The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International

Gorilla conservation and protection will not be as successful as how it is presently without the collaborations with the governments of Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and their national park authorities, and also non-government agencies. Collaborations with organisations has been the distinguishing feature of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International’s work.

Anti-poaching patrols by the park guards and guides are being trained by the Fund with the help of the Karisoke Research Center. These patrols know no boundaries; they cover all three sectors of the gorillas’s habitat in the Virungas. Medical assessment and care to the gorillas in the Volcanoes National Park are given by their Gorilla Doctors partner. Documentation of the Virunga gorilla’s population and other data collection essential to conservation planning have been collaborated between the Research Center and also the park authorities of Rwanda, the DRC and the Uganda.

In order for gorilla conservation to be more successful, the fund went beyond direct means of gorilla protection. For example, educating the local communities who are sharing the same habitat as the gorillas and specialised expertise can only work out when conservation efforts are being collaborated with organisations that contributes their different expertise.

Source: GRACE Facebook Page

The Gorilla Rehabilitation and Conservation Education (GRACE) center in the Congo have been taking in rescued gorillas from poachers in Rwanda and the Congo. At this place, the rescued gorillas will live in a natural setting and they will be prepared for their release into the wild once they are ready.

Science and research programs are also conducted through the collaborations with research institutions and universities in Africa, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Europe.

To inculcate the idea of conservation, education programs are being conducted in elementary and secondary schools in Rwanda and Congo. As these are the people who are sharing the habitat with the gorillas, they directly affect these gorillas with their lifestyles and habits. Field courses and research opportunities are being offered from the National University of Rwanda and other Rwandan post-secondary institutions each year. These opportunities help to lead the students, who will be the future of their countries, to lead and take responsibility of their country’s resources.