Gorillas in the Mist By: Emily Solem
Evaluate the measures that conservationists stress to preserve endangered populations of animals in impoverished areas.
Background Info:
- First was an occupantal therapist
- Dian Fossey was an American zoologist, primatologist, and anthropologist
- Studied gorillas for 18 years in the Rwandan Mountains
- Encouraged and worked with Louis Leakey
- Funded by National Geographic
- Her 1983 book, Gorillas in the Mist, combines her scientific study of the gorillas at Karisoke Research Center with her own personal story.
Book Summary:
- First trip taken for curiousity sake, then returned back when recruited to research with Leaky
- 1966- Funded by National Geographic to Rearch in Congo area
- Pushed into Rwanda due Congo Crisis
- Closely studied gorillas and befriends Digit
- Complains to Rwandan government to do something about poaching
- Frustration reaches peak when Digit is killed
- 1978- creates the Digit Fund Program
- Lead numerous anti-poaching patrols, burning down the poachers' villages and even staging a mock execution of one of the offenders, gaining her various enemies
- Later murdered in 1985
- Foundation renamed to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund
Reasons for Poaching:
Bushmeat-
- the biggest threat to gorillas
- occurs in West and Central Africa
- gorilla meat for the elite (considered to be prestigious)
- meat= form of survival
- numbers unknown: killed and eaten on spot
- liked by hunters due to size and weight of meat
- sad fact: a 300-pound male gorilla can get a large sum on the illegal bushmeat market. A researcher in a National Geographic video says the killer of the dead gorilla would get about $5 (U.S.) about the same amount as a Triple Whopper
Gorilla Tourism-
- new cash crop in parts of the Congo Basin and beyond
- hoping to increase value on live gorillas rather than dead
- Advantages: higher degree of safety, better montioring, source of foreign exchange, popularity
- Disadvantages: decrease in human shyness, infectious diseases, behavior changes, population pressure, habitation of too many
Bodies wanted for other purposes-
- Gorillas are also sought after as pets or trophies and for their body parts, which are used in medicine and as magical charm
- Hands wanted for ashtray
- Rwandan government has tried to end gorilla poaching, but many country problems hasn't allowed them to
- Mountain gorillas are one of the most endangered animals in the world. Scientists estimate that there are about 600 individuals, living in 2 populations of about 300 each
Pioneer of Conservationists
- Dian Fossey’s passion for the endangered mountain gorillas led her to pioneer what she called “active conservation.”
- Aware they were in grave danger, and feared they would disappear by the end of the twentieth century.
Active conservation (of Dian Fossey)
- Began to destroy traps, confront poachers, and chase away cattle.
- Used her own funds to supply the park guards with boots, uniforms, food and additional salaries
- Hired some of her own anti-poachers
Conservation at Karisoke™ today
- Karisoke’s anti-poaching teams= "active conservationists"
- Countines to employ armed guards to this day to protect the gorillas.
- Remove snares meant for other animals but can cause serious injury or death to the gorillas
- Karisoke staff also conduct cross-border patrols with local teams from the Ugandan and Congolese sectors of the gorillas’ habitat.
- In addition to the anti-poaching patrols, each group of gorillas of the Fossey Fund has team to collect a variety of data and to protect them from poachers.
Current Events
- Recently an endangered gorilla from the Cincinnati Zoo was shot after a three- year old got into the exhibit
- Questions to ponder:
- How do you think Dian Fossey would of reacted if she were alive today?
- Do you think the zoo made the right decision by shooting the gorilla?
- Also what are thoughts on gorilla tourism? Positive or negative?
Created with images by schacon - "Gorrillas just outside of the mist" • Mary-Lynn - "US-223658 Dian Fossey" • Stacy Spensley - "frank the baby gorilla" • Kitty Terwolbeck - "Toddler gorilla Shambe sitting on a trunk - Artis Royal Zoo" • MonikaP - "gorilla baby mountain gorilla" • schacon - "Gorilla Eatin"