Jan Goodall and Dr Jean Felix Kinani in Rwanda invited by the Rwanda Development Board (RDB) – Conservation and tourism Department
Dr. Jane Goodall
1934 – 2025
Conservationists mourn the loss of a true pioneer, visionary, and global advocate for wildlife and the environment Dr. Jane Goodall.
Known worldwide for her groundbreaking 65-year study of wild chimpanzees in Gombe, Tanzania, Dr. Goodall transformed the way we understand primates, their behavior, and their emotional complexity. Her pioneering discovery of tool use in chimpanzees deepened our understanding of primate evolution and cognitive complexity. https://www.researchgate.net/scientific-contributions/Jane-Goodall-38125341
Dr. Jane, Founder of the Jane Goodall Institute was more than a scientist. In the latter part of her life, she became a powerful voice for animal welfare, species conservation, climate action, and environmental justice. She dedicated her life to empowering young people, creating initiatives like Roots & Shoots, and inspiring countless individuals to protect the planet and its inhabitants.
Dr Kinani, Founder and CEO of the OHAC – Gorilla Health was honored to meet Dr. Goodall during one of her visits to Rwanda and the Nyungwe National Park, where she expressed strong support for our work. Her words of encouragement and unwavering commitment to conservation left an indelible mark on all of us. She recognized the importance of local efforts and appreciated the work of fellow primatologists across Africa.
She especially praised the groundbreaking work of Dr. Jean-Felix Kinani Sangwa, whose 2013 discovery marked a historic moment in primatology. While observing wild mountain gorillas in Rwanda, Dr. Kinani documented for the first time a young female gorilla using a stick to forage for ants. This was the first-ever recorded case of tool use for food acquisition in wild mountain gorillas, an extraordinary milestone published in the American Journal of Primatology. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ajp.22351
As Dr. Antoine Mudakikwa, Head of Veterinary Services at the Rwanda Development Board, remarked, “Now we have seen it – a wild mountain gorilla adopting tool use for food acquisition.” This finding by Dr Kinani, like Dr. Goodall’s work on chimpanzee behavior, continues to inspire research and deepen our understanding of great apes.
Dr Jean Felix Kinani Sangwa One Health Approach for Conservation (OHAC) – Gorilla health in 2015. With a wildlife veterinary background, I did my master course in the Field Epidemiology and Laboratory Management. He is actively involved in One Health implementation process and Gorilla Health research https://gorillahealth.org/research-on-human-and-non-human-primates/
We will forever remember Dr. Jane Goodall not only for her scientific discoveries but also for her compassion, humility, and relentless hope. Her legacy lives on in every young conservationist she inspired, in every habitat protected, and in every primate still thriving in the wild.
‘’We are committed to protect all primates including chimpanzees and in their natural habitats, and to fight for a future where humans live in harmony with nature’’ https://patch.com/us/across-america/world-gorilla-day-7-amazing-fact-you-may-not-know
Thank you, Dr. Jane. Your voice echoes in every forest, your spirit lives on in every act of conservation, and your light will never fade.
One Health Approach for Conservation (OHAC) – Gorilla Health
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