Dian Fossey : History and Origin
Dian Fossey resided with mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains for more than 18 years while completing her studies. She was born in San Francisco, California, in 1932 and was raised by her mother and stepfather. Dian Fossey excelled as a student and harbored a passion for animals from infancy. She commenced horseback riding lessons at the age of six and received a letter for her participation on the riding team throughout high school.
Dian Fossey’s expedition in Africa commenced in 1963 upon her arrival in Kenya. Her tour to Kenya encompassed visits to Kenya, Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Congo. She was accompanied by John Alexander, a British hunter whose itinerary encompassed Tsavo National Park, Lake Manyara, famous for its substantial flamingo population, and Ngorongoro Crater, noted for its rich wildlife diversity.
She also visited the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania, the archeological site associated with Louis and Mary Leakey, as well as Mikeno Volcano in Congo. Dr. George Schaller conducted a study on mountain gorillas here in 1959. Schaller is the first person to do a credible field research on these endangered animals. Dr. George Schaller’s endeavors facilitated the research known as Dian Fossey’s life work.
In 1967, Fossey arrived at Kabara Meadow, Schaller’s base in Congo’s Virunga National Park. After merely six and a half months, political turmoil compelled her to relocate to the boundary of the Rwandan part of the Virunga Volcanoes, where she established a camp. By amalgamating the names Karisimbi and Visoke, the two adjacent volcanoes, she designated the location as Karisoke, which would evolve into one of the most enduring field studies in primatology.
Dian Fossey dedicated 18 years to studying mountain gorillas in the Virungas under challenging conditions. Karisoke, her camp, was situated at an elevation of 10,000 feet, necessitating the transportation of all provisions every two weeks. She made remarkable discoveries and possessed an innate understanding of people who were distinct. Her breakthrough was the ability to recognize individual animals while observing them within their familial groups. Upon gaining a comprehensive understanding of the gorilla family’s dynamics, she observed their compassion, obstinacy, envy, bravery, and nurturing behavior manifesting vividly. She assigned names to the animals; for example, the dominant male of the group was named Beethoven. Fossey transcended mere scientific inquiry, engaging in activities akin to rainforest social work.
Fossey’s initial objective was to habituate gorillas to the presence of observers. This approach has consistently been simpler with mountain gorillas than with the western population due to the dense ground vegetation, which facilitates tracking mountain gorillas.
Utilizing Schaller’s methodology for individual identification, Fossey created “nose prints” by documenting the wrinkle patterns above gorillas’ nostrils. In proximity to a troop of gorillas, she descended to her hands and knees, crawling after them while emitting “belch” vocalizations and imitating their feeding sounds. These were the methodologies utilized by all researchers during those initial years. By 1972, Fossey, aided by freshly recruited students like Sandy Harcourt, had established three study groups, including the renowned Groups 4 and 5. The doors were opened to the lives of individual gorillas, whose fates would be monitored for decades ahead. Currently, researchers continue to study the progeny of gorillas that Fossey initially engaged with. The males Titus, Pablo, Ziz, Shinda, and Cantsbee silverbacks were all born in the 1970s.
Dian's critical moment
“I believe that at this moment, the idea was subconsciously instilled in me that I would eventually return to Africa to study the mountain gorillas.” – “Gorillas in the Mist.”
A visit to Olduvai Gorge with Dr. Louis Leakey was a defining occasion in Dian Fossey’s life. During their journey to the gorge, Leakey conversed with Fossey regarding Jane Goodall’s research on chimpanzees in Tanzania. He expressed his conviction regarding the importance of extensive field studies involving large apes. He permitted her to examine the recently excavated sites during their visit to Olduvai Gorge. She was exhilarated and descended a steep incline, subsequently falling onto the freshly excavated site, resulting in a fractured ankle. The forthcoming ascent that would lead Fossey to the gorillas of the moon was jeopardized. This did not dissuade her.
Dian Fossey's Expedition to Research Mountain Gorillas
Encounter mountain gorillas in person! Explore the life of Dian Fossey during a gorilla safari in Africa and encounter her work, “Gorillas in the Mist.” The rugged Virunga Mountains constitute the core of Africa.
