Dian Fossey Fund in Africa – Rwanda Safari Tours

Dian Fossey Fund in Africa: Dian Fossey travelled to Africa, this time to the Congo, with a desire to research the region’s mountain gorillas. Dian Fossey first saw mountain gorillas in the month of October 1966. Dian Fossey travelled to Uganda and slept at the Travelers Rest, a tiny motel in Kisoro that is still operational today but on a tight budget. The hotel owner was a well-known gorilla conservationist, mostly because he saw the potential importance of tourism for the town.

Her first trip was with two other Kenyan photographers, Joan and Alan Root, who had been filming these gentle giants. On one of the days, they walked into the jungle, and Dian Fossey was to observe and study the mountain gorillas.

Dian Fossey later travelled to the Virunga Mountains and stayed with friends in Rhodesia for a longer period of time. She eventually came home to her former job at the Kosair Children’s Hospital, where she was still paying off the debt from her previous trip to Africa and looking forward to her next trip.

Dian Fossey Fund in DR Congo.

Dian Fossey travelled to the Congo, then Zaire, accompanied by Alan Root, an African expert who assisted her in obtaining licenses to do her study and research in the Virunga Mountains. Alan even assisted her in hiring two African guys to join her and assist with the task, and before he went, he taught her the fundamentals of gorilla tracking. Alan sent her off to Kabara, where she was to begin working on her own.

Her fate with the mountain gorillas revealed itself on her first day of gorilla tracking when, after just 10 minutes of trekking; she came across a lone male gorilla, which gave her even more optimism for her studies. For the next sightings, she teamed up with Senkwekwe, an experienced gorilla tracker.

Dian Fossey moved into a 7 by 10 foot tent in Kabara that served as her new home, complete with a bedroom, bathroom, office, and laundry room where she attempted to dry her clothing in the rain forest. She mostly ate canned food, although she had the option of having meals made in an ancient building. She refilled her food from the Kibumba hamlet on a monthly basis.

Senkwekwe continued to provide Dian with all of the information she could possibly need about these gorillas and following them, and with this knowledge, she located three gorilla families near her research area, which was on the slopes of Mount Mikeno. She tried repeatedly to accustom these gorillas to her presence, but they continually flinched away. Her habituation process went longer than expected, but she remained patient.

The political situation in the Democratic Republic of the Congo/Zaire was not ideal, and on July 9th, 1967, following one of their regular meetings, Dian and Senkwekwe discovered a squad of armed soldiers waiting for them with the intention of securely escorting them to safety. She stayed in Rumangabo for almost two weeks before bribing her way out and back to Kisoro, where she was told not to return.

Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in Rwanda.

Dian Fossey’s gorilla conservation work in Rwanda to study and safeguard the lives of wild gorillas touched the hearts of people all around the world. Her determination, tenacity, and devotion have inspired countless environmentalists who have come after her. Her legacy continues on through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s gorilla preservation, science, education, and people projects.

Dian left Kisoro and flew to Nairobi to meet with Dr. Leakey, who assisted her in obtaining permission to continue her study on the Rwandan side of the Virungas, which is now Volcanoes National Park. Dian established the Karisoke research facility in 1967, called for Mount Karisimbi and Mount Bisoke, where the camp was established.

Dian used the information she gathered from her time in Zaire to habituate four gorilla populations in 1968. She shot part of her work for the National Geographic Society during her time in Rwanda.

With these photographs, people’s perceptions of mountain gorillas shifted, and the gorillas were recast as benign creatures.

Dian began to observe the hazards to the prospering of these creatures as she gathered data, and their greatest threat was people; poachers and livestock keepers. She attempted to fend off the poachers, which was not well welcomed by these individuals.

Dian Fossey died on December 27, 1985, after being discovered unconscious in her hut with a machete in her skull. Her efforts and research facility are still visible and may be seen on a Rwanda gorilla trekking safari.