Jane Goodall Left the World With Hope – We Must Carry It Forward

Photo Credit: Dr. Jane Goodall via Facebook

Hope is one of the greatest powers Jane Goodall dealt in and left us with.

South Africa (02 October 2025) – Jane Goodall was one of the world’s greatest minds. She was a formidable but gentle force who brought us closer to animals, made us see their stories differently (in a way that made history), and she dealt in hope, that we can do better for our planet.

She passed away on Wednesday, at age 91, peacefully in her sleep while on a speaking tour in Los Angeles.

Up until her last day, she stood strong in her mission to protect nature and, in turn, our planet and very existence. Her’s was a remarkable life, which left a mark across the world, and especially here in Africa, where her work first began.

Goodall became famous for her groundbreaking study of chimpanzees in Tanzania, a project she began in 1960 when very few men or women had ever ventured that far. She went deep into the forest where she lived among chimps and learned things we never imagined.

The story of how she first got there is actually quite remarkable.

It didn’t start at university, but with a journey across the sea to Kenya in her early 20s, to visit a friend near Nairobi. At that point, she had no formal science degree, but a fierce love for animals. Not long after arriving in Kenya, she met Louis Leakey, the famous palaeontologist and anthropologist.

Her curiosity and spark instantly made an impression, and he soon hired her as his secretary and assistant.

Leakey believed that studying chimpanzees could unlock clues about our own evolution, and he needed someone unshaped by rigid scientific training, someone who could simply watch, listen, and notice. Jane was that person.

Leakey sent her to Gombe Stream in Tanzania in 1960, accompanied by her mom.

Only three months in, she observed a chimp, whom she named David Greybeard, using a twig to fish termites from a mound. It was the first recorded instance of an animal making and using a tool, ever.

That was a discovery that forced the scientific world to rethink what it meant to be human.

Her findings were so revolutionary that the University of Cambridge offered her a PhD programme without her even having an undergraduate degree. It made her one of the first people to earn a doctorate in this way.

In the 60 years since, she has changed the world. She continued her research and paved the way forward for others by founding the Jane Goodall Institute. Under it, she established Roots & Shoots to promote environmentalism and humanitarian work. She authored over 30 titles, many of them children’s books. She received her flowers in awards and honours and died a UN Messenger of Peace.

Most importantly, she never stopped caring deeply for all wildlife, and about people, too.

In her later years, she became an advocate for climate action, habitat restoration, and connecting people like you and I to conservation. A week before her death, in her nineties, Jane was still hosting impactful talks.

They were about how the climate crisis is the greatest challenge of our time, but if we act with courage and hope, change is still possible.

What we will always love, respect and carry forward in her memory is her hope.

Dr. Jane Goodall on Jane’s Peak in Gombe National Park, Tanzania

She often said that our greatest danger as human beings is apathy. That every one of us must take responsibility. She refused to believe we were powerless in the face of greater problems like climate change or species loss.

She was one of the fighters who urged action and compassion for nature, and she did so with love. In her memory we should all do the same.