Trivia

Dian Fossey was murdered on December 26, 1985, only three weeks away from what would have been her 54th birthday on January 16, 1986. Her murder still remains a mystery.

Two white Americans who were serving as her research assistants were arrested for the killing. One died in a Rwandan jail, and the other, Wayne McGuire, was convicted in absentia, after a three-judge panel in Rwanda said that McGuire killed her to gain access to her research. McGuire fled to the United States (which does not have an extradition agreement with Rwanda), where he has lived since the conviction. McGuire has denied any involvement in the killing and now works for a mental health agency in Oklahoma.

She was hacked to death in her jungle camp on the slopes of Rwanda's Mount Visoke, a 12,175-foot dormant volcano, where she resided among endangered mountain gorillas. Dian was buried next to her beloved animals in the gorilla cemetery.

Attended and graduated from San Jose State University (1954). Resided in Africa from 1963 until her death, with the exception of receiving her Ph.D. in zoology at the University of Cambridge in England (1970-1974), and teaching at Cornell University (1980-1982).

Along with Jane Goodall and Birute Galdikas, she was known as a "Trimate", one of the three most prominent researchers on primates. "Fossey" on gorillas, "Goodall" on chimpanzees and "Galdikas" on orangutans.

It is believed by some that the real murderer was a poacher who was opposed to her preservation efforts.

At the time of her book's publication in 1983, there were only about 200 mountain gorillas in the world.

Had no experience whatsoever in the field of gorilla research before leaving for Africa and her ground-breaking work there.

Biography in: "The Scribner Encyclopedia of American Lives". Volume One, 1981-1985, pages 294-296. New York: Charles Scribner's Sons (1998).

Gorilla researcher.