iHeartPodcasts Honors the Life and Legacy of Jane Goodall

Dr. Jane Goodall, beloved global phenomenon and world-renowned conservationist, died yesterday on October 1, 2025 at 91 years old. 

To honor her life and legacy, iHeartPodcasts is looking back at a 2022 episode of “Amazing Wildlife” where Goodall reflected on the beginning of her career and how she became the world’s leading expert on Chimpanzees after a lifetime of studying animals. 

“I think it must have begun in my mother's womb, because I popped out loving animals right from the very beginning,” Goodall said. “I was taking earth worms to bed when I was one year old, according to mom.”

The late scientist also recalled the first time her interest took her to Africa from her native England, how her mom coming along was the only way she was allowed on expeditions when she was just 23 years old, and why her love of animals led her to making breakthroughs. 

“Well, fortunately I had a wonderful teacher when I was a child, and he taught me that in this respect, the professors were wrong, totally wrong, and that teacher was my dog, Rusty,” she said of the time professors advised her not to get close to the animals while studying them. 

“You cannot share your life in a meaningful way with any animal and not know that we're not the only beings of personalities, mind and emotion,” she challenged. 

During the interview, Dr. Goodall offered some encouraging words for people looking for hope: “I think what inspires me is the incredible people and amazing projects that I used to meet when I traveled around the world…the media is filled with gloom and doom, and yes, we do have to know what's going on. We need to know that we're destroying this planet. But although we need to know this and be inspired to do something about it, we also need to know the amazing and wonderful and extraordinary projects that are going on around the world,” said Goodall. 

Listen to the full episode here to learn more about the late Jane Goodall’s lifelong commitment to conserving our natural world, her love for chimpanzees and what it will take to protect and save our closest relatives—and the planet we all share.