Dian Fossey was an American primatologist who founded the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda's Virunga volcanoes in 1967 and spent nearly two decades studying and defending mountain gorillas. She was killed at her camp in December 1985. Her work, books and fund still shape how gorillas are protected and visited today.
Table of Contents
- Who Dian Fossey was
- Why she chose the Virunga volcanoes
- How she studied the gorillas
- Digit and the fight against poaching
- Gorillas in the Mist
- Her death and where she is buried
- What happened at Karisoke after 1985
- Fossey's legacy in the numbers
- A balanced view of her legacy
- Seeing her legacy for yourself
- Before you go
- Frequently Asked Questions
Who Dian Fossey was
Dian Fossey was an American zoologist and primatologist born in San Francisco in 1932. She came to Africa in 1963 on a long trip, met the palaeontologist Louis Leakey, and a few years later he backed her to study mountain gorillas in the wild. At that time almost nothing reliable was known about them. Most of what the outside world believed came from hunters' stories and films.
She began fieldwork in 1967 on the Congolese side of the Virunga mountains. When political unrest forced her out that same year, she crossed into Rwanda and set up a new camp in what was then the Parc National des Volcans. That camp became the Karisoke Research Center, and she stayed with the gorillas for most of the next eighteen years.
If you plan to trek in the park she worked in, our gorilla trekking in Rwanda page explains how a visit works today. This article explains why the gorillas you meet are still there to be visited.
Why she chose the Virunga volcanoes
The Virunga range is a chain of volcanoes shared by Rwanda, Uganda and the Democratic Republic of Congo. On the Rwandan side the mountain gorillas live on the high slopes of the park, in bamboo, hagenia forest and open meadow of giant lobelia. It is cold, wet and steep, and it is one of only two places on earth where mountain gorillas survive.
Fossey set her camp between two of the volcanoes, Karisimbi and Bisoke. The name Karisoke joins the first letters of both mountains. From there she could reach several gorilla groups on foot each day, which is why the station worked as a base for long observation rather than short visits.
How she studied the gorillas
Fossey's method was patient and unusual for its time. She spent hours near the animals, imitated their sounds and behaviour, and let them get used to her presence in a process now called habituation. Over months the groups stopped treating her as a threat, and she was able to record individual faces, nose prints and family relationships.
Her records helped show that gorillas are gentle, highly social animals with stable families and clear roles. That was a change from the fierce image of the film screen. If you want to know how those families work in practice, see our guide to how a gorilla family is organised.
Habituation is still how gorilla tourism works. The groups visited in Volcanoes National Park today were brought to accept human presence slowly, over years, by trackers and researchers working in the tradition she began.
Digit and the fight against poaching
Fossey's attention turned from observation to protection after the death of a young male named Digit. He was a favourite of hers and was killed by poachers on 31 December 1977, while defending his group. His death shaped the rest of her life and, through the fundraising that followed, changed the way mountain gorillas were protected.
Her anti-poaching patrols removed snares and destroyed traps in the forest. Her methods were forceful, and remain debated among conservationists and historians. What is not disputed is that in the 1970s and early 1980s the gorillas faced hunting, snaring and loss of habitat, and that her public campaigning brought international attention that the animals badly needed.
Digit's death led to the creation of the Digit Fund, which later became the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International. The organisation still runs research and protection work in the Virunga area.
Gorillas in the Mist
In 1983 Fossey published Gorillas in the Mist, an account of her years at Karisoke. In 1988 it was adapted into a film of the same name. Both introduced the mountain gorilla to a very wide audience, and tourism to Rwanda's volcano region grew out of that interest.
The book is not a neutral scientific text. It records her frustrations, her opinions and her close attachment to individual animals. Many visitors read it before they trek, and it is worth reading with the understanding that it is one person's account, written at a difficult time.
