The Dian Fossey Story
Dian Fossey was born on January 16, 1932 , a second generation English immigrant. Although she was born in Fairfax, California, she was raised in San Francisco, California. Dian’s parents divorced when she was very young, leaving Dian to live with her mother and step father, who was not nurturing in Dian’s ideas of caring for pets. Dian was finally capable of exploring her interests of animals, as she entered the pre-veterinarian program at The University of California in Davis. Chemistry and physics proved to be difficult courses for Dian, as she eventually failed out of college. Even faced with failing grades, Dian was not detoured. She enrolled at San Jose State College, where she earned a college degree in occupational therapy. Although she had this degree under her belt, Dian wanted to further her education by returning to school once more and receiving her Ph.D. in Zoology.
After receiving her long awaited Ph.D., Dian Fossey met Franz Forester, whom she dated for quite some time. It was thru Franz that Dian ended up in Rwanda. Franz offered Dian a one-way ticket to fly to Rwanda and live on his estate. Dian yearned for a change of pace in her life, and so, she took Franz Forester’s offer to visit Rwanda, but later decided not to live with him on his estate..
Upon arriving in Rwanda, Dian Fossey was introduced to world renown anthropologist, Dr. Louis Leakey. The first impression that Dian left on Dr. Leakey was a weak one, even after she had gushed about his works and research with the gorillas of the Congo. Immediately following her initial visit with Dr. Leakey, Dian and her guide voyaged up a local mountain, Mt. Mikeno, to take photographs. It was at this location that Dian Fossey saw her first family of gorillas, which were sleeping. This experience was the pivotal moment in Dian’s life.
Having the images of the gorillas fresh in her memory, Dian returned to the States, where she got in touch with Dr. Louis Leakey once again. After speaking to Dr. Leakey, Dian persuaded him to sponsor her for additional reasearch. Dr. Leakey was beyond impressed with her passion for the endangered gorillas and the ceasing of illegal poaching for them. With additional assistance from the Wilkie Foundation, who were currently assisting Jane Goodall, another animal rights activist, Dian returned to Africa. Dian also received sponsorship from National Geographic, which became her final ticket to Africa. After resigning at a children’s hospital as an administrator, which she worked at while traveling to Africa on previous ventures, Dian Fossey finally moved to Rwanda once and for all.
Upon arrival in Rwanda, Dian was quick to set up a research center for the gorillas. This research center, The Karisoke Research Center, which was established in 1967, soon became the central location for other researchers who were also interested in studying gorillas in the area. Dian also utilized the research station as the headquarters for the anti-poaching patrols that monitored the area.
In 1970, National Geographic visited Dian, and wrote a cover story her accomplishments with the saving of the lives of the gorillas. The feature story that was later published created quite a buzz, and brought some much needed attention to the topic. Many individuals were enthralled to learn more about the gorillas that inhabited the African land. Dian amazed many people, including researchers, by living among the gorillas to learn about their habitat, and how they interacted with one another. Often times, Dian was just a few feet away from the gorillas, and yet, in her twenty plus years of research, she was never once attacked by the gorillas.
Dian Fossey was soon very well known in the area for her anti-poaching ideals, which often hindered with the gorilla hunters in the area. Often times, Dian and other researchers were successful in stopping the poaching of the gorillas. There was one moment, though, where a poacher hunted a gorilla that Dian grew akin to, which she lovingly named Digit. Dian was distraught after Digit’s passing, and vowed to seek justice on behalf of Digit.
Dian was known to house many of her research team in her own dwellings. Dian had a very compassionate heart, and felt the need to be a caretaker to gorillas and humans alike. At one moment in time, Dian took a panga, which was a hunting tool that the poachers used against the gorillas, and hung it up in her home for safe keeping.
On the night of December 26, 1985, the day after Christmas, Dian’s generosity and protection for the gorillas proved to be detrimental to her. Dian passed away after being attacked in the middle of the night with the panga that hung on the wall. Since there was not anything in her house that was missing, including thousands of dollars and travelers checks, many locals believe that the accuser of her passing was a member of her research team, or a local poacher that had previously been in her home, possibly once a resident as well.
Although Dian Fossey’s passing was unexpected and indeed a tragedy, those that knew her or admired her work knows that her legacy continues to live on to this day. While in the researching the gorillas and their actions in their habitats, Dian wrote a novel, titled ” Gorillas in the Mist”. A few months before her passing, Warner Brother’s studios picked up her book to use it as a screen play for a future movie. Due to Dian’s untimely passing, she was never able to see the beautiful film that was created, with Sigourney Weaver playing Dian in the film. The film only propelled even more individuals towards the research that Dian was undertaking while in Rwanda. Dian would indeed be very proud of the outcome of the movie, and the awareness illegal hunting of the innocent gorillas that lived in the Rwandan area. Since the release of the movie, there has been hundreds of thousands of dollars that have been donated to help support the researchers of Dian’s foundation, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
The 1994 Rwanda genocide proved to be another setback for Dian’s foundation and the cabin that she once resided in. The camp and cabin were completely destroyed. Very little remains today of the cabin that she lived in, and served as a museum after her passing.
Dian fought every day of her adult life to help protect the gorillas that she grew to love. Dian Fossey would be proud to know now that poaching of gorillas is illegal through out almost all of Africa, and that her life’s actions brought about much needed awareness to the poaching situation. Dian’s final entry in her journal was, ” when you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.” Dian Fossey will forever be a legacy to not only those that knew her, but to the many researchers and animal rights activists that she has inspired over the years- and most importantly, to the gorillas that loved her so.
