11/06/2025
đż Dian Fossey was found face-down on the wooden floor of her cabin in the Rwandan highlands in December 1985.
She didn't just study nature â she defended it with her life.
The story of Dian Fossey is as wild and powerful as the jungle she loved.
A pioneer in primate research, Fossey left behind a career in occupational therapy to live among mountain gorillas in Rwanda, founding the Karisoke Research Center with little more than grit and determination.
Her groundbreaking work transformed human understanding of gorilla behavior and formed the scientific backbone of modern conservation efforts. To the world she became a legend, but to the animals she protected, she was family.
But Fosseyâs devotion came at a cost.
She dismantled poachersâ traps with her bare hands, confronted illegal hunters, and exposed systemic corruption that profited from wildlife exploitation. After the brutal killing of her favorite gorilla, Digit, she launched the Digit Fund to combat poaching.
The fight consumed her life, and possibly led to her death.
Yet her fierce protection ensured that mountain gorillas, once on the brink of extinction, still survive today. Her story is a haunting reminder that defending the wild often demands everythingâand sometimes gives the world back something even greater.