Death of primatologist and conservationist Birutė Galdikas in Los Angeles.
Birutė Galdikas died on 24 March 2026 in Los Angeles at the age of 79, according to multiple obituary and biographical sources. Reports state that she died after a struggle with lung cancer, with her passing confirmed by the Orangutan Foundation International, the organization she founded and led.
Her death marked the end of an era in primatology and conservation. For more than five decades, Galdikas had been one of the foremost authorities on orangutans, building a body of field research that changed scientific understanding of ape ecology, behavior, and survival. She was also part of the celebrated trio sometimes called Leakey’s Angels, alongside Jane Goodall and Dian Fossey, women whose fieldwork helped redefine what women scientists could accomplish in remote and demanding research settings.
The significance of her death lies not only in personal loss but in the continuity of the institutional and scientific legacy she left behind. The orangutan conservation movement, field research in Tanjung Puting, and the international awareness she helped generate all continued to stand on the foundation she built. Her passing closed a chapter in the history of conservation science, even as her methods, findings, and advocacy remained embedded in the field.