3. Childhood
● Dian Fossey
● Fairfax, California
● Jan 16, 1932
● loved pets
● suffered from asthma
● Mom: strict, nice - Dad: alcoholic
● parents divorced when she was 6
● grew up mom and stepfather, Richard
Price
4. Highschool/College
● Lowell High School
● started business course at College of Marin
● then went to University of California, Davis
for pre-veterinary studies and failed
● attended San Jose State College for
occupational therapy
● received her bachelors degree in 1954
● began her career as an occupational
therapist
● moved to Louisville, Kentucky and worked
with crippled children
5. Interest in Africa
● wondered about Africa
● wanted to go there
● took a loan of $8,000 to go to Africa in 1963
● loved Africa
● met Dr. Leakey
● saw the mountain gorillas, wanted to study
them
● wrote a letter to Dr. Leakey to offer to work
for him
7. Letters
● got a letter back
● was offered the job
● was jokingly told to take her appendix out
and did it
● then Dr. Leakey knew that he had found his
"gorilla girl"
8. Back in Africa
● returned to Africa, Congo in 1966
● met Dr. Leakey briefly
● was given a map
● got 4 workers
● received a 1 year work permit
● went to the weekly market for supplies
● headed for camp
● workers set up tents, while Dian settled into
her cabin
9. Finding Gorillas
● looked for 6 weeks, no sign of gorillas
● stepped in fresh gorilla poop
● knew they were close
● found the gorillas .............
● immediately wrote to Dr. Leakey
● was happy to hear about her success
13. Civil War
● civil war in Congo
● camp taken over by rebels
● driven out to Rwanda in 1967
● wrote resignation letter to Dr. Leakey
● thought about living on the Rwandan side of
the mountain where there was no civil war
● held back the resignation letter
14. Lover
● National Geographic photographer, Bob
Campbell
● falls in love
● gives her a dog
● films the gorillas
● leaves [times 3]
● comes back [times 2]
● is sent to a different assignment
15. Publicity
● is filmed by National Geographic several
times starting in 1968
● camera crews from around the world film the
gorillas
● in 1978 her work and the gorillas are shown
on the Life on Earth show on the BBC
16. Doctorate
● needs a doctorate degree to obtain money for
her research
● starts studying for a Ph.D. at Cambridge
University in England in 1970
● goes back and forth between Rwanda and
England to finish her doctorate in zoology
based on her gorilla research
● hates to be away from her gorillas
● receives her Ph.D. in 1976
17. Digit
● gorilla friend
● have some sort of connection
● hold hands
● digit is killed by poachers
18. Poachers
● people that kill gorillas for their head and
hands
● sell them for lots of money
19. Fight against Poaching
● traced poaching to very high places
● was told to leave Rwanda in 1980
● taught and lectured in the US
● returned to Rwanda in 1983
20. Death
On December 27, 1985 Dian was killed doing
what she loved. Her death remains a mystery.
