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Dian Fossey Facts & Worksheets

Dian Fossey was an American primatologist known for researching mountain gorillas in Rwanda from 1966 to 1985. She is known for being one of the leading researchers with regard to mountain gorillas.

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Dian Fossey was an American primatologist known for researching mountain gorillas in Rwanda from 1966 to 1985. She is known for being one of the leading researchers with regard to mountain gorillas. She was also a conservationist who strongly opposed poaching and wildlife tourism to protect the habitats of gorillas.

See the fact file below for more information on the Dian Fossey or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Dian Fossey worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

EARLY LIFE AND EDUCATION

  • Dian Fossey was born on January 16, 1932 in San Francisco, California.
  • She was born to George E. Fossey III who worked in insurance and Kathryn Kidd who was a model.
  • After Dian Fossey’s parents divorced when she was six years old, her mother remarried businessman and builder Richard Price.
  • With her stepfather not showing care and concern, Dian felt isolated and redirected to animals for emotional support.
  • Her first pet was a goldfish.
  • She started taking horseback riding lessons at six years of age.
  • By the time she graduated from university, she was already an established equestrienne.
  • After high school, she followed her businessman stepfather’s advice and attended college business courses at Marin Junior College.
  • On her first summer break in college, she worked on a ranch in Montana and grew attached to animals.
  • Her love for animals grew over time and became the influential force in her life and career.
  • Upon going back to college, she transferred to University of California and became a pre-veterinary student.
  • She had difficulties with her physics and chemistry classes so she shifted to an occupational therapy degree at San Jose State College and graduated in 1954.

CAREER BEGINNINGS

  • Dian Fossey first worked as an occupational therapy intern in hospitals in California.
  • After less than a year, she moved to Louisville, Kentucky and became Director of the Occupational Therapy Department at Kosair Children’s Hospital.
  • While working as an occupational therapist, she also helped at a farm outside the city.
  • When one of her friends traveled to Africa and showed Dian pictures of the trip, Dian decided to see more of the world herself.
  • In 1963, Dian gathered her life savings, took out a bank loan, and started planning her first trip to Africa.
  • She planned a seven-week visit that included Kenya, Tanzania, Congo, and present-day Zimbabwe.

TRIP TO AFRICA

  • She arrived in Kenya in September 1963.
  • Upon her arrival she met actor William Holden who introduced her to a British hunter named John Alexander who then became her guide.
  • They embarked on a tour that included Tsavo (Africa’s largest national park); Manyara (a lake where flamingos often flock to); the Ngorongoro Crater in Tanzania; the Olduvai Gorge in Tanzania; and Mt. Mikeno in Congo.
  • At Olduvai Gorge, she met popular husband and wife paleoanthropologists Louis and Mary Leakey.
  • Dian Fossey’s visit to the Leakeys was the time she first saw mountain gorillas.
  • Meeting the Leakeys became a defining moment in her life as it planted the seed of what would be her lifelong career.
  • After her trip, she returned to the United States and resumed her work at Kosair Children’s Hospital.

STUDYING MOUNTAIN GORILLAS

  • In the spring of 1966, Dr. Louis Leakey went to Louisville to deliver a lecture which Dian Fossey attended.
  • When Fossey showed Dr. Leakey her published articles and photographs of her Africa trip, he persuaded her to return to Africa and study mountain gorillas as a long-term project.
  • She accepted the offer and returned to Africa in December 1966.
  • She lived among the gorillas in their natural habitat in Congo until civil war broke out and she had to escape to Rwanda.
  • At first, the gorillas would flee when Fossey would approach them, but as time went by, they grew accustomed to her presence.
  • She would imitate the gorilla’s vocalizations and engage them by feeding and scratching them. She also imitated how they walked and even chewed on celery.
  • By living among the gorillas, Dian Fossey was able to make significant observations and gather data about their eating habits, communication patterns, and social behavior and organization.
  • In 1967, she established the Karisoke Research Centre and lived among the gorillas in the Virunga Mountains in Rwanda.

BECOMING INFLUENTIAL

  • She drew sketches of the gorillas and their “nose prints” which led her to identify and classify the gorillas into three distinct groups.
  • By 1968, she had habituated with four gorilla groups.
  • She learned that gorillas were highly social and formed close family bonds.
  • In 1968, National Geographic sent Bob Campbell to photograph Dian Fossey and the work she was doing in Rwanda. These photographs made her famous and also redefined the image of gorillas from wild beasts to gentle creatures.
  • In 1970, she enrolled in the Department of Animal Behavior at Cambridge University in England.
  • After traveling between Africa and England for her research and studies, she earned her PhD in 1974.
  • In 1983, she published the book “Gorillas in the Mist” which is an account of her observations and time spent with the mountain gorillas.
  • The book became a best-seller, and a film adaptation was released in 1988.
  • As a conservationist, Dian Fossey went to campaign against poaching and wildlife habitat tourism, particularly that concerning mountain gorillas.
  • On December 26, 1985, she was found murdered at her camp in the forest. Her killer was never found.

Dian Fossey Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Dian Fossey across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Dian Fossey worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Dian Fossey who was an American primatologist known for researching mountain gorillas in Rwanda from 1966 to 1985. She is known for being one of the leading researchers with regard to mountain gorillas. She was also a conservationist who strongly opposed poaching and wildlife tourism to protect the habitats of gorillas.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Dian Fossey Facts
  • Dian’s Life in Countries
  • Trivia Time
  • Time Blanks
  • Research Terms
  • Spot The Gorillas
  • Comparing Primates
  • A Day in the Life
  • Famous Primatologists
  • Inspired by Fossey
  • Gorillas Infographic

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Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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