Though an allegedly jealous fellow researcher was convicted in absentia for her murder in Rwanda, many believe that her killing was revenge for her treatment of poachers. Her efforts garnered worldwide attention to the anti-poaching cause, but may have led to her death. ![]() She cultivated a reputation among the locals as a practitioner of dark magic in an effort to keep people from harming her gorilla friends. Fossey destroyed traps and was even known to detain poachers, sometimes physically beating them. After poachers brutally killed her favorite gorilla, Digit, in 1977, Fossey launched a public and somewhat obsessive crusade to protect gorillas and punish poachers. Park rangers were known to accept bribes, allowing poachers to set up traps and routinely kill gorillas in the national park where Fossey worked. Fossey is best known, however, as a fierce opponent of poaching. Her research on gorilla societies greatly enhanced mankind's understanding of one of its closes evolutionary relatives. in zoology from Cambridge University and lectured for several years at Cornell. ![]() There, she studied and interacted extensively with the native gorillas. Political unrest in the Congo led Fossey to flee the country and set up her camp, Karisoke, in the Rwandan foothills of the Virunga Mountains. She published several articles about her travels and returned to the United States, but in 1966 the Leakeys helped her secure funding to study gorillas in the Congo. Her travels brought her into contact with the archaeologists Louis and Mary Leakey and wildlife photographers Alan and Joan Root and introduced her to the work of primatologist Jane Goodall. In 1963, she borrowed money in order to finance an extended trip to Africa. She would later credit her work with children for helping her earn the trust of the mountain gorillas she studied. It is widely believed that she was killed in connection with her lifelong crusade against poaching.Īn animal lover from a young age, Fossey began her career as an occupational therapist. ![]() Dian Fossey is found murdered in her cabin at Karisoke, a research site in the mountains of Rwanda. On December 26, 1985, primatologist and conservationist Dr.
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