Early Life and Move to Africa
Jane Goodall was born in London in 1934. At age 23, she traveled to Kenya, where she met paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey. He invited her to observe chimpanzees in Gombe Stream, Tanzania, launching her fieldwork.
Groundbreaking Chimpanzee Research
In Gombe, Goodall documented chimpanzees using tools, hunting, and forming complex social bonds. Her findings challenged ideas that only humans use tools. She named individuals instead of numbering them, changing fieldwork methods.
Conservation and Global Advocacy
Goodall founded the Jane Goodall Institute to support research, habitat protection, and community programs. She created the Roots & Shoots youth initiative and continues to speak on conservation. Learn more at janegoodall.org.
