Dian+Fossey

media type="youtube" key="k2HAetSRJmw" height="344" width="425" **__ Dian Fossey __**
 * __ By Payton __**

Dian Fossey was a lovely woman who did what ever she could to help gorillas. She was born in California in 1932. She then lived her childhood in Kentucky. She had lots of jobs like when she enrolled in a pre-veterinarian school in 1950. She was a zoologist. She also was an occupational therapist and worked in Okosiar Children Hospital in Kentucky.

Now you are probably wondering how she got to Africa. Well, it’s because of her friend Mary who went on a safari and got Dian dreaming of going to Africa. So she borrowed money to go to Africa, and saw the love of her life, endangered mountain gorillas. She went back to Kentucky and realized she wanted to go back and help the mountain gorillas.

She went back and met Dr. Leaky. He was a scientist who studied primates. At first they didn’t hit it off so well. She was at his fossil dig and fell in, twisted her ankle, and broke a giraffe fossil. But nothing stopped her, not Dr. Leaky and not the high climb she did a week later when she climbed a huge volcano, and her ankle wasn’t even healed. Dr. Leaky found out about Dian’s dream and decided to send her to work with the primates. Not right away,of course. She had to learn everything there was to know and who better to teach her than Jane Goodall.

Jane did not teach her everything in the months of training she did. Dian studied by herself day and night. After her training, she created a camp in Karisoke to help save the gorillas and lived in Park National in Rwanda. It is perfect that she got this job because she had loved animals since she was a child. It has been said that she loved animals more than people. So when she saw those mountain gorillas it was no surprise that she adored them. And it was no mouth dropper that she saved the near extinct gorillas and made the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.

She spent the rest of her life trying to save mountain gorillas. It started when she wanted to help them after she saw them going extinct. She worked with and touched the hearts of many people but the ones who touched her most were the gorillas. Dr. Leaky made all of this possible and Jane Goodall was very helpful too. But we can’t forget about some people who also made it possible… the workers at her campsite. She couldn’t have had done it with out them. Everyone wanted to help.

To prove she spent a lot of time with gorillas Dian Fossey would set records, like the first recorded friendly touch from Peanut, one of the gorillas. But her favorite gorilla was Digit, but I am sure it was hard to choose. Lastly, one of the biggest things she has ever done, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, raised public awareness and money that went to the gorillas. She even wrote a book called “Gorillas in the Mist” an a film was made that was based on it. Sadly, the journey ended for Dian when she was murdered in her cabin one night. By now her dream has almost been fulfilled by the hearts of the people who wanted to help. WORK CITED __ GaleNet __. 18 May 2009 . __ Minnesota ____ State University, Mankato __. 18 May 2009 . __ Saving Gorillas - The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International __. 18 May 2009 . Taylor, Marianne. __Mountain Gorilla (Animals Under Threat)__. Chicago: Heinemann, 2004.