Early childhood life
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Dian Fossey was born on January 16, 1932 to proud parents Kitty and George Fossey in San Francisco, Carolina. As a young child, Dian was not very healthy. She had asthma and regular bouts of pneumonia, a lung infection that makes it harder for her to breathe. Sadly, when Dian was only 6 years old, her parents divorced. The reason for this was because the time period was during the Great Depression. George was an insurance agent, but due to the Great Depression, no one wanted insurance. He became stressed and slowly turned over to alcohol, Kitty did not approve, so they separated. In a year, Kitty married a successful builder, Richard Prince. Richard was not a very good parent. He was cold and strict, Dian even had to eat her meals in the kitchen with the housekeeper. When Dian started school, she was far from being a good student. Though Dian loved animals, she failed in pre-veterinary school. Dian then went to college, where she excelled in zoology and biology, but failed in chemistry and physics. Dian changed again. this time to occupational therapy.
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Adulthood
eUntil Dian graduated from San Jose in 1954 with a degree in occupational therapist, she worked with children that have autism in Louisville, Kentucky. She did her job, but she had a dream, to travel to Africa. When her friend Mary Jo White planned a safari to Africa, she offered to pay for Dian. Sadly Dian did not take the offer, for the gift was too big, even from a close friend. Instead, she saved every penny she earned to pay for the trip, though she could have asked her Uncle Bert for help, but she was an independent woman. In September 1963, Dian flew to Africa for a seven week tour. Once she got to Africa, she met Dr. Louis Leakey, a world famous anthropologist. After a while, Dian and her guide headed out west to Uganda to a Travelers Rest hotel. It took Dian at least seven hours to climb Mount Mikeno, adding to that, she had a swollen ankle, plus having asthma attacks. In addition to that, her lungs were scarred from smoke, allergies gave her high fever and made her face puff up like a balloon. This shows that Dian is quite determined, most people wouldn't have gone with all those"injuries". After two days of searching, they didn't see any gorillas. Then they saw one. Dian has two quotes, relating to when she saw her first gorilla. The first one states, "I left Mount Mikeno [the] next day, never doubting that somehow I would return to learn more about the Virunga gorillas." The second one would be, "I shall never forget my first encounter with gorillas... sound preceded sight and odor preceded both in the form of an overwhelming, musky, barnyard yet human like stench. Then the thin mountain air was shattered like window glass by a high-pitched series of deafening screams.....we all froze...a group of about six adult gorillas stared...back at us...their bright gazes darted nervously from under their heavy brows as they tried to determine if we were dangerous." She left the next day. When she got back to Kentucky, she continuid her jobs.
In March, 1966, Louis Leakey came to Louisville on a lecture tour. The next afternoon, Dian met up with Leakey to talk. Then Leakey offered Dian a job to observe gorilla behavior. Dian launched into how she would not make a good observer, like how she was so old, at 34. Leakey didn't care, he stated, "But this is the perfect age to begin such work." After a while of writing back and forth, the letter arrived. The letter contained a three year position to study mountain gorillas. So in late December 1966, Dian Fossey flew back to Africa. When she started, she was really clumsy. Either she was too close,or too quickly approaching to the mountain gorillas. After a while, there was good news. The good news was that Dian was able to get closer to the gorillas. In March,1969, Dian learned about a gorilla infant, who was ill after being traped in an almost airless box. Dian decided to take in the baby gorilla. The gorilla was named, Coco. Then another gorilla infant, even worse than the other arrived. This gorilla was emancipated, with head wounds from a panga or machete. Dian named this one Pucker. With Coco and Pucker, Dian learned a lot about how to talk in gorilla. This started Dian's communication with gorilla. Sadly, Dian had to have a Ph.D, so she went to Cambridge University to get one. Once she finished the first semester, Dian went back to Karisoke for Chistmas. Peanuts was there when she came back. She went back to finish her "college". Her job continued, untill the death of Digit. Digit was a young silverback that Dian loved. Digit had died by fighting poachers because they were taking away his family. Following Digit later was another silverback, named Uncle Bert.
