Dian Fossey (1932 -- 1985) , whose life work of research with the gorillas in Rwanda was detailed in her 1983 book and subsequent film Gorillas in the Mist, is pictured with gorillas on this stamp from Palau's "Environmental Heroes of the 20th Century" set.
Her first name is misspelled "Diane" on the stamp.
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| Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Foundation in 1967 in Zaire, alternating her time between her field work there and obtaining a Ph.D. based on her research (Cambridge University, 1976). She moved her research from Zaire to Rwanda when civil war broke out in Zaire. |
| She was the world's leading authority on mountain gorillas. Her research revealed that these animals are dignified, highly social, "gentle giants," with individual personalities and strong family relationships. |
| Her active conservationist stand against game wardens, zoo poachers, and government officials who wanted to convert gorilla habitats to farmland caused her to fight for the gorillas not only via the media, but also by destroying poachers' dogs and traps. She was found hacked to death, presumably by poachers, in her Rwandan forest camp in December 1985. |
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Last update: October 24, 1999