Jane Goodall's Son Did Not Follow in His Primatologist Mother's Footsteps
"And I never left him one single night until he was 3 years old."
Published Oct. 1 2025, 3:47 p.m. ET
The world has lost a scientist who believed in the preservation of life more than almost anyone on Earth. It's safe to say that primatologist Jane Goodall was so enamored with the world around her, that she spent her entire life studying it, beginning with the creatures closest to humans.
Jane was known as The Chimpanzee Lady, a nickname she earned up until she took her last breath on Oct. 1, 2025, at the age of 91. She was in the middle of a speaking tour.
Anyone who is familiar with Jane's dedication and commitment to her humanitarian work won't be surprised by the fact that she was still at it until the very end. She is survived by her only son, who chose not to follow in his mother's footsteps.
Perhaps it was an act of rebellion, or maybe Jane's son saw where the bulk of his mother's time and efforts went. Unlike his mother, Jane's son has stayed out of the limelight. Here's what we know about him.
Jane Goodall (R) with her husband (L) and son
Jane Goodall's son was born in Africa.
In May 2025, Jane went on the Call Her Daddy podcast, where she told host Alex Cooper that the most important thing for a child is to be supported. Jane said if it's a group of people who are "consistently there," the child doesn't have to be raised by the biological mother.
This is an interesting observation by a woman who studies the relationships of chimpanzees with each other, then went on to have her own son.
Jane opened up about meeting her first husband, photographer Hugo van Lawick, who was sent to Africa by National Geographic. The primatologist admitted that she didn't want Hugo to come because she was worried he would scare off all the chimps and ruin her hard work.
It didn't take long to realize he was just as enthralled by animals as she was. The couple got married in 1964, and three years later, Jane had their son, Hugo Eric Louis, who was born in Africa. They nicknamed him Grub.
In the 2017 documentary Jane, the conservationist talked about Grub's early years in Africa. While promoting the film, Jane told Fox News that when he was a baby, she and her husband built a protective cage for Grub.
"That was when he was a very tiny baby," she recalled. "He couldn’t even crawl ... And he was never on his own. He was never left even for five minutes without somebody in the room with him," said Jane. "And I never left him one single night until he was 3 years old."
Grub was educated in England but returned to Africa where he had a family of his own.
When he was old enough, Grub was sent to England to attend boarding school. Later in life, Grub became a boatbuilder and moved to Tanzania. He got married and had two children.
When he watched the documentary, Grub told his mother that he didn't feel connected at all to that little baby on the screen. His children, on the other hand, got a lot from their grandmother.
Jane Goodall with grandchildren Merlin van Lawick and Angel van Lawick at the JGI Tanzania office in Dar es Salaam
Jane's grandson spoke with Green Matters in February 2023. Merlin van Lawick was working as a Communications Associate, Africa Programs and Science for the Jane Goodall Institute (JGI) USA Communications & Partnerships team. "I naturally developed a love for nature as a young boy," he told Green Matters. "I feel privileged to have had such role models as my grandmother growing up."
Back in 2014 Merlin's sister Angel van Lawick was volunteering at the Sonoma County Wildlife Rescue when she was 19, per The Press Democrat. According to Angel's LinkedIn, she is a program assistant at the Jane Goodall Institute.