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Dian Fossey

by Holly from Roxboro

Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey was an absolutely amazing woman. Dian Fossey is an excellent role model for people of any ages. Dian Fossey was an anthropologist. Fossey never lost sight of her goal and she never gave up. She had hope in the lowest of times. Dian Fossey loved gorillas. She fought against the poachers for the gorillas until her deadly ending. At age 34, Dian Fossey decided that she belonged at the Karisoke research center in Africa. For 19 years, Dian Fossey lived at the research center, spending all of her time bonding and getting to know the mountain gorillas that lived there. Fossey had befriended one gorilla in particular named Digit. In 1977, Digit was slaughtered by poachers. Fossey then developed great hate for poachers. Fossey developed a program called the Digit Fund, which helped raise money for gorilla protection efforts. Since Dian was stopping the poachers from killing the gorillas and making money, the poachers also developed hate for Dian. One morning, in 1985, Dian was found in her cabin at the Karisoke Research Center dead from being hacked to death and beheaded. People believe that this crime was committed by an angry poacher.

This is one of the mountain gorillas in Rawanda.
This is one of the mountain gorillas in Rawanda.

Dian Fossey sets such an amazing example for people of all ages. Dian Fossey is my hero. Dian Fossey never lost hope. Dian stood firm to what she believed and never shifted her stance, even when her life was at stake. She never backed down. She had great faith, even in the lowest of times. She was not afraid of what other people might think of her and she was not afraid to speak her mind. Dian said what she felt and nothing less. Dian once made the statement, “The man who kills the animals today is the man who kills the people who get in his way tomorrow.” This statement shows that Fossey was not afraid of deepening the poachers' hate. She was not afraid of anything and stood firm in everything she did.


Dian Fossey is a very inspiring person. She had a passion for gorillas. She loved them and did everything in her power to protect them and make their lives safer and better. She sets the example of loving something and sticking with it. She shows that love is a deep emotion. I admire Dian Fossey because she stood beside the gorillas through thick and thin, even though they were just mere animals. She was not concerned about their importance to everyone else. She only knew that she loved the gorillas and she wanted to protect them. I also think highly of Dian Fossey because she spent time with the gorillas. Dian was not concerned about what she was missing in the world. She was only concerned with helping the gorillas. It takes a lot of courage to stand against the crowd and do what you believe is right. Dian knew that saving the gorillas was the right thing to do and that is exactly what she did, despite the criticism she received from poachers and others people who disagreed with her actions.

Dian Fossey
Dian Fossey

Dian Fossey is my hero also because she did sit on a high horse. She was willing to put the gorillas before herself. She would put herself in danger just to help protect the gorillas. She was a very humble person. She did not take pride in her acts to protect the gorillas; however, she was not afraid to become the center of attention through some of her more public acts to save the gorillas. Dian was willing to alter her wants and needs just to help others. This is the kind of attitude that people should have. People need to understand that they are not the only people in the world who have needs. Fossey spoke for the gorillas because they could not speak for themselves. This is a big reason why Dian Fossey is my hero.


Dian Fossey is an inspiration to many people. Dian Fossey put others before herself and she was a very humble person. Fossey was not concerned about what other people thought about her. Dian was able to ignore the criticism, threats, and rude comments she received from poachers and other people who did not agree with her actions. Dian stood firmly beside her gorillas because she loved them and she did not let anyone alter her feelings for them. She was willing to put the gorillas before herself and she was a very humble person. Dian Fossey is my hero because she inspired me to pursue my dreams as an animal enthusiast.

Page created on 6/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

Last edited 6/10/2009 12:00:00 AM

The beliefs, viewpoints and opinions expressed in this hero submission on the website are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the beliefs, viewpoints and opinions of The MY HERO Project and its staff.

Bibliography

Fossey, Dian. "The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International." [Online] Available http://www.gorillafund.org/dian_fossey/index.php. 1999-2009.

Codak, Eric. "Women's Intellectual Contributions to the Study of Mind and Society." [Online] Available http://www.webster.edu/~woolflm/dianfossey.html.

Fossey, Dian. "Minnesota State University." [Online] Available http://www.mnsu.edu/emuseum/information/biography/fghij/fossey_dian.html.