Jane Goodall’s legacy of kindness, conservation lives on at Indianapolis Zoo

INDIANAPOLIS — Jane Goodall’s words inspired thousands. Her exploration into the unknown changed science. Her mere presence spoke volumes. 

“As kind and generous as she was to chimpanzees, she was equally kind and generous to people,” Indianapolis Zoo President and CEO Dr. Rob Shumaker said. 

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On Wednesday, the Jane Goodall Institute announced Goodall had passed. The 91-year-old died of natural causes while in California on a speaking tour, the institute said.

Her work with chimpanzees left a mark in more ways than one, and right here in Indianapolis.

”I don’t think it’s an exaggeration to say Jane Goodall changed the world,” Shumaker said.

The world knew Goodall for pulling back the curtain and giving a glimpse into humankind’s closest living relatives. Shumaker knew her for something else.

”I think what I most remember is her kindness toward me,” he said.

Shumaker said his times meeting with Goodall influences his work as the President and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo. 

“Her insights into chimpanzee social behavior, chimpanzee emotional complexity and behavioral complexity, all of that informed our decisions,” Shumaker said.

The Indianapolis Zoo unveiled the Penny & Jock Fortune International Chimpanzee Complex last May. Shumaker said it’s the largest chimpanzee complex at any zoo across the country.

“That facility and that program is infused with her spirit and everything she revealed about how wonderful chimpanzees are,” he said. 

20 chimpanzees call the zoo home. Shumaker said the way people perceive the animals is all thanks to Goodall.

“They’ve all been shaped by Jane Goodall’s message of respect for chimpanzees and promoting their welfare, safety [and] their conservation,” Shumaker said.

Along with animals, Goodall was also a champion for people as a UN Messenger of Peace. Shumaker said her death marks a chance for people to step up for the world as she so proudly did.

“I think it’s the right time with her passing to make a personal commitment in her memory to do something to benefit chimpanzees or benefit the natural world,” he said. 

Even the smallest of gestures can keep her memory alive, he said.