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Background

In the mists of the Virunga Volcanoes of central Africa the last remaining mountain gorillas face extinction. The rarest and largest of the great apes, they are among our closest relatives yet one of the most endangered mammals on earth. They are threatened by poaching, loss of habitat, disease and war. Mountain gorillas are an important resource for the people of Rwanda, Congo and Uganda across whose borders their tiny forest habitat stretches. Political instability and war have caused many set-backs, but as peace slowly returns, the economic potential of mountain gorilla conservation has also re-emerged.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund continues the work started by its founder thirty years ago protecting the mountain gorillas. It also works to ensure the people of the region genuinely benefit from their unique natural heritage.

 

Dian Fossey

In the Virunga volcanoes of central Africa Dian Fossey discovered the gentlest of the great apes. She lived amongst the mountain gorillas for nearly 20 years and shamelessly defended them from poachers.
In Rwanda, she founded the Karisoke Research Centre (1967) to provide the world's primary focus for mountain gorilla conservation and research. Through the pages of National Geographic magazine and countless television appearances she focused world attention on the gorillas' plight.

She began raising money to pay for anti-poaching, and in 1978 set up the first ranger patrols in Rwanda. She was murdered by an unknown attacker in the early hours of December 27, 1985, in her cabin at Karisoke. Her friend Alan Root, the wildlife filmmaker who introduced her to gorillas in 1967, recalled in Swara magazine: An occupational therapist with lung problems, a great fear of heights and no training in animal behaviour, Dian was hardly tailor-made for the job of following gorillas among the steep ravines of a 14,000-foot, rain-shrouded volcano. With only a two-day crash course on data collection from Jane Goodall to guide her, Dian recorded everything she saw, and from the beginning she saw clearly that gorillas were doomed unless something was done about the uncontrolled encroachment and poaching that was going on. Over the next 13 years Dian collected a vast amount of data on mountain gorillas. Her work, and that of the co-workers who joined her in the later years, not only led to a greater understanding of gorillas, but to a world-wide concern for their safety.

 

Saving the Gorillas in the Mist -
the work of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

With more than 30 years experience to build on, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has determined an optimum annual programme to ensure the long-term survival of mountain gorillas. Its aim is to reinforce and encourage African ownership, build local capacity, and empower grass-roots initiative by applying successful conservation, research, education and development techniques through existing local networks.

Science & Research
Since Dian Fossey began her study of gorillas in Rwanda in 1967, scientific research has been central to mountain gorilla protection and the basis of all conservation planning. The Fund's on-going scientific and research projects, coupled with an effective system for collection and distribution of scientific data, allow conservationists to make informed decisions and plan new projects effectively.

Applied Conservation
Ranger patrols and law enforcement within the national parks have always been the main deterrent to poaching and the unsustainable use of forest resources. The Fund provides training, equipment and material support for national park rangers, wildlife veterinarians and local conservation groups, which, along with an effective regional communications network, continue to reinforce the front-line of mountain gorilla protection.

Community-Based Conservation
The survival of the endangered mountain gorillas is above all dependent on their human neighbours. The Fund's long-term programme of grass-roots projects aimed at sustainable development, conservation education and small-scale enterprise initiatives for the communities living adjacent to and within the gorilla habitat will help realise the full economic potential of mountain gorilla conservation for the region and encourage a strong conservation culture among the local people.

Public Awareness
Through the pages of National Geographic magazine and the release of Gorillas in the Mist, Dian Fossey effectively ended the trade in mountain gorilla infants and curios across the world. Our strong media relations and hard-hitting campaigns continue to raise local, national and global awareness of the plight of the endangered mountain gorillas - especially in times of war and political instability.

 

 

 
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