Talk:Dian Fossey/Archive 1

Dian killed because of tourists
It s the greed for money that killed Dian. I think it is really disgusting how ORTPN, its director Laurent Habirameye, Protais Zigiranyirazo (the préfet and animal trader of Ruehengeri) and some of Dians former students let her be killed and appreciated her death; just to exploit the gorillas for tourism.

Would a poacher brake unarmed into her cabin when everybody knew that Fossey made no calms about using her guns?

Before her death Dr David Watts lobbied hard to formulate means to take Karisoke away from Dian. ORTPN said if they wanted Dian to leave they would have simply asked her to do so. That 's a joke. ORTPN asked her to leave and Dian who was the founder and through her background as occupational therapist made close research of habituated groups possible threatened to burn down Karisoke if she 'd had to go. As Dian wrote, it was a threat and "the only way to save a lifetime of work".

I also think it is disgusting how David Watts then could take over as Karisoke director after Dians death. Some researchers are really losing their minds due to their ambitions.

10000 tourist visiting the gorillas that s way too much. In Mowat s book it is discribed how Dr Amy Vedder defecated among the gorillas and let them eat her feces and how Dian was horrified when she found that out. Afterwards gorillas like Nunkie died of human intestinal parasites. And imagine 10000 people defecating in the park....When I was there there was litter and garbage all over the place- even tampons.

This article could benefit from some mention of her scientific contributions, namely her work regarding the gorillas. There should likely be a whole section on it. It's kind of sketchy now. I'll put it on my list (and cross my fingers) but I invite anyone who has additional information handy/current to expand and embellish.

T

Also, the accusation regarding her murder should be cited, and I believe there are several theories regarding her death. These would be good to mention. --DanielCD 14:24, 8 February 2006 (UTC)

Dian Fossey was very unlikely killed by poachers who would' ve killed her in the forrest with little risk to themselves. According to Farley Mowats book she was very likely killed by those who viewed her as an impediment to the financial exploitation of the gorillas through tourism.

According to the Mowat biography of Dian including many of her personal letters the Rwandan tourism office ORTPN, WWF, AWF, FPS and some of her former research students all wanted to oust Dian from the camp she created. Why should a poacher wait 18 years and then decide to kill Dian by braking into her cabin? This is very unrealistic. If Dian had been killed by poachers in the forrest tourists would be reluctant to come. So the scenario of a poacher killing Dian was constructed inside her cabin.

According to the Mowat biography the killer must have been someone familiar with Dians cabin who knew the outlay of her home. There wasn' t any blood on the walls just around her body which argues that most of the whacks to her head could have also been produced after her death or after she lost consciousness.

It is true that Dian was fond of children despite some considering her anti social, in fact, before her work with gorillas, she had a job at a childrens home. She was not always trusting, though this might be because of her life and upbringing. She did not always get along with other adults, but do any of us? Besides, Dian Fossey was a hero, whether she was a "people person" or not.

Additions from User:72.218.114.141
The information the anon wishes to include in the article is unsourced (WP:NOR) and epitomizes the use of weasel words. I am not challenging the veracity of the information, however, there needs to be some kind of attribution for this. I am going to politely ask that this information not be reintroduced without the proper verification. Thank you!  Wisdom89  ( T |undefined /  C ) 22:43, 5 April 2008 (UTC)

Fossey worshippers vs. Fossey haters
So what special trait does the so called "Fossey-haters" distinguish from the so called "Fossey-worshippers"? Can it be that the Fossey haters are especially those who personally had a brush with Dian and who also have a problem with female authority? If Your boss gives You a hard time- it s annoying anywhere. I understand that it s particularly hard when You're in the middle of the bush and there aren't many places to go...and for some it's even harder if they got dressed down by a woman. (Watts, Stewart, Vedder, Weber, van Becke...they all fall into this category even though all of them wouldn't have their careers and today's jobs if it wasn't for Dian Fossey who taught them the ropes).'Mr Objective' 20.September 2008


 * How about people follow WP:TALK and stop random discussions like this? -- Ricky81682 (talk) 01:54, 22 September 2008 (UTC)

Dian Fossey's gorilla friends
Digit, Pucker, and Coco —Preceding unsigned comment added by 156.110.204.18 (talk) 19:34, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

