Dian Fossey: Animal Rights Activist and Protector of Mountain Gorillas
Below A mountain gorilla rests within Virunga National Park in Africa The park was founded primarily as a protected area for the endangered mountain gorillas that make their home in the Virunga Mountains The Virungas run along the borders of Rwanda the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Uganda Inset right Dian Fossey was devoted to the study protection and preservation of mountain gorillas and their habitats She shared a warmth and trust with these gentle animals that was unrivaled by most of her human relationships In this photo the baby gorilla with which Dian is playing is a little difficult to spot against the dark tree but Dian’s delight is hard to miss 44
Chapter 1 Gorilla Girl On April 3 1966 Dian Fossey patiently waited for a chance to speak to one of her idols Louis Leakey was the world’s most famous archaeologist and paleontologist He spent most of his time in Africa where Dian had met him three years earlier On this day he happened to be giving a speech in Louisville Kentucky where Dian now lived She desperately wanted to speak to Louis again so she joined the line of admirers after his lecture But would he remember her Field Notes A paleontologist is a scientist who studies fossils to understand the history of humans animals and plants An archaeologist studies the past from the prehistoric past through recent times primarily through the excavation or digging up of sites and the examination of artifacts and other remains left behind Dian Fossey is shown in Rwanda with members of her anti-poaching patrol As her fight against poachers who trapped and killed mountain gorillas became increasingly aggressive her methods included not only cutting and seizing snares and traps but chasing and shooting at poachers 5
Dian’s Brave New World When it was Dian’s turn to talk to Louis her patience was rewarded The world-famous scientist greeted her warmly Miss Fossey isn’t it he said She was thrilled that Louis knew her At the time Dian worked at a hospital for children with physical and developmental disabilities Her passion though was for mountain gorillas Her desire to see them in person was the reason for her trip to Africa three years earlier In 1963 on her way to see some of the elusive creatures Dian and her guide had taken a side trip to Olduvai Gorge Louis’s legendary archaeological dig site After a brief and for Dian memorable meeting with the renowned scientist she carried on to her true destination the mountainside habitat of the rare mountain gorilla Amazingly thanks to a local tracker Dian managed to spot some of the mysterious creatures More amazingly she managed to get close enough to photograph them Upon her return from Africa Dian wrote a few newspaper articles about her encounter with the great apes Now she nervously handed the newspaper clippings to Louis He was so impressed with Dian’s photographs he invited her to a breakfast meeting the following morning to continue their gorilla discussion Of course she agreed Louis was famous for his work with fossils but he was also famous for launching the career of chimpanzee expert Jane Goodall At his morning meeting with Dian Louis told her he 66
oNe Big Happy Family Genetics is the study of physical characteristics and other biological traits that appear and develop in life forms over vast periods of time Genetically speaking humans chimpanzees gorillas and orangutans are members of the same family That family or group of related species is called hominidae the great apes This family includes humans chimpanzees bonobos which are closely related to chimps two species of orangutans and gorillas There are two main species or types of gorillas western and eastern Mountain gorillas are a type of eastern gorilla As their name suggests they live on the slopes of mountains They have longer shaggier coats than their lowland cousins Mountain gorilla Western gorillas Genetically chimpanzees and their close genetic relations bonobos are humans closest relatives These species share 98 8 percent of the same genetic information known as DNA Chimps and gorillas share 98 2 percent of their DNA This means that with a difference of only 1 2 percent between chimpanzees and humans chimps DNA is more closely related to ours than it is to gorillas Bonobo Meanwhile the genes of humans and gorillas differ by just 1 6 percent We differ from orangutans by 3 percent Just so you know all human beings share 99 9 per cent of the same genetic code This means that genetically every person is pretty much the same Chimpanzee Orangutan mother and baby 7
