![]() ![]() For example, while in Rwanda this month, Ms. In addition, the Fossey Fund now also supports numerous education and small-scale economic development programs in the communities near gorilla habitats, working with local organizations to implement projects. The Fossey Fund partners with numerous other conservation and educational groups and institutions in its work, including the National University of Rwanda, the Georgia Institute of Technology, Clark Atlanta University, the Bushmeat Crisis Taskforce and others. In addition to gorilla protection, the Fossey Fund's work in Rwanda includes habitat studies, gorilla behavior and demographic analyses, biodiversity inventories and other work, using traditional field methods as well as advanced scientific technology, such as remote sensing via satellite. The Fossey Fund operates the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda, and employs a field staff of scientists, trackers and anti-poaching patrols. Near the anniversary, Clare Richardson, president and chief executive officer of the Fossey Fund, returned from an extended trip to Rwanda and neighboring countries, where the remaining 300 or so mountain gorillas live. Today, the Atlanta-based Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International continues her work studying and protecting gorillas, and has expanded its outreach to include science, field research, education and economic development in Africa. Dian Fossey, the legendary protector and supporter of Africa's critically endangered mountain gorillas. ![]() 26, 2000 marked the 15th anniversary of the death of Dr. The Fossey Fund hosts hundreds of local university students each year for field courses, and training in conservation and scientific methods.Dian Fossey's Work Continues to Expand In the 15 Years Since Her Deathĭec. The program has also become a center for training the next generation of conservationists and scientists in Rwanda. In addition, the initial focus of Karisoke’s scientific efforts has been expanded to include research on the biodiversity of the region, since the gorillas’ habitat includes many other important species of animals and plants. It holds one of the largest databases on any wild animal, and operates education and community programs that reach tens of thousands of people in the region each year. It is also the world’s centerpiece for gorilla conservation and science, with hundreds of scientific publications based on data collected at Karisoke. The Karisoke Research Center today is a program of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, with more than 100 expert gorilla trackers protecting about half of Rwanda’s mountain gorilla families every day. ![]() The ongoing story of our work to save mountain gorillas is one of enormous perseverance, courage and vision, on the part of hundreds of trackers, researchers, partners and supporters from all over the world. Thus began a 55-year legacy of the study and protection of gorillas, now one of the longest-running field studies of any animal species, the source of much of our knowledge about gorillas, and a successful model that has contributed to bringing mountain gorillas back from the brink of extinction. And so her methods quickly expanded beyond science to include what she called “active conservation” – removing snares and discouraging illegal activities like cattle grazing in the park. She found herself spending days searching for and attempting to observe these elusive animals, while encountering signs that poachers and other human intruders had preceded her. Fossey’s original objectives were to study gorilla behavior and ecology. ![]()
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