On 1 October of this year, the world lost an internationally renowned ethologist and anthropologist whose pioneering research on chimpanzee behaviour and lifelong environmental commitment reshaped our understanding of the natural world. Her studies on primate life began in 1960 in Tanzania and fundamentally altered everything previously believed about these species. Born in London in 1934, she showed an early fascination with the animal kingdom, and her interest soon focused on Africa, where she moved in 1957.

She founded the Jane Goodall Institute—dedicated to research, education, and conservation—and played a pivotal role in the study and protection of the great apes. Established in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute now operates in 25 countries worldwide, including Italy. For her scientific, social, and political contributions, she received numerous honours and leaves behind an extraordinary legacy.

When you meet a chimpanzee, you meet an individual personality. When a young chimpanzee looks at you, it is as if a child were looking at you. We have a responsibility towards him. (Jane Goodall)

For further information:

https://www.janegoodall.it/
https://www.janegoodall.it/index.php/chi-siamo/jane-goodall/bio/ — to explore her remarkable life story.

For those with access to Netflix, her final interview, released posthumously, is available in English: Dr Jane Goodall: Lasting Words.

Recommended reading:
The Book of Hope: A Survival Guide for Trying Times
by Jane Goodall and Douglas Abrams.