Author: Jane Goodall

To Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, I am writing to beg for amnesty for the guardians of Iran’s nature and that they may be given the gift of freedom:Taher GhadirianSam RajabiHouman JowkarNiloufar BayaniSepideh KashaniAmirhossein KhaleghiMorad TahbazAll the above are people who have done much for Iran’s future.Yours Sincerely,Jane Goodall Ph.D., DBEFounder – the Jane Goodall InstituteUN Messenger of Peace

This is a Valentine’s Day message to my JGI and R&S family. I am sure some of you know the feeling of wondering, hoping, that on this special day you would receive a gift or a card from someone you care about. It is a day for thinking about those you love. And I think all of us love nature. As you all know our world is in trouble environmentally. We are plundering the finite natural resources of our beautiful planet in a way that is not sustainable and we are polluting air, earth and water. We are destroying forests and other ecosystems,…

Dear JGI staff, board members, volunteers, members, and friends, As another year comes to a close, I want to thank all of you who have supported us in our efforts to make the world a better place for people, animals and the environment. The 25 chapters of JGI have, between them, had a major positive effect around the world.  We all know that we are going through dark times, environmentally, politically, and socially. The terrible war in Ukraine still inflicts so much suffering, particularly as the long hard winter sets in. And we must not forget the suffering of many Russians who…

It is hard for me to imagine Britain without Queen Elizabeth II. For more than ¾ of my life she was our Queen, with her calm elegance, her ready smile, the way she waved to people from car or coach that was uniquely hers. She maintained her position right to the end, and became the longest reigning monarch of Britain. Throughout her long, arduous and devoted years of service she was respected and loved. She actually met and worked with 15 British Prime Ministers over the decades. And she lived through so much change during her years as Monarch. Throughout all the violence, rioting, wars, climate change and…

Dr. Goodall shared the following letter with U.S. Secretary of the Interior Deb Haaland endorsing the need to advance full protections for grey wolves. This was shared in conjunction with a coalition of organizations efforts, including Dr. Goodall + JGI, to advance a petition seeking immediate Endangered Species Act (ESA) protection. This petition is to protect gray wolves in the northern Rockies. Dear Madame Secretary,I was so happy to learn last week that protections for gray wolves were partially restored in the United States following the ruling of U.S. District Judge Jeffrey White –though of course I am disappointed that…

It was a sad day for conservation and for his many collaborators, friends and especially his family, when John Hare left Planet Earth on February, 2nd, 2022.  John was one of my great friends – and I use ‘great’ in its truest sense for he was one of the great adventurers and explorers, always ready to take on new challenges, travelling into some of the wildest, most inhospitable places in the world, facing with courage – and subsequently described with a British sense of humour – the many dangers he encountered.  He didn’t look like a tough guy, burley and…

A few days ago I was writing about the lives of four icons – Desmond Tutu, Tom Lovejoy, E.O Wilson, and Betty white who all died within the last week of 2021  And now, at the very start of 2022, on 2nd January, they are joined by Richard Leakey. That he lived to be 77 is a tribute to his indomitable will to beat the odds, for Richard was plagued by health problems from the age of 11 when he fractured his skull, falling from a horse, and nearly died.  He had two kidney transplants, the first in 1979 was donated by…

On the 31st December, we lost Betty White, perhaps one of the most respected and most beloved actresses of Hollywood. Indeed she was named the Mayor of Hollywood. She died just 2 weeks from celebrating her 100th birthday and I find myself writing this tribute as a memorial to her life, rather than part of a planned video tribute for her birthday. While many people knew her as an iconic actress, I knew her for her love of animals, a love that was genuine and meaningful. She was a patron of LA zoo where I met her several times and I like to think…

Wilson died aged 92 the day after Dr. Thomas Lovejoy, on the same day as Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Ed is best known for his exhaustive study of ants, and his investigations, in different parts of the world, into the concept of evolution. As a result of these studies, he came up with the theory of Sociobiology. Initially he applied this to ant society, pointing out that the complex soci​eties they formed were determined by genetic inheritance.  He then applied this theory to other animals and finally to humans  – which created a good deal of controversy.  Because some people never read his arguments…

Dr. Thomas Lovejoy died on 25th December – what a tragic Christmas for those close to him – and a sense of loss for all who knew him as a warm and caring human being, the opposite of arrogant, and a true giant in the conservation world. He was a scientist who brought an understanding and love of the natural world to millions. His editorials in the New York Times were very educational – and he wrote in such an engaging way.  It was he who first drew the world’s attention to the ongoing destruction of the Amazon rainforest, and he succeeded, working with…