In the late 1960s, Rwanda’s Virunga Mountains became the residence of renowned primatologist Dian Fossey. Motivated by a friend’s images and narratives, Fossey secured a loan and traveled to Africa in 1963. Fossey’s existence, along with those of Rwanda’s endangered mountain gorillas, would be irrevocably altered. Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in the secluded jungles of northwest Rwanda and, for the subsequent two decades, dedicated her life to cohabiting with and researching eight gorilla groups in the adjacent mountains.
American zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist Dian Fossey conducted an extensive 18-year study of mountain gorilla groups, highlighting the poaching threats faced by these animals in the Virunga Massifs, and was ultimately killed while attempting to protect them. In 1967, she established her residence on the slopes of the Visoke volcano to conduct a more thorough study of the creatures. She earned the trust of the animals by mimicking their plant-eating habits, self-scratching behaviors, and by thumping her chest and burping like gorillas.
Fossey transformed global perceptions about gorillas. They were no longer perceived as vicious monsters, but rather as gentle giants, not significantly dissimilar from their human counterparts. She was embraced by the gorillas in a manner unprecedented for any individual. The images depicting gorillas making contact with her hand represent the inaugural known instance of peaceful interaction between humans and gorillas. Despite Fossey’s desire to live and conduct her studies undisturbed, she was perpetually harassed by poachers. She vigorously advocated for anti-poaching initiatives to safeguard the gorillas she had become intimately familiar with.
In 1983, Fossey published Gorillas in the Mist, an exhaustive examination of her scientific research and its origins. It inspired the 1988 film of the same name. Merely two years later, she was savagely killed while she slept in her cabin’s bedroom. Currently, Fossey’s legacy persists, particularly through the conservation initiatives of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. Fossey was interred beside her beloved gorilla, Digit, in proximity to her research facility. Tourists can now visit her tomb to honor one of the most devoted and intrepid wildlife biologists around.
Dian Fossey's Expedition to Research Mountain Gorillas
Dian Fossey significantly contributed to the conservation of mountain gorillas from 1967 to 1984 through her work, “Gorillas in the Mist.” In 1959, George Schaller undertook a seminal study of these apes, which catalyzed a contemporary global focus on gorilla conservation and their habitats.
From 1902, when gorillas were discovered by German explorer Oscar Von Berez, to the advent of Dian Fossey in Rwanda in the 1960s, mountain gorillas experienced significant poaching and habitat degradation.
Dian Fossey produced significant discoveries on gorillas, including female group transfer across decades, vocalization hierarchies, intergroup social relationships, rare instances of infanticide, dietary habits, and nutrient recycling behaviors. After three years, she extended her hand to a gorilla, which touched her fingers, jeopardizing her safety. Fossey publicly highlighted the ongoing issues of poaching, and as a result of her efforts, an international initiative was established to support the mountain gorilla. The objectives were to enhance understanding of gorillas and to promote tourism. This initiative aimed to generate employment and mitigating poaching. Fossey opposed this notion. She advocated for more patrols with the authority to engage poachers with lethal force. This idea engendered animosity among poachers, resulting in her unpopularity. Her murder on December 26, 1985, remains enigmatic, with numerous theories surrounding her demise. One theory posits that former governor Protais Zigiranyirazo orchestrated her assassination, while another suggests that poachers were responsible for her murder. The broader public became acquainted with her distinctive art through the film “Gorillas in the Mist.” Her 1983 publication, “Gorillas in the Mist,” integrates her scientific research on gorillas at the Karisoke Research Centre with her personal narrative. It was incorporated into a 1988 film bearing the same title. Fossey was assassinated in 1985.
As gorilla killings escalated, Dian Fossey initiated the most comprehensive scientific study on gorilla behavior, initially in the DRC and subsequently in Rwanda, where she permanently established the Karisoke scientific Camp. She commenced assisting gorillas, however the species was nearly extinct. From a modest house in Rwanda, researcher and conservationist Dian Fossey noted that although gorillas may occasionally exhibit aggressive behavior, they are fundamentally gentle giants. Fossey is among the most renowned scientists globally, however her journey to prominence was convoluted. Fossey’s research received financial support from the Wilkie Foundation and the Leakey Home, with principal financing from the National Geographic Society. By 1980, Fossey, who earned her PhD at Cambridge University in the UK, was acknowledged as the world’s foremost authority on the physiology and behavior of mountain gorillas, characterizing them as dignified, highly social, gentle giants with distinct personalities and robust familial bonds.
