Famous primatologist Jane Goodall has passed away at age 91.
Jane Goodall Passes Away
“The Jane Goodall Institute has learned this morning, Wednesday, October 1, 2025, that Dr. Jane Goodall DBE, UN Messenger of Peace and Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute has passed away due to natural causes,” the institute announced. “She was in California as part of her speaking tour in the United States.”
The institute added, “Dr. Goodall’s discoveries as an ethologist revolutionized science, and she was a tireless advocate for the protection and restoration of our natural world.”
Disney consulted Dr. Goodall during the construction of Disney’s Animal Kingdom and was honored with a plaque on the Tree of Life alongside a carving of David Greybeard, the original chimpanzee who approached her at Gombe. The plaque and carving are near the entrance to the Tree of Life theater, currently closed to guests as Disney prepares for the opening of Zootopia: Better Zoogether.
She acted as an ambassador for the Disneynature studio, co-producing the 2012 documentary Chimpanzee. She was the subject of several National Geographic productions.
Goodall first visited Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania in 1960 to study chimpanzees. She was a United Nations Messenger of Peace and an honorary member of the World Future Council.
Source: ABC News
For the latest Disney Parks news and info, follow WDW News Today on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
