Dr. Jane Goodall, famed primatologist & friend of G Adventures, dies at 91

Renowned chimpanzee researcher and animal rights advocate Dr. Jane Goodall has passed away at the age of 91.

According to a statement shared by the Jane Goodall Institute on Instagram, she died of natural causes in California, where she had been scheduled to appear on her speaking tour.

"Dr. Goodall's discoveries as an ethologist transformed science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of the natural world," said the post.

Dr. Goodall leveraged her worldwide recognition to highlight the decline of chimpanzee populations and, more broadly, to raise awareness about the dangers of environmental destruction.

She was also an ally of the travel industry – specifically, tour operator G Adventures, with whom she collaborated with on a series of wildlife-focused tours.

As a partner, G Adventures donates a portion of proceeds from the tours to the Jane Goodall Institute of Canada.

In fact, it was almost exactly one month ago, on September 3, that Dr. Goodall was in Toronto to speak at Meridian Hall. 

The specific evening, sponsored by G Adventures, celebrated nearly a decade of collaboration between the tour operator and the Jane Goodall Institute.

What started as a traditional nonprofit-corporate relationship evolved into a deep collaboration. G’s animal welfare policy, for example, was developed with direct feedback from Dr. Goodall herself.

And of course, one of the most visible outcomes of the partnership is The Jane Goodall Collection by G Adventures, a series of 19 wildlife-focused tours endorsed by Dr. Goodall herself.

The experiences invite travellers to witness animals in their natural habitats while upholding the highest ethical standards.

“Jane Goodall endorses our tours to make sure they meet the high standards you'd expect when it comes to animal welfare. But it's more than just animal welfare. It's about protecting natural habitats as well,” said David Green, VP of customer and sales operations and managing director for Canada at G Adventures, speaking to PAX at last month’s speaking event.

“We want to make sure that travellers that go on a Jane Goodall Collection trip come away energized and aware of the role they play when travelling. It fits nicely with our approach to community tourism and goes beyond an animal welfare policy. It’s about the lasting impact that we leave.”

READ MORE: “Every single one of us makes an impact”: Jane Goodall & G Adventures inspire ethical travel

The partnership also aims to equip travel advisors with knowledge they can share with their clients, including explanations about why participating in certain types of wildlife tourism is harmful and should be avoided.

Dr. Goodall also recently participated in a recorded interview with G Adventures’ Founder Bruce Poon Tip.

That conversation was screened for an audience of about 800 people just last Saturday (Sept. 27), on World Tourism Day, at G Adventures’ World Community Tourism Summit (also known as GX) in Amman, Jordan.

Driven by curiosity 

Dr. Goodall’s journey began in childhood, where her passion for animals was nurtured by her mother.

“I had an amazing mother, and this made all the difference. I attribute an enormous amount of who I am and how I've come to her wisdom,” Goodall told her audience in Toronto last month.  

From an early age, her mother encouraged her curiosity—even when Goodall once vanished for hours to study how hens laid eggs.

Growing up in England during World War II shaped her worldview. “During the war in England, we were rationed every month for food… and we were still perfectly content. We have so much today that we don’t actually need,” she said.

Her modest upbringing, combined with her love of books—especially Tarzan of the Apes—sparked her dream of living in Africa to study animals.

Despite skepticism from others, her mother remained her biggest supporter. “She said, if you really want to do something like this, then you’re better to work really hard, take advantage of every opportunity and don’t give up.” That advice would guide Goodall for life.

Eventually, she secured passage to Africa, where she met the famed anthropologist Louis Leakey. Initially hired as his secretary, she soon joined his field expeditions. Around a campfire, Leakey recognized her potential. “[He] decided I was the person he’d been looking for to go and study our closest living relatives, the chimpanzees,” Goodall said.

Then, a breakthrough

In 1960, Goodall arrived at Gombe, Tanzania, with her mother by her side. Living in primitive conditions, she persevered through challenges, including baboons raiding supplies and fears of snakes and scorpions. Her mother boosted morale and even offered medical aid to local villagers, forging crucial community ties.

Breakthrough came when Goodall observed a chimpanzee named David Greybeard using tools to fish termites. “Back then, Western science thought humans, and only humans, used to make tools. We were defined as Man the tool user,” she told her Toronto audience last month.

Her discovery challenged long-held scientific beliefs and drew global attention.

Despite skepticism from academics, Goodall trusted her instincts. “When I got to university, I was told by professors that I’d done everything wrong… You shouldn’t have given the chimpanzees names… You can’t talk about them having personalities, minds or emotions. Those are unique to humans,” she said.

But her observations proved otherwise: “Of course I’d named them. I’d begun to see how like us they are in their gestures and postures…chimpanzees also have a dark side…but they’re also capable of love, compassion and true altruism.”

"Every single one of us makes an impact"

Goodall later shifted from research to activism after witnessing deforestation and the decline of chimpanzees.

She launched community-led conservation through the Jane Goodall Institute, helping local people while protecting wildlife.

Her message to young people became a global movement through Roots & Shoots, founded in 1991.

“Every single one of us makes an impact on the planet every single day, and we get to choose what sort of impact we make,” Goodall said.

Today, the program spans 76 countries, empowering youth to lead conservation and humanitarian projects.

Goodall closed her talk in Toronto with a message of resilience.

“We have opportunity ahead of us. If we get together with our intelligence, with a passion for change, helping our young people to understand there is hope, then we can make the change,” she said.

Rest in peace, Jane.

Don't miss a single travel story: subscribe to PAX today!  Click here to follow PAX on Facebook.