Education section
Currently, the education section says "While working in Louisville (living a few miles south of the town on a farm called Glenmary) she attended a lecture by Louis Leakey. She subsequently received her PhD from Darwin College, Cambridge, for a thesis entitled 'The behaviour of the mountain gorilla' in 1976." It sounds like she recieved a PhD for attending a lecture. Perhaps someone with a source can integrate the two paragraphs of this section and talk about how she ended up in Cambridge to begin with, started her research in gorillas, and ended up writing about that in her dissertation.Shuneke (talk) 21:18, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Quotes and measles
Can we get a citation for the claim that in 2005 eight gorillas died of measles? The only documented measles outbreak there I can find was in 1988. I've been researching this for a paper, would be very interested to know if there was another incident.209.115.196.133 13:57, 3 April 2007 (UTC)

Look at the news of the Dian-Fossey-Gorilla-Fund from time to time.

The article is about the person Dian Fossey, not the character from the movie Gorillas in the Mist. I'm removing the quote "No, I won't let them turn this mountain into a goddamn zoo." because it doesn't appear that she ever said this. Having it in here is confusing. Better to stick with actual quotes from Dian Fossey in the quotes section, and leave movie quotes to the pages about the movie, I think -- especially where the movie is a drama rather than a documentary. ThisIsMyWikipediaName (talk) 17:56, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Redundancy
"the ammunition was the wrong caliber and didn't fit the weapon." John David Motto (talk) —Preceding undated comment added 15:49, 2 September 2009 (UTC).

Issue with unclear wording of sentence
From the "Death" section of the entry:

''Many of the organizations that opposed Fossey, including ORTPN (the Rwandan tourism office) and other wildlife organizations, used and continue to use her name for their own financial gain up to this day.[3] Weeks before her death, ORTPN refused to renew her visa, and pressure on Fossey was mounting. However, Fossey managed to obtain a special two-year visa through Augustin Nduwayezu, a benevolent Secretary-General in charge of immigration.[3] Mowat believes that the extension of her visa amounted to a de facto death warrant.''

Is it really that the extension of her visa (more properly, the obtaining of a special two-year visa that circumvented the renewal process) or the refusal to extend her visa amounted to a de facto death warrant? If the extension were faulted, the reasoning would be along the lines of "If she hadn't been allowed to stay in Rwanda, she wouldn't have been killed", which seems to be both self-evident and perhaps intentionally obtuse. Only someone with access to Mowat's statement would be able to answer this fully, so I left the sentence as is. However, perhaps it would make sense to remove the sentence if the question cannot be answered.
 * Seems fairly straightforward to me. The government was tired of her and wanted her to leave, but after she surreptitiously managed to extend the legality of her stay another 2 years, they decided to have her secretly killed instead (so Mowat believes). Not sure where the ambiguity lies. Its not getting deleted. Bullzeye contribs 12:46, 4 September 2009 (UTC)

"Subsequently"
I removed SEVEN uses of the word subsequently from this article, leaving one out of EIGHT appearances total. Most of the time it seemed the word was inserted randomly since it made no sense in context and was sometimes used and then used again in the following sentence or paragraph. 207.67.97.117 (talk) 22:36, 19 January 2010 (UTC)

Picture
Does anyone know what happened to Dian's picture that used to be on this cite? I mean the one on which she's standing in front of the hagenia trees.--EmmaHutton (talk) 21:32, 23 January 2010 (UTC)

Sigourney Weaver on Dian Fossey
Sigourney Weaver writes in "Gorillas Revisited" that Dian Fossey's detractors among her fellow colleagues were simply full of envy. Competition in primatology is hard. And research and funding opportunities are few. And here comes along a woman without any formal degree in any of the "ologies" and has this tremendous groundbraking success. She had so much success that she went on to obtain her PhD from Cambridge without even having a masters or bachelors degree in science. There were some of her students who found this intolerable. Especially those who couldn't stand being dressed down by a woman in the middle of the bush. These are the students who dragged her name through the mud, even though it was Dian who gave them their job.--EmmaHutton (talk) 22:24, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

Quotes
Note I've taken out this section as it's unclear who the quotes belong to. If it's Weaver paraphrasing, they don't belong here; if it's Fossey then an exact reference is needed. -- Neil N   talk to me  00:58, 17 March 2010 (UTC)

It's CRYSTAL CLEAR: It says Sigourney Weaver starring as Dian Fossey in the movie Gorillas in th Mist I.E. in the movie Gorillas in th Mist Dian Fossey (played by Sigouney