Dian was found dead December twenty eight, 1985. After observations, it was found that Dian was killed by a machete, a long knife. She had a hand held gun, but couldn't defend herself. She was only 53 when she sadly passed away.
In March, 1966, Louis Leakey came to Louisville on a lecture tour. The next afternoon, Dian met up with Leakey to talk. Then Leakey offered Dian a job to observe gorilla behavior. Dian launched into how she would not make a good observer, like how she was so old, at 34. Leakey didn't care, he stated, "But this is the perfect age to begin such work." After a while of writing back and forth, the letter arrived. The letter contained a three year position to study mountain gorillas. So in late December 1966, Dian Fossey flew back to Africa. When she started, she was really clumsy. Either she was too close,or too quickly approaching to the mountain gorillas. After a while, there was good news. The good news was that Dian was able to get closer to the gorillas. In March,1969, Dian learned about a gorilla infant, who was ill after being traped in an almost airless box. Dian decided to take in the baby gorilla. The gorilla was named, Coco. Then another gorilla infant, even worse than the other arrived. This gorilla was emancipated, with head wounds from a panga or machete. Dian named this one Pucker. With Coco and Pucker, Dian learned a lot about how to talk in gorilla. This started Dian's communication with gorilla. Sadly, Dian had to have a Ph.D, so she went to Cambridge University to get one. Once she finished the first semester, Dian went back to Karisoke for Chistmas. Peanuts was there when she came back. She went back to finish her "college". Her job continued, untill the death of Digit. Digit was a young silverback that Dian loved. Digit had died by fighting poachers because they were taking away his family. Following Digit later was another silverback, named Uncle Bert.
Dian was found dead December twenty eight, 1985. After observations, it was found that Dian was killed by a machete, a long knife. She had a hand held gun, but couldn't defend herself. She was only 53 when she sadly passed away.
Accomplishments
Dian has many accomplishments, the most important one is saving gorillas from being extinct. She also started the Digit fund,because the young gorilla had died trying to save his family. Plus she had a special fond of him, so when Digit died, it was tragic. This fund is now the Dian Fossey fund.
My Tribute to honor Dian Fossey
To honor Dian Fossey, I have decided to build a gorilla conservation center. The reason for this is that Dian wanted to save gorillas, so why not honor her with a place that tries to do what she tried to do. My building will be two stories high, with an area of six hundred or more feet. The first floor will have a statue of Dian, The statue will be made of stone. This is because Dian was a strong person, like the rock.Behind the statue , it would have two rooms. The first room to your right is where you can learn about Dian, including her childhood, adulthood, and what she did. The other room to the left is a place where you can learn about African Mountain gorillas. Once you go up a floor, you have the baby gorilla center, real live baby gorillas, where you can pet them, plus you can feed them. To the left, you would have a gift shop of course. Everywhere you go has one, you can buy almost anything gorilla related, including "Stop gorilla extinction". This is my tribute to honor Dian Fossey.
Citations
Light Shining Through the Mist
Dian Fossey Book
http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/fossey.html,
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/BiographiesDetailsPage/BiographiesDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=BIC1&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Biographies&limiter=&u=dulu13915&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=Topic&search_within_results=&p=BIC1&action=e&catId=GALE%7CAAA000070420&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1618000596,
Dian Fossey Book
http://faculty.webster.edu/woolflm/fossey.html,
http://ic.galegroup.com/ic/bic1/BiographiesDetailsPage/BiographiesDetailsWindow?failOverType=&query=&prodId=BIC1&windowstate=normal&contentModules=&display-query=&mode=view&displayGroupName=Biographies&limiter=&u=dulu13915&currPage=&disableHighlighting=true&displayGroups=&sortBy=&source=Topic&search_within_results=&p=BIC1&action=e&catId=GALE%7CAAA000070420&activityType=&scanId=&documentId=GALE%7CK1618000596,
