Jane Goodall Loved Chimps but Not Every Chimp Loved Her — Let's Revisit a Harrowing Attack

There were few more dedicated to conservation and life than primatologist Jane Goodall, who sadly passed away Oct. 1, 2025, at the age of 91. She spent years studying chimps, and was the first person to do so, before making a lateral move to conservation efforts. Jane understood that in order to protect the animals she learned so much about, she had to make sure their environment was protected as well.

According to the Jane Goodall Institute, the first time she entered the forest of Gombe in Africa was in 1960. The 26 year old brought with her a notebook, binoculars, and a thirst for knowledge. Jane knew very little about chimpanzees when she arrived, but her research would eventually transform the way we look at our closest living relatives.

Of course, nature can be unpredictable, which begs the question: Was Jane ever attacked by any chimps? Here's what we know.

Despite spending decades with chimpanzees, there is only one story involving the primatologist being attacked by a chimp. The incident occurred in 1989 at the hands of an alpha male chimp named Frodo who, per Jane, ruled the Kasakela community of chimps "with an iron fist."

Frodo had a history of violence both within the chimp community and the humans he interacted with. A year before Frodo attacked Jane, he went after Far Side cartoon creator Gary Larsen, reports National Geographic. Gary had once drawn a cartoon featuring two chimps, with Jane being the butt of a joke she actually enjoyed.

That's how he ended up in Gombe where Frodo gave the cartoonist a few cuts and bruises, but thankfully nothing more.

Unfortunately, when Frodo went after Jane, her injuries were worse than Gary's. While we don't know the details of the attack, we do know Frodo shook Jane's head so much that she nearly broke her neck.

After that frightening encounter, Jane never entered his territory without a pair of bodyguards.

Jane spoke about Frodo with the BBC in 2004 for an episode of their Science & Nature program titled "Demonic Ape." Frodo earned that label, but it wasn't specific to him. Male chimps who are particularly lethal and aggressive are given this moniker. Frodo just happened to be especially adept at being violent.

Few knew Frodo as well as Jane, who had studied him since birth. "Frodo was aggressive from a very small age," she recalled, "I mean when he was about 3 years old he started throwing rocks."

She described Frodo as a real bully. He was also obsessed with Jane, which is partially why he attacked her. "He’s dragged other people, he’s stamped on other people, but he has a special expression on his face for me, we’ve all noticed it, and we don’t know why," she said.

This brings us to Frodo's worst display of violence. On May 15, 2002, Rukia Sadiki, her niece, and 14-month-old daughter were walking from their village to meet Rukia's husband. They had to pass through Gombe National Park, but this was a route they had taken numerous times. This time, something was different because Frodo was stalking them.

"I was overwhelmed by the sudden attack," said Rukia to the BBC. "The chimpanzee started unwrapping the cloth I’d tied my baby to my back with, and then ran off with my child." When Frodo was eventually located, he was up in a tree with the baby's body. It had been partially eaten. This attack led to discussions as to whether or not Frodo should be put down.

Ultimately, it didn't matter as he got sick in December 2002. Frodo's aggression seemed to disappear after that. He died on Nov. 10, 2013.