Queen of the mountain gorillas: the life and death of the famous primatologist

And Dian Fossey earned this title through her short, brilliant life. One day, captivated by a friend’s stories about Africa, she decides to change her own fate. 

The first trip to Africa

In 1963 Dian Fossey set off for the continent. Here, on the slopes of the volcanic Virunga Mountains, Dian met wild gorillas for the first time. The huge, charming animals with the trusting expression in their eyes won her heart.

She would return to Africa three years later with the firm intention of studying the life of primates and becoming one of their own. Her friend Louis Leakey would help her set up camp in Albert National Park in the Congo.

At first Fossey chose three family groups of mountain gorillas as the subject of her research. But her work with the animals was interrupted by yet another military conflict in the Congo. And she managed only with difficulty to flee to Uganda.

She began to realize her cherished dream  in Rwanda. Fossey once again returned to the wild gorillas, now from the other side of the Virunga Mountains. Befriending these animals was a difficult and dangerous task.

Communicating with gorillas

The ice of the apes’ distrust was melted by Fossey’s sincerity and kindness. She imitated the gorillas’ habits and even learned the primates’ primitive language. Dian also communicated with the animals using gestures. She shared food with them and was warmly received in every family. Now these sweet creatures, it seemed, were ready to give their lives for her smile and her heartfelt treatment of them.

In 1980 she would earn her doctorate, and soon her famous book «Gorillas in the Mist» would be published. But Dian was indifferent to worldwide fame. All her thoughts were directed at preserving the 20 families of wild gorillas in the Virunga that still felt safe for now.

Attacks on Dian

Let us speak plainly: Dian became deeply disillusioned with people. Poachers and local residents mercilessly destroyed the primates. The meat went for food, while the heads and limbs of the unfortunate animals were sold as souvenirs. Trouble was also approaching from the side of the government. The authorities were eager to build an entertainment complex for tourists in the picturesque habitats of the mountain gorillas.

Dian fought for her charges, not mincing her methods. She could cruelly beat a poacher with a stick, make threats, and brawl. She was feared and hated. And Dian Fossey now spent all her time with the mountain gorillas. Believing that it was among them that she had found her real family.

The murder

On December 27, 1985, she would be found dead at home. Beside Fossey’s mutilated body lay an old machete. The local police would conduct a formal investigation. And the killer would never be found. Perhaps, for unknown reasons, the law-enforcement officers simply wanted to conceal his name.

Dian Fossey would be buried in a small gorilla cemetery. Even after death she would remain with her beloved animals.

Vanished in the Amazon jungle: the story of the disappearance of the famous explorer Percy Fawcett