Her death and where she is buried
Dian Fossey was killed at her cabin at Karisoke in December 1985. Her death remains a subject of debate, and we do not speculate about it here. She was buried at the camp, beside Digit and other gorillas who died from poaching and other causes, in a small graveyard the research team had made for them.
Today, visitors can walk to the graves. The route climbs from the park through farmland and forest and takes most of a day. Our Dian Fossey tomb hike page explains the logistics, and our article on the Dian Fossey grave at Karisoke covers what you will see there.
What happened at Karisoke after 1985
Research did not stop when Fossey died. Karisoke continued under new scientific leadership, and the centre remains one of the longest-running studies of wild great apes anywhere. The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund now runs the work, alongside Rwandan researchers, trackers and vets who monitor the gorillas daily.
Our article on Karisoke and the research camp explains how the station operates today, who works there, and what data has come from decades of records.
Fossey's legacy in the numbers
The direct result of long protection can be seen in how the mountain gorilla population has changed. In the early 1980s the Virunga population was in steep decline, and many observers feared it would disappear. Since then, censuses have found the population recovering. In 2018 the international conservation authority moved the mountain gorilla from Critically Endangered to Endangered, a change that reflects that recovery.
The animals are still vulnerable. Their range is small, they share it with a dense human population, and disease and habitat pressure continue. Read more in our explainer on why mountain gorillas remain endangered.
A balanced view of her legacy
Fossey is remembered differently by different people. To many conservationists she is the figure who put the mountain gorilla on the world's agenda. To others, her confrontational approach to local people is a reminder that conservation works best when it includes the communities who live beside the park.
Rwanda's present system reflects that lesson. A share of park revenue supports nearby communities, and local people work as trackers, guides, porters and rangers. Our overview of where park fees go shows how that works. It is one of the reasons the gorillas are safer than they were.
Seeing her legacy for yourself
There are three good ways to connect with Fossey's story in Rwanda.
| Experience | What it shows you | Effort |
|---|---|---|
| Gorilla trek | Habituated families, the result of her method | Moderate to hard, depending on the family |
| Dian Fossey tomb hike | The graves and old camp site at Karisoke | Hard, a full day on steep ground |
| Golden monkey trek | A second Virunga species that benefits from the same protection | Moderate |
Many visitors combine a trek with the tomb hike over three days. Our golden monkey trekking page describes the other primate you can see in the same park, and our Volcanoes National Park page shows how the activities fit together.
If you only have time for one activity, choose the gorilla trek. If you have a second day, the tomb hike gives you the history behind it.
Before you go
Read the park rules before you trek, and keep a distance from the animals. Visitors are asked to stay at least seven metres from gorillas, wear a mask if they have any symptoms of illness, and keep their voices low. These rules exist because gorillas share most of their DNA with us and catch our respiratory infections easily. They are part of the protection that Fossey's work made necessary.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was Dian Fossey famous for?
She founded the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda in 1967 and studied mountain gorillas for nearly two decades. She also fought poaching, wrote Gorillas in the Mist, and drew international attention to the species at a time when it was rapidly declining.
Where is Dian Fossey buried?
She is buried at Karisoke, the former research camp on the slopes between Bisoke and Karisimbi in Volcanoes National Park. Her grave lies next to Digit and other gorillas in a small graveyard. Visitors can reach it on a guided hike.
Is Karisoke still open?
Yes. The Karisoke Research Center continues its work under the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, monitoring gorilla groups, running research projects and employing Rwandan staff. The old camp site can be visited on a guided hike, but the research station itself is not a tourist attraction.
Did Dian Fossey live in Rwanda?
She lived and worked in the Virunga mountains on the Rwandan side for most of her time in Africa, from 1967 until her death in 1985. She spent most of that time at Karisoke, moving between her camp and the gorilla groups she studied.
Can I visit Dian Fossey's grave?
Yes, on a guided hike from Volcanoes National Park. It is a demanding walk of most of a day, on steep and muddy ground. Book through a licensed operator so that the park team can arrange the required guide.