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Thread: Dian Fossey and Digit

  1. #1
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    Dian Fossey and Digit

    “When you realize the value of all life, you dwell less on what is past and concentrate more on the preservation of the future.”
    Dian Fossey (January 16, 1932 – December 27, 1985) was an American Zoologist who completed an extended study of several gorilla groups. She observed them daily for years in the mountain forests of Rwanda, initially encouraged to work there by famous paleontologist Louis Leakey.
    Fossey was found brutally murdered in the bedroom of her cabin on December 26, 1985. Her skull had been split by a native panga, a tool widely used by poachers, which she had confiscated years earlier and hung as a decoration on the wall of her living room adjacent to her bedroom. Fossey was found dead beside her bed and 2 meters away from the hole in the cabin that was cut on the day of her murder. Despite the violent nature of the wound, there was relatively little blood in her bedroom, leading some to believe that she was killed before the head-wound was inflicted, as head wounds, even superficial ones, usually bleed profusely.
    Last edited by Serendipity09; 11-16-2007 at 02:57 PM.


  2. #2
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    "No, I won't let them turn this mountain into a goddamn zoo."
    Last edited by Serendipity09; 07-23-2009 at 01:19 AM.


  3. #3
    magblax Guest
    Gorillas in the Mist is such a sad but awesome movie! I read that the poachers that killed Digit (pic above) only made $20.00.

  4. #4
    Kathyf Guest
    Great movie

  5. #5
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    Quote Originally Posted by magblax View Post
    Gorillas in the Mist is such a sad but awesome movie! I read that the poachers that killed Digit (pic above) only made $20.00.
    That was the most saddest part of the movie for me, when Digit was killed and he was found with his head and hands cut off.

  6. #6
    Suzanne30 Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by Aries65 View Post
    That was the most saddest part of the movie for me, when Digit was killed and he was found with his head and hands cut off.
    It was for me too.

  7. #7
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    Murder in the Mist Solved?
    After more than 15 years, the mastermind behind the gruesome and infamous murder of renowned gorilla researcher and protector, Dr. Dian Fossey whose life was portrayed in the 1988 movie ??Gorillas in the Mist,? may finally be in custody in Belgium. Protais Zigiranyirazo, the former Governor of the Ruhengeri province in Rwanda, brother-in-law of the assassinated Rwandan president, and one of the country??s most wanted criminals for his creation of ??death squads,? which killed 800,000 in 1994, was captured by Belgian police while trying to flee Kenya on June 9, 2001.
    Dr. Fossey observed the gorillas for 18 years in the Ruhengeri province when she was brutally murdered in her hut on December 27, 1985. Known for her vigilant pursuit of poachers, Dr. Fossey had made many enemies including Protais Zigiranyirazo, who, it was reported, she was about to announce publicly as being behind poaching and smuggling rings of endangered species and gold in and out of Rwanda. Soon after her murder, Rwandan officials arrested one of her trackers for the murder. He then ??apparently? committed suicide while in prison, but diplomats in Kigali believe he was secretly hanged before he could talk. Several months later, Wayne McGuire, her American research assistant, was accused by the Government of her murder but escaped capture when the US embassy warned him, enabling him to leave the country.
    For years the FBI was unable to approach its prime suspect, Zigiranyirazo, because of his political connections, but that all changed when he was arrested in Belgium for war crimes.


  8. #8
    GODDESS6 Guest
    great, sad story, i loved the movie~ it broke my heart~ i loved how they buried her by digit~

  9. #9
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    Great movie and and an even greater woman! That's so sweet that they are buried together.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]peek-a-boo!!

  10. #10
    panda Guest

    Smile Ms. Fossey would have been thrilled about this

    I LOVE gorillas & this is a wonderful story! I'm hoping that in reporting it they didn't put their lives in danger . I HATE poachers! Couldn't think of anywhere else to post this & didn't want to start a new thread but wanted to spread some good news for a change. I chose Diane Fossey's thread because its such good news & would have made her very happy!

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa...=ib_topstories

  11. #11
    AFoolandHisMonkey Guest
    So sad... there's a Gorilla Fund now in her name. I "adopted" a gorilla for my boyfriend from there (you basically donate $$ to help the gorilla preserve and they send you a photo and info on "your" gorilla)!

  12. #12
    panda Guest
    Quote Originally Posted by AFoolandHisMonkey View Post
    So sad... there's a Gorilla Fund now in her name. I "adopted" a gorilla for my boyfriend from there (you basically donate $$ to help the gorilla preserve and they send you a photo and info on "your" gorilla)!
    I'll have to do that! I have always been infactuated with them, they are such beautiful creatures. And thanks to Ms Fossey we know they are very gentle creatures too.

  13. #13
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    Quote Originally Posted by panda View Post
    I LOVE gorillas & this is a wonderful story! I'm hoping that in reporting it they didn't put their lives in danger . I HATE poachers! Couldn't think of anywhere else to post this & didn't want to start a new thread but wanted to spread some good news for a change. I chose Diane Fossey's thread because its such good news & would have made her very happy!

    http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/africa...=ib_topstories
    Awesome Link!! I would bet that we would not have that today had it not been for Mrs. Fossey... I just wanna squeeze one ~ they are so cute!!!!

    Thank for posting...
    My Posse's On Broadway

  14. #14
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    Here's a pic of Dian & Digit's graves...
    My Posse's On Broadway

  15. #15
    Giada Guest
    Tender and touching photo.

  16. #16
    tarsier Guest
    Not my favorite primate and I recall reading she was a mean drunk and a bit of a cougar. I've always preferred the work of Jane Goodall as a primatologist.

  17. #17
    Barbalicious Guest
    I love gorillas too!

  18. #18
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    Quote Originally Posted by tarsier View Post
    Not my favorite primate and I recall reading she was a mean drunk and a bit of a cougar. I've always preferred the work of Jane Goodall as a primatologist.
    I reckon it get's kinda lonely in the Conga...
    She lost her life for a cause, in my book that means something.
    My Posse's On Broadway

  19. #19
    moutaindigit Guest
    Mountain Gorillas are my favorite primate! I am so happy to see this thread! If you notice my name, it is meant in respect to Digit! He lost his life so the poachers could sell his hands to people that like to have them sitting around to be used for ashtrays.... One day I hope to be able to go and see these magnificant animals in their natural habitat!!! Political unrest has proven to be very disturbing to these animals in the last few years.... I hope for peace there, so we don't lose all of these gentle giants!!!

  20. #20
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    Quote Originally Posted by tarsier View Post
    Not my favorite primate and I recall reading she was a mean drunk and a bit of a cougar. I've always preferred the work of Jane Goodall as a primatologist.
    Too much of a zealot with zero diplomatic skills IMHO. When she took the poacher hostage and treated him badly she sealed her fate.
    I am a sick puppy....woof woof!!!
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  21. #21
    Bunnygirl12 Guest
    Great movie and great lady...died doing what she believed in and fighting for those who cannot fight for themselves!!!!

  22. #22
    wonkavision Guest
    Nice to see Google honored her today with a Google Doodle for what would have been her 82nd birthday. For the last few weeks, I've been obsessed with Fossey since re-watching Gorillas In The Mist. Her story and work is fascinating.

  23. #23
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    Happy Birthday Ms. Fossey! Awesome lady!

  24. #24
    Poo Bah MCGee Guest
    "monkeys in the steam"

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