LESSON 3 OUTLINE

Dr. Dian Fossey

Dr. Fossey started her career down a very different path from her final career choice. She went to school and trained as an occupational therapist. She worked to assist disabled children with their communication skills. But she always had a dream to visit Africa and always wanted to learn more about Africa’s wildlife.

In 1963, she saved up enough money to make a trip to Africa. She made a trip to visit Dr. Louis Leakey, as she heard he was looking for someone to study the mountain gorillas. After meeting with Dr. Leakey a second time in the United States and sending him several letters, he seriously considered her as a candidate for his mountain gorilla project. She knew she was under-qualified with no anthropology, biology, ethnology, or zoology background, but her persistence paid off. She was selected for the job, and sent to receive some initial training with Dr. Jane Goodall.

Dr. Fossey’s field location was 10,000 feet up on the flanks of the Virunga Volcanoes in Central Africa (Rwanda, Uganda, Congo). She earned the trust of the gorillas through her study techniques she developed, especially imitation of the gorilla behavior. In 1976, a gorilla put his arm around her, marking her first physical contact with the gorillas. She documented and publicized their peaceful nature and their nurturing family relationships.

Tragically, one of her favorite gorillas, Digit, was killed through poaching activities. She began a very public campaign against poachers who killed gorillas. On December 26, 1985, her body was discovered near the research center. Presumably, she'd been killed by the poachers she'd fought. The news doesn’t get better for the gorillas or their environment, as both are degrading to critically low levels (see "'Gorillas in the Mist' Park Slashed by Squatters").

Before her death, Dr. Fossey founded The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, dedicated to the conservation of gorillas and their habitats in Africa through anti-poaching, regular monitoring, research, education and support of local communities. Her memory and significant 13-year research career is fondly remembered in the 1988 movie release of “Gorillas in the Mist,” where Sigourney Weaver plays the role of Dian Fossey.

The next section will cover the background and status of Africa’s mountain gorillas, as well as other conservation efforts and groups working to save this dwindling gorilla population. But first, go to the Discussion Forum.

What do YOU think? Women for African Conservation

Go to the Lesson 03 Discussion Forum (you can easily find this discussion forum by looking under the Communicate tab in ANGEL) and post a response to the question: If you could travel to Africa to conduct research and make a change for the environment, what region or plant/animal species would you choose and why? Use the Internet to help you identify and narrow down your area of interest, and list the Internet links you used to develop your response (in APA format).