a biography of the day-dian fossey
Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey (/daɪˈæn ˈfɒsi/; January 16, 1932 – c. December 27, 1985) was an American zoologist who undertook an extensive study of gorilla groups over a period of 18 years. She studied them daily in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by famous anthropologist Louis Leakey. She was murdered in 1985; the case remains open.[1]
Called one of the foremost primatologists in the world while she was alive, Fossey, along with Jane Goodall and Birutė Galdikas, was part of the so-called Leakey's Angels, a group of three prominent researchers on primates (Fossey on gorillas; Goodall on chimpanzees; and Galdikas on orangutans) sent by anthropologist Louis Leakey to study great apes in their natural environments.
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When her photograph, taken by Bob Campbell, appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in January 1970, Fossey became an international celebrity, bringing massive publicity to her cause of saving the mountain gorilla from extinction, as well as convincing the general public that gorillas are not as fierce as they are sometimes depicted in movies and books. Photographs showing the gorilla "Peanuts" touching Fossey's hand depicted the first recorded peaceful contact between a human being and a wild gorilla. Her extraordinary rapport with animals and her background as an occupational therapist brushed away the Hollywood "King Kong" myth of an aggressive, savage beast. Fossey made discoveries about gorillas including how females transfer from group to group over the decades, gorilla vocalization, hierarchies and social relationships among groups, rare infanticide, gorilla diet, and how gorillas recycle nutrients.[4] Fossey's research was funded by the Wilkie Foundation and the Leakey Home, with primary funding from the National Geographic Society. By 1980, Fossey, who had
obtained her PhD at Cambridge University in the UK, was recognized as the world's leading authority on the physiology and behaviour of mountain gorillas, defining gorillas as being "dignified, highly social, gentle giants, with individual personalities, and strong family relationships."[6]
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Fossey's skull had been split by a machete, a tool widely used by poachers, which she had confiscated from a poacher years earlier and hung as a decoration on the wall of her living room adjacent to her bedroom. Fossey was found dead beside her bed, with her handgun beside her and her own hair pulled out and in her hand. She was in the act of loading her weapon, but had picked the wrong type of ammunition during the struggle, of which the signs were broken glass on the floor and tables along with other furniture overturned. All Fossey's valuables were still in the cabin: thousands of dollars in cash, travelers' checks, and photo equipment remained untouched. She was 2 metres (7 ft) away from a hole cut in the wall of the cabin on the day of her murder.
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http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dian_Fossey
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