Remembering the Incomparable Dr. Jane Goodall 

It’s with heavy hearts that Chimp Haven joins the global community in mourning the passing of the incomparable Dr. Jane Goodall. A trailblazer, scientist, advocate, and beloved friend to animals, Dr. Goodall’s tremendous legacy of groundbreaking work over more than six decades shaped our understanding of the natural world and inspired change for animals and the environment.

Like so many others, the Chimp Haven team is full of individuals who were inspired at a young age by Jane’s historic work with the chimpanzees of Gombe National Park in the 1960s. Her discoveries in Tanzania – including the revelation that chimps create and use tools, a behavior previously believed to be uniquely human – forever changed our relationship with human’s closest living biological relatives.

Over the course of more than six decades, Jane became one of the world’s most respected and tireless advocates for wildlife and environmental conservation. She founded the Jane Goodall Institute in 1977, supporting ongoing research and conservation programs across Africa, and her youth program, Roots & Shoots, spans more than 100 countries, empowering new generations to lead change for people, animals, and the environment.

In 2018, Chimp Haven had the honor of hosting Dr. Goodall, a cherished memory and longtime dream for staff made even more unforgettable when Jane described the sanctuary as, “pretty well perfect” and delivered a pitch-perfect pant-hoot to introduce herself.

During her visit, Jane generously insisted on an impromptu chat with the Chimp Haven team. Staff members gathered around her in the conference room as she told personal stories, fielded questions, and imparted wisdom from her decades of work on behalf of animals. She shared the importance of building bridges and “meeting people where they are” to build the good will and collaboration that leads to change.

A United Nations Messenger of Peace, Dr. Goodall traveled hundreds of days each year into her 80s and 90s, urging world leaders and ordinary citizens alike to take action against climate change, habitat loss, and species extinction. “Every individual matters,” she often said. “Every individual has a role to play. Every individual makes a difference.”

As we mourn her passing and celebrate Jane’s extraordinary legacy of service to our planet and its inhabitants, Chimp Haven is tremendously grateful for her lifelong work on behalf of chimpanzees and their care. It would be impossible to overstate the impact she had on our understanding of human’s closest biological relative and the importance of caring for them, their habitats, and our shared home on earth.

We are forever indebted to the great Dr. Jane Goodall and all that she taught us, and like so many others around the world, will strive to carry on her legacy in our work with the chimps.

From all of us at Chimp Haven, thank you, Dr. Goodall.

Chimp Haven