SYDNEY (October 2, 2025)―Humane World for Animals Australia is honouring the life and legacy of Dr Jane Goodall DBE, founder of the Jane Goodall Institute and U.N. Messenger of Peace. The primatologist's name became synonymous with conservation and animal protection due to her contributions to improving the lives of animals, including wild chimpanzees and primates used in laboratory experiments for medical research.
Humane World for Animals and Humane World Action Fund were honoured to have worked with Goodall over the course of several decades, including a period when she served as a board member.
The world will remember Jane Goodall for her compassion for animals, her intelligent mind that sought to educate the public about animal welfare, and her passion for making the world a safer, kinder and fairer place for animals.
"Dr Goodall's life-long work as an ethologist and primatologist will forever be seen as pivotal to our understanding of animals and foundational to the advancement of their rights," said Humane World for Animals Australia Executive Director, Erica Martin. "While we mourn Dr Goodall's passing, we'll look back on her wonderful life with awe and deep respect as we remember her fierce dedication to animals. Put simply, the world is a better place thanks to her tireless efforts along with her brilliant intelligence, grace, wisdom and wit that helped to introduce primates and many other animals to so many people across the globe.
"Dr Goodall inspired generations to embrace a sense of curiosity and respect for animals. Humane World for Animals were honoured to be guided by her vision, accelerating our work to see an end to animal cruelty."
An outline of Dr Jane Goodall's work with Humane World for Animals:
- 1987: Goodall co-petitioned the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service with Humane World for Animals to list chimpanzees as endangered.
- 1988: Humane World for Animals presented Goodall with the Joseph Wood Krutch Award, then the organisation's highest honour.
- 2000: Goodall testified in support of the CHIMP Act, which led to the creation of the primate sanctuary Chimp Haven. She also testified on amendments to the CHIMP Act in 2007 and 2013.
- 2008-2015: Goodall, Humane World for Animals and other organisations successfully pressed the National Institutes of Health to stop funding for invasive chimp research.
- 2011: Goodall joined Humane World for Animals to urge the British government not to weaken its ban on using great apes in research when the new European Union animal experiments directive was transposed into national legislation.
- 2011: Goodall joined Humane World for Animals and a coalition of animal groups to present a petition to the European Parliament calling for the replacement of animals in experiments.
- 2011: Humane World for Animals and the Jane Goodall Institute China's Roots and Shoots Beijing program teamed up with the Beijing Zoo to promote shark protection.
- 2013: Goodall recorded a video message for Humane World for Animals asking the UK government to end the badger cull.
- 2016: Humane World for Animals, the Jane Goodall Institute and a coalition of animal groups spearheaded a plan to care for more than 60 chimpanzees in Liberia who had been used in experiments for decades; Humane World for Animals pledged itself to their lifetime care thereafter.
- 2018: Goodall joined with 49 other veterinary and animal behaviour specialists to urge the UK government to introduce a ban on fur imports and sales.
- 2019: Goodall joined Humane World for Animals to urge the European Union not to overturn a ban on the capturing of wild baby African elephants for export to zoos and circuses.
- 2021: Goodall delivered the keynote speech at a virtual event to mark the 75th anniversary of the International Whaling Commission. She described a 50-year vision for a conservation-focused future, authored by a coalition of organisations, including Humane World for Animals.
About us:
Together, we tackle the root causes of animal cruelty and suffering to create permanent change. With millions of supporters and work happening in over 50 countries, Humane World for Animals—formerly called Humane Society International—addresses the most deeply entrenched forms of animal cruelty and suffering. As the leading voice in the animal protection space, we work to end the cruelest practices, care for animals in crisis and build a stronger animal protection movement. Driving toward the greatest global impact, we aim to achieve the vision behind our name: a more humane world. humaneworld.org