Dian Fossey’s team of local individuals and research students elucidated the ecological, social, and health aspects of gorillas during her tenure in the woodlands. Several groups of mountain gorillas were habituated to facilitate close encounters with humans, so promoting the perception of gorillas as docile creatures.
Dian Fossey served as a lecturer at Cornell University from 1981 to 1983. Her bestselling book “Gorillas in the Mist” received acclaim from Nikolaas Tinbergen, the Dutch ethologist and ornithologist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 1973. Her book continues to be the best-selling volume about gorillas. Fossey was interred at Karisoke in a location she had established for her deceased gorilla companions. She was interred in the gorilla graveyard adjacent to Digit and in proximity to numerous gorillas slain by poachers. Memorial services occurred in New York, Washington, and California.
Upon Dian Fossey’s murder in her cabin at the conclusion of 1984, many speculated whether her extensive research would perish alongside her. However, at that time, her influence had gained pace and extended well beyond any single individual. The Digit Fund, which ultimately evolved into the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), was founded to guarantee the perpetuation of Karisoke.
Although the research institution established by Dian Fossey no longer exists in the forest, its operations continue unabated. Karisoke field assistants and officials from Rwanda’s Parc National des Volcans, along with research directors Liz Williamson and subsequently Katie Fawcett, have monitored research and tourist groups in Rwanda during times of violence.
Gorilla Habituation and Trekking
Gorilla habituation is the act of acclimating gorillas to human presence while preserving their innate wild and social behaviors. Dian Fossey dedicated over 20 years to observing gorillas and gathering behavioral and psychological data. She first needed to learn to replicate their eating behavior to approach them without causing alarm, which was successfully achieved with several habituated groups of gorillas.
She conveyed her experience to the global audience in her work, “Gorillas in the Mist.” It garnered assistance to acclimate additional gorilla families for a novel type of gorilla tourism via trekking, which has drawn several tourists, hence earning funds utilized for conservation efforts such as anti-poaching initiatives.
Currently, multiple habituated gorilla families exist in Bwindi Impenetrable Forest and the Virunga Massif. Currently, gorilla trekking is a prevalent activity in Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, Bwindi Impenetrable Forest in Uganda, and Virunga National Park in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A multitude of vacationers desires to observe gorillas for a fee. Gorilla trekking has produced substantial revenue that aids in the survival of gorillas.
Gorilla trekking is governed by stringent rules and regulations that restrict tourist interaction with gorillas. A series of environmental regulations, such as restricting ill guests and maintaining a distance of 7 meters when observing gorillas, have safeguarded the health and safety of gorillas during gorilla tourism.
Affluent tourists are urged to engage in gorilla trekking in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Without gorilla tourism, gorillas would face extinction. Economic incentives in the form of financial benefits are employed to empower local communities and preserve gorilla habitats from agricultural and other human activities. Consult the directory of travel operators providing gorilla trekking safaris in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
Dian implemented anti-poaching patrols, eliminated snare traps, and directly addressed various forms of illegal encroachment on gorilla habitats in Rwanda. Nonetheless, her efforts were significantly impeded by local opposition and the looming possibility of civil conflict in eastern DRC.
The most effective conservation measures of Fossey’s era established the groundwork for the mountain gorilla project in 1979. Mountain gorillas commenced recovery from poaching and habitat degradation owing to global advocacy for gorilla conservation and research.As the initiative commenced preparations for gorilla tourism development and ecotourism, Dian Fossey was diligently concluding her research at Karisoke. She published her book “Gorillas in the Mist” before her murder in 1984, establishing a significant precedent for scientific gorilla research in the history of African ape conservation.
Today, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International is distinguished for its effective conservation of mountain gorillas through daily monitoring, conservation education, and, crucially, support for local communities residing near gorillas in Uganda, Rwanda, and the Democratic Republic of Congo.
National parks housing mountain gorillas are encircled by dense human populations. They rely on woods for sustenance through hunting, firewood, and water collecting for their lives. Consequently, engaging local communities in conservation efforts and offering alternative resources has been a significant aspect of Dian Fossey’s legacy, enhancing their livelihoods while achieving a delicate equilibrium between conservation and gorilla tourism development. During Dian Fossey’s time, the population of gorillas was fewer than 500 individuals. Despite its peculiarity, there was minimal health surveillance of gorillas and a feeble enforcement presence of wildlife rangers throughout gorilla area states.