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Conservation Is a Long-Term Investment

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Conservation Is a Long-Term Investment THE Inside DIAN From Dian’s journals: FOSSEY Her first weeks at Karisoke 4 Identifying the first Karisoke gorillas 4 Meet historic gorillas Whinny, Gorılla Uncle Bert, Digit, Peanuts, Poppy 5 Meet a donor: ournal September 2017 Sandy Price 8 J Daily protection | Scientific research | Educating conservationists | Helping communities 50 Years and forever Dian Fossey founded the Karisoke Research Center on Sept. 24, 1967, and Sign up! soon realized their future was Free monthly in danger. Gorilla eNews gorillafund. org/enews focus and pas- Conservation sion inspired a generation is a long-term of conserva- tionists that followed. And investment her constant commitment, despite so many challenges, still motivates so many who sup- By Tara Stoinski, Ph.D. port our work (and her initial vision) today. Fossey Fund President and While her tragic death could have ended the CEO/Chief Scientific Officer quest to save mountain gorillas, it actually had the opposite effect — it solidified her As we reach the 50th anniversary of the found- legacy and thus her mission. Her passion TheHelping Gorilla people. Saving Journal gorilla s. gorillafund.org ing of our Karisoke Research Center, I am and perseverance live on today in the people is a publication often asked how an organization like ours of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. of the Dian Fossey — with a very specific focus, working with a Less than a decade after Fossey’s death, Gorilla Fund® species and in countries that are outside of the Rwandan genocide enveloped the coun- International, mainstream media interest — has survived all try and its people. After this devastating 800 Cherokee these years. It’s a great question! For me, the time, with so many losses, it was hard to Ave., SE, Atlanta, answer comes down to a few key elements. know what the consequences might be. But GA 30315-1440, 1-800-851-0203. First and foremost, there is our founder. thanks to the dedication of our trackers, we Our story started with one woman whose never gave up protecting the gorillas, and ©2017 Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund® memory still impresses itself on us even we continued our direct, on-the-ground International. All three decades after her death. Dian Fossey’s commitment to saving them no matter the rights reserved. work to discover the intimate lives of the obstacles. We all owe an enormous debt of No information gorillas and to take on the poachers who gratitude to the individuals who worked from this publica- were trying to kill them touched the hearts of with the Fossey Fund at that time — putting tion may be used people around the world. Her single-minded See 5o YEARS, page 2 without written permission from the Fossey Fund. 50 years and forever take on the difficult job of pro- tecting these amazing individuals. From Fossey’s favorite silverback Digit, to my favorite silverback Bwenge, these gorillas have touched the hearts of not just us at the Fos- sey Fund but of the world. They are truly a world treasure. What has 50 years taught us Karisoke is the longest-running gorilla research site in the world. More than five generations of gorillas have been meticulously Dr. Tara Stoinski’s favorite gorilla Bwenge, who died in 2014. He was the observed by researchers from all son of legendary silverback Titus and formed his own group in 2007. Dr. Stoinski over the world. For almost any enjoyed studying him for her work on male gorilla social dynamics, observing him topic you can think of, we’ve done interact with his growing group, especially the infants and his brothers. a study on it. Yet, one of the most 50 YEARS, continued from page 1 real signal of their passion for our important lessons we’ve learned cause. Our donors have saved goril- from 50 years of this huge bank of their own lives at risk to ensure the las, enabled development within research is that, honestly, we still gorillas’ continued protection. Rwandan and Congolese communi- have a lot to learn. Additionally, we have been so ties, and funded important scien- Gorillas are intelligent and lucky in our 50-year history to work tific advances through their giving. complex animals who live in eco- side by side with amazing partners And then, of course, there are systems that are equally complex who share our dedication to the the gorillas themselves. They are and ever-changing. They’re highly long-term survival of the species. so much like us, especially in their adapted to change, having shown Our primary partner, the Rwandan rich social lives, how they care for time after time that there is no one government, is deeply committed and protect their families, and in way to be a gorilla; instead, being a to the conservation of its animals how they mourn their dead. We gorilla means being flexible within and resources, and we are proud of know them well — indeed, they are the situation at hand. We have seen its efforts to work in concert with like family members to us — and the gorillas go through periods us and others. our ability to be with them every when groups were very small, as The Fossey Fund would not be day and to tell their stories is one they were in Fossey’s time, to peri- here today without our vast inter- of the best examples of how we ods when groups grew to as large national community of supporters carry on the work started by Dian. as 65 individuals. Group size, which and friends. Some of these donors Knowing the gorillas so personally might seem to be a minor element have been with us for more than 30 enables us to keep inspiring new of the gorillas’ lives, ultimately can years and their giving history is a generations of conservationists to affect feeding behavior, reproduc- We’re celebrating Dian Fossey’s courage and commitment in protecting gorillas on this 50th anniversary, with a special campaign to continue her legacy for many more years to come. Please visit our website at gorillafund. org/protect to find out how you can join the campaign to ensure a future for gorillas. 2 September 2017 | THE DIAN FOSSEY GORILLA FUND INTERNATIONAL 50 years and forever tive strategies, infant survivorship, awful lot like what Dian faced 50 know, study, and protect the gorillas even decisions about whether to years ago — a fragile species in need of Rwanda. And what a privilege we strike out on your own or stay in of massive intervention. have to add to her mission today by the group where you were born. Conservation of this magnitude turning our experienced conserva- The gorillas of today are not the requires local, organizational, and tion model toward Congo and its same as those of Dian Fossey’s global investment. It’s not a job fragile Grauer’s gorillas. time, and they will not be the same that can be done in isolation by one Today, when I see images of as those we will observe 20 years agency, community, or by govern- Dian from those earliest years, I from now. Cataloguing the goril- ments that struggle with complex see something real and inspiring las’ incredible behavioral diversity and challenging human needs, let in her eyes. I see her courage, her is truly one of the most special, alone conservation concerns. Any conviction, and even sometimes unique and powerful aspects of the sustainable conservation work her tiredness. But I also see fierce Fossey Fund’s work. must have as its ultimate aim determination and sheer humanity the thriving of species, humans, in the face of a big challenge. Those From now forward and dynamic ecosystems. It must things are our reference points for We are proud of the successes serve the needs and aspirations of the next 50 years here at the Fossey we’ve had in protecting mountain animals and people alike. In our Fund, and I’m excited to be part of gorillas since Dian Fossey’s day. case, the work to save gorillas is our next chapter. This growth has also created new mirrored by the work to empower challenges, such as the limitations people who share the gorillas’ forest of habitat they may now face. How- home. And that is why we delib- National Geographic, ever, relative to what could have erately chose our motto: “Helping an early supporter of been a downward trend toward People. Saving Gorillas.” We know Dian Fossey’s work and extinction, any new problems that without educated local leaders, writing, is celebrating that emerge from the survival of a trained emerging generation of our 50th anniversary with the species is regarded as a “good” African conservationists, strong a feature article in the problem to have. food and water security, and the While mountain gorillas thrive, like, gorilla conservation will ulti- September issue of National we do continue to struggle and mately fail in the long-term. Geographic magazine and a work against the decline other I feel incredibly lucky to be able three-part television series gorillas are experiencing. In partic- to continue the amazing legacy to air in December. ular, for Grauer’s gorillas the level that Dian Fossey created. This year of loss is simply staggering — 80 marks my 23rd year of working with The TV series includes rare percent have been killed in the gorillas, and to be able to lead the archival footage and is last 20 years. Without a continued, amazing people who are the Fossey narrated by Fossey Fund major commitment on the ground, Fund is such an honor.
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