Poaching and loss of habitat have
been threatening the existence of mountain gorillas since the 1960s. In 1966, a
brave woman named Dian Fossey sacrificed
her health and safety in order to study mountain gorillas in Zaire (Congo) and
later on in Rwanda where she founded the Karisoke Research Center in 1967. It
was there that she was able to deliver vital information about mountain
gorillas to the scientific community and the organizations that supported her
studies. Despite the laws banning the killing of these gentle animals, poachers
still continue to capture and kill them without fear of the law as they bribed
the local conservators who in turn, looked the other way.
Fossey fought hard to save her new
animal friends, but her efforts were not enough to protect the species she has
spent thousands of hours studying. In 1977, poachers captured and killed a
gorilla Fossey was particularly fond of and had named Digit. Digit’s death,
heartbreaking as it was to Fossey, did not break her spirit. Instead, it had
sparked her rage and strengthened her commitment in protecting each and every
one of the mountain gorillas in the area. She founded an organization in 1978
that aims to protect gorillas and their natural habitats in Africa. Initially
called Digit Fund in honor of her slain gorilla friend, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund collaborates with government agencies and
international partner organizations to implement education, training, and
development drives in particular regions. These initiatives are meant to teach
people about how gorillas help maintain balance in the rainforest’s ecosystem
and how their loss can affect not only the rainforest, but the people who rely
on it as well.
Dian Fossey was murdered in 1983
and the foundation was renamed in her honor. Despite the death of the group’s
great leader, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund continues to save gorillas by
helping people find alternative sources of income and teaching them the value
of ecotourism.
