By Sukhdev Chhatbar
President Samia Suluhu Hassan has led the nation in mourning the passing of Dr Jane Goodall, the world-renowned primatologist whose life and work were closely tied to Tanzania.
“With great sorrow, I have received the news of the passing of Dr Jane Goodall. A renowned zoologist, primatologist, researcher and a friend,” President Samia said, adding that it is now incumbent upon all Tanzanians “to honour her legacy and protect our forests.”
In an exclusive interview with The Arusha News in March this year, Dr Jane Goodall told the author of this story: “My hope is in young people… They are already changing the world, growing into compassionate leaders who will shape a better future. (The full interview will be republished in next week’s edition).”
Dr Goodall, who died on October 1, 2025, at the age of 91 while on an awareness raising tour in California, first came to Tanzania in 1960 to begin her ground-breaking study of chimpanzees at Gombe Stream National Park. Her discoveries on tool use, social bonds, intelligence and the emotional lives of chimpanzees transformed science and changed humanity’s understanding of the natural world.
Over the decades she also built the Jane Goodall Institute, launched Roots & Shoots for young people and tirelessly campaigned for wildlife and habitat conservation.
Tributes have poured in from across the globe and from those who knew her personally. Long-time collaborator Joe Rohde reflected: “Her public persona was so overwhelmingly compelling that it’s difficult sometimes to remember that she was just a person. But when you met with her, that is exactly what she was… ‘just a person’ can do amazing and impactful things. Jane had an inexhaustible capacity for hope. But she was very clear about what hope was… hope is action.”
The ABC News, in reporting on her final recorded message, recalled her words: “I’ve been working on trying to make this a better world for animals, people and the environment… one of my greatest reasons for hope… is the youth.”
Even as the world mourns her loss, Arusha is preparing to ensure her story continues to inspire future generations. Plans are underway to establish “Dr Jane’s dream, The Goodall Centre of Hope” within the Arusha Cultural Heritage complex. The centre will include interactive exhibits on her life and work at Gombe, spaces for community education and programmes for young people to learn about conservation.
The project is supported by philanthropic partners and designed to become a regional hub for conservation education and heritage.
The Managing Director of the Arusha-based Cultural Heritage Centre, Mr Saifuddin Khanbhai, told The Arusha News that Dr Jane’s dream complex is well underway and will be completed next year.
“We are now more than determined to complete the complex which she wanted to see opened but very sadly not,” said Mr Khanbhai, who has known and associated with Dr Jane for over ten years. “She is resting in a better place. We will make sure her legacy lives on.”
