Thanks to lack of education and movies like King Kong, gorillas used to be considered ferocious man killers. It took a tenacious Dian Fossey moving to the jungles of Africa and living among the great apes, to change the public’s mind about the gentle giants.
During the 1960s and 70s, when a poaching pandemic threatened the existence of the African Mountain Gorilla, Dian went to unimaginable lengths to save the animals she had come to know as family. Her conservation efforts were not without great sacrifice, and on an otherwise normal New Years Eve, she was ultimately brutally murdered by one of her many human enemies.
Dian’s impact is still felt today as the number of Mountain Gorillas is finally on the rise and her legacy has inspired many to follow their dreams to make the planet a safer place for every living creature.
Sources:
Phelan, A. H. (1987a). Gorillas in the mist.
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This episode of The Dark Oak was created, researched, written, recorded, hosted, edited, published, and marketed by Cynthia and Stefanie of Just Us Gals Productions with artwork by Justyse Holmes and Music by Ryan Creep