The funeral for British primatologist Jane Goodall, who passed away on October 1 last year, was held this month at the Washington National Cathedral. Family and friends attended the ceremony honoring the world’s foremost expert on chimpanzees. Some of her assistants were famous people, such as actor Leonardo DiCaprio, who wanted to pay tribute to her publicly with emotional words.
“While most people knew her as the icon and legend Jane Goodall, the Jane I was lucky enough to know was kind, curious, fun, original and absolutely unstoppable,” the actor said in a panegyric from the cathedral pulpit. The Oscar-winning interpreter, known for championing the environment and indigenous communities through the Leonardo DiCaprio Foundation since 1998, also remembers his friendship with Goodall, the trips, meetings and conversations he continued to have, and their “shared hope” that the next generation would be better.
“Jane always wanted to be guided by hope and never by despair. She reminded us that if we focus on what can be done, change begins with compassion and that our humility is our greatest hero,” he added in a speech to the actors who recently arrived at COP30 in Belém. Also, I wanted to remember the moments when we took pictures together when I lived with her. “I looked directly into the camera. When I looked to my left, Jane was staring intently at me. I told myself that she preferred taking pictures, because the pictures themselves weren’t important to her. That little moment On the anniversary of her death, DiCaprio published a message on his Instagram account with loving words: “Today we lost a true hero of the planet, an inspiration to millions, and a dear friend.” Yanyadia: “My final message to Jane was simple: ‘You are my hero.’ Now we must all carry an anchor to protect her shared home.”
Among those in attendance was chef Jose Andres, who was seated next to Democrat Nancy Pelosi, who announced her retirement from Congress last June after 40 years on Capitol Hill. El español posted a few words on his Substack profile after learning the news of his death. “His extraordinary life was an example to all of us that the power of positive thinking can overcome darkness and that in the end light will triumph. “As he was dying, I looked out the window and saw a deer. It was as if he was reminding us to treat all living things with compassion. Deer are always with us.”
Born in London in 1934, Goodall pioneered the study of rescued chimpanzees, or chimpanzees whose research discovered behavioral guidelines and unknown skills, to which they devoted more than 60 years of their lives. The primatologist was meeting in California as part of a series of conferences in the United States when she died of natural causes on October 1 at the age of 91.
Members of the Jane Goodall Institute also intervened during the funeral, including its executive director Anna Rathman and one of the conservationist’s grandchildren, Merlin van Lowyck. “I am committed to using this smart human brain to find solutions that allow us to evolve in harmony with nature,” he said.
The ceremony was held at the Washington National Cathedral, which welcomes all religious denominations, and was presided over by Marian Budde. The cathedral has previously hosted state funerals for former and last U.S. presidents, including Jimmy Carter. On the steps of the temple, more than a dozen therapy dogs symbolically accepted the urn containing Goodall’s ceniza and offered a consuelo to the assistants.
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