Where We Work
The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund works to protect two types of endangered gorillas:
- Mountain gorillas in Rwanda
- Grauer’s gorillas in DR Congo
Rwanda
The Fossey Fund has studied and protected mountain gorillas in Rwanda since 1967, when Dian Fossey established the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda’s Volcanoes National Park. Our team supports the Rwandan government by protecting roughly half of the gorilla families living in Rwanda.
DR Congo
The Fossey Fund moved into DRC in 2001 to expand protections for critically endangered Grauer’s gorillas and to help communities in the Nkuba area to gain ownership and management rights over their forests. Today, the 1,300 sq. km. Nkuba Conservation Area (NCA) is a model for community-managed forests and home to an estimated 200 gorillas. We are working to expand this section of protected forest and ensure the forests that house the Grauer’s and other important species remain intact.
Where Gorillas Live
There are four kinds of gorillas, and all are indigenous to Africa, with two types in western Africa and two types in eastern Africa. All are endangered, though their numbers vary widely.
