The Jane Goodall Institute declared April 3 Dr. Jane Goodall Day, in celebration of the conservationist’s birthday and legacy.
Goodall, who died October 2025 at age 91, was an anthropologist and primatologist who shifted the world’s understanding of chimpanzees.
Founded in 1977, the Jane Goodall Institute was founded to support Goodall’s research in Tanzania. Since then, it has grown into a global non-profit committed to wildlife research that prioritizes community-centered learning.
The April 3 celebration is intended to honor Goodall by promoting the performance of acts of goodwill, of any size. Those partaking can share their deeds using #GoodAllDay on social media.
“The idea is simple: do good, all day,” the institute’s website read.
The official Jane Goodall Facebook account announced the celebration March 23 and users took to the comment section of the post to share their appreciation for the renowned activist.
Some shared stories of meeting her, and others explained the impact she had on their attention to environmental change.
User Elise Seidman Salisbury, who met Goodall in 2018, shared that Goodall had advised Salisbury’s young son, who was interested in wild animals.
“She said start locally," Salisbury wrote. “He began working at our local nature center and then got his degree in conservation biology. He now works for a different conservation education organization in land stewardship.”
Another user, Margaret Thomas, shared changes they have made in response to Goodall’s mission.
“Our senior community is no longer using Styrofoam,” Thomas said. “We simply carry a container if we want to take food home, and we are happy with the outcome so far.”
Kitty Block, president and CEO of Humane World for Animals, shared an article from HWA about Goodall alongside a brief message on Goodall’s impact on animal welfare.
“Jane Goodall was a beacon for all of us who are trying to make the world a better place for animals,” Block said in a LinkedIn post.
The article, written by Jeffrey Flocken, describes the impact Goodall had on animals and conservationists.
“Like many others in the animal welfare and wildlife conservation field, I was inspired by Jane for my whole career,” Flocken said in the article. “She was also someone whom I was lucky enough to collaborate with and consider a friend.”
Flocken, a prominent animal welfare advocate and award-winning author, is a co-founder of Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders, which mentors up-and-coming conservationists.
Additionally, Flocken interviewed Goodall in 2023 for HWA’s All Animals magazine; the two discussed her observation of chimpanzees and hope for the future of conservation.
The institute’s youth-led community action program, Roots & Shoots, spent April 3 not only celebrating Goodall, but also its 35th anniversary.
The program, founded by Goodall in 1991, partners with young people in more than 60 countries to address issues in their communities.
Young people can honor Goodall by creating a profile on the Roots & Shoots site.
On March 30, the Facebook account shared a few ideas for ways to celebrate Goodall’s legacy April 3.
“Take action in her name,” the post said. “Ask yourself, ‘what would Jane do?’ and act.”
Whether it is as simple as practicing kindness to those around you or even hosting a community cleanup event, the institute shared that all practices of bettering communities are honorable and a remembrance of Goodall.
“Jane taught us that hope is action,” the institution’s website said. “When you give, you create real change in animal welfare, scientific innovation, youth action, climate solutions and ecosystem restoration.”
Cv592923@ohio.edu
