How I Met Dian Fossey
I’d have to say it began in East Los Angeles when I was eight years old. No, I didn’t meet Dian back then, but it was my first vision of meeting the great apes. I’d sit in the front row seat of the movie theater, soaking in the classics. After crying buckets as King Kong fell from the Empire State Building, I’d imagine bringing Kong back to his home in Africa, where he belonged. That’s where it all began.
My husband David and my love of animals and primates, in particular, led us down the path to become friends with Dian Fossey. We’d volunteered with Biruté Galdikas, Dian’s colleague, in Borneo in July of 1984 and loved it. The key was we were willing to do anything to help, so David helped rehabilitate an orphan orangutan, Biruté christened Davida.
So, we decided to give it a shot and wrote to Dian through her publisher. I did a happy dance to end all happy dances after I read her invitation to Karisoke, I’m sure it shook the ceiling of our neighbor’s apartment downstairs.
Our first encounter with Dian at the Morris Foundation’s annual meeting in Los Angeles. was enlightening. She briefed us on what we would need to take and what to expect when we got there. She told us to make our way to Hotel Muhabura in Ruhengeri, (present-day Musanze), and her head porter Rwihandagaza would pick us up. There was no way we could have known we were about to set out on an adventure of a lifetime.
Stay tuned for more from my book Voices from the Mist, the mystery of Dian Fossey’s murder. Check out my #TeaserTuesday posts on Facebook and Instagram for more snippets from our adventures with Dian Fossey. I want to know what you think.
Feel free to e-mail me with your questions and reflections. I’d love to hear from you.
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