth in New Jersey, Goodall interacted with Rachel Weisz as they delivered their speeches to the audience.

Goodall was pictured at the Clinton Global Initiative in September 2007.

Goodall spoke with Prince Albert when she opened her exhibition in Monaco in June 2008.

Goodall posed with Pierce Brosnan and his wife, Keely Shaye, at the JGI's 2nd Annual Global Leadership Awards.

Goodall arrived at the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival – Opening Night Gala in Los Angeles, Calif.

Award-giving bodies honored Goodall and her legacy over the years.

She was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace in 2002 and was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) at Buckingham Palace two years later.

Her other recognitions include The Benjamin Franklin Medal in Life Science, the French Légion d'honneur, the Gandhi-King Award for Nonviolence, Japan's Kyoto Prize, the Medal of Tanzania, the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement and the United States Presidential Medal of Freedom.

The ethologist posed in front of a wall painting by local artist Adam Lo in Hong Kong before the Hope for Wildlife Gala in November 2016.

Goodall had a heartwarming interaction with horses during the 2017 National Geographic Science Festival.

In October 2017, Goodall graced the red carpet at the Jane premiere screening at the Hollywood Bowl.

Goodall attended the Los Angeles premiere of the Apple TV+ Original Series Jane Season 1.

"I believe that stories have the power to inspire people to action.I am very hopeful that this series will encourage young people, their families and friends to help save animals around the world," she said at the time.

In September 2024, Goodall spoke at the Clinton Global Initiative conference while holding up a sign that read, "VOTE FOR NATURE!"

A statement on Goodall's Instagram page confirmed the activist died of natural causes while on the West Coast.

"She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States. Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world," the post read. "Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world."

Goodall was scheduled to speak at UCLA on October 3 and at George Washington University on October 7 as part of the tour.