Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey ( ())

I chose Dian Fossey because she was an inspiration to animals like gorillas. She helped get them a charity that was called "Gorilla Fund." Her passion to save animals such as gorillas inspired me to grow up and save endangered animals.Since she was an American Zoologist, her field studies of wild gorillas was in the Virunga Mountains of Rwanda and served to dispel many myths about the violent and aggressive nature of gorillas.The people of Rwanda killed gorillas because of their belief of suma, which means Black Magic. You will learn about Dian Fossey and how she saved gorillas.  

Dian Fossey was born on January 16, 1932 in San Francisco, California. She was an only child of her mom and dad named (George) and (Kitty) Fossey. When she was 3, her mom and dad separated because her dad was an alcoholic and she couldn't she him that much. Then 3 years later, her mom married a builder named Richard Price, who treated her badly. Dian Fossey finished high school at Lowell, then went to the University of California at Davis to study animal husbandry. When she was 23, she worked at Kosair Children's Hospital in Louisville, Kentucky. She loved her job for communicating with disabled children, but had a desire to see the world.    

In 1963, Dian took a three bank loan to travel to Africa on Sept.26. Dian traveled to Kabara Meadow in the Congo where she first met the mountain gorillas. After seven weeks in Africa, she returned to where she came from called Louisville, Kentucky. In December, 1966, Dian went to Africa again. She had spent some of the days with Jane Goodall to study her methods. She set up camp on a mountain to track some mountain gorillas. She would first sneak up on them to quietly observe them.Then she would imitate their sounds to approach them. Then after six months, she was able to approach some of the group as close as 30 feet.One day she was removed from the mountains, She had done many things to approach those gorillas and one day a gorilla named Peanut touched her hand.Then an adult male named Macho came over to gaze in her eyes, a young male and Fossey's favorite.

Dian had came to Africa in 1966, because she had to go back to University so she can learn more about gorillas and other animals.When she came back she estimated that there were only 480 mountain gorillas left. She was terrified for her gorilla family and that unless something was done, the animals would soon face extinction. She had found the bodies of her favorite gorilla, Digit, and the ape named Uncle Bert. Fossey had buried their bodies in a cemetery by her camp. Sadly on December 26, 1985, Dian was found dead with her skull crushed with panga, probably murdered by a poacher that was never found and she was buried in the cemetery by her beloved gorillas. 

What I have learned from Dian Fossey is that she is a passionate person, doesn't give up, and had a love for animals so she did a grand thing to prove her love for animals. Some impressive things she said were "I feel more comfortable with gorillas than people, I can anticipate what a gorilla's going to do, and they're purely motivated." Another thing she said was "The man who kills the animals today is the man who kills the people who get in his way tomorrow." What she did for those gorillas was very kind and helpful so if she hadn't done that, the gorillas would extinct, but now there are more to come of them.