Dian Fossey
1932-1985
American Zoologist
American zoologist Dian Fossey is best known for her field studies of mountain gorillas in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and Zaire, which served to dispel many myths about the violent and aggressive nature of gorillas. Her dedicated work combined research and conservation to ensure the survival of these elusive and endangered animals.
Born in San Francisco, Fossey graduated from San Jose State College in 1954 with a degree in occupational therapy; she then worked at a children's hospital in Kentucky for several years. During this time she read and studied all that she could about African primates. Inspired by the writings of American zoologist George B. Schaller, including Life of the Gorilla, Fossey traveled to Africa on holiday in 1963.
In letters home, she described her trip in colorful detail. She observed mountain gorillas in their home habitat, the mist-shrouded volcanoes in central Africa. It was there that she met British anthropologist Louis Leakey (1903-1972). Leakey, believing that studies of great apes would shed light on the subject of human evolution, encouraged Fossey to undertake a long-term field study of gorillas. He felt that the gorilla study, in conjunction with the studies of chimpanzees by Jane Goodall (1934- ), would generate data supporting an evolutionary link between humans and primates.
Although Fossey had no formal training in animal behavior or zoology, Leakey felt that her excitement and interest in the gorillas would be an important and valuable asset. Fossey returned to the United States and, in 1966, resigned from her job, sold her possessions, and traveled to Rwanda's Virunga Mountains, the last bastion of the endangered mountain gorilla. Upon her arrival, Goodall gave Fossey a two-day crash course in data collection and observation methods. She was then on her own, following gorillas up and down the steep mountainous terrain. The local people called her "the woman who lives alone in the mountains."
For the next 22 years, Fossey was an astute and patient observer of gorilla behavior. Her field methods were unorthodox, gentle, and simple. She quietly and sensitively allowed the gorillas to accept her into their world. Unarmed, she sat within a few feet of them every day for years. She knew each individual in her study area by the names she had given them, and came to regard the gorillas as gentle, social animals, not violent and aggressive as was popularly thought at the time. Fossey received a Ph.D. in zoology from Cambridge University in 1974 on the basis of her fieldwork.
Fossey established Karisoke Research Center for gorilla research and conservation in 1967. She understood that the survival and well-being of the mountain gorillas was dependent on their human neighbors. Poaching and the export trade of gorilla infants for zoos and medical research were taking a serious toll on the gorilla population. Research was not enough, she asserted. Without a strong conservation program in place, the gorilla population would become unable to survive.
Fossey worked diligently to encourage the formation of National Parks to protect the gorillas and their habitat. She attempted to work with the local people to gain support for protecting the gorillas. Her position, however, was not popular and, in 1985, she was found murdered at her cabin at Karisoke. Some authorities believe she was murdered in retaliation for her efforts to stop the poaching of gorillas and other animals in Africa. Her murder has yet to be solved.
Fossey's book, Gorillas in the Mist (1983), recounts observations from her years of field research. The book was subsequently made into a popular movie starring Sigourney Weaver, introducing millions of viewers to the plight of the mountain gorilla.
Due largely to Fossey's research and conservation work, mountain gorillas are now protected by the government of Rwanda and by the international conservation and scientific communities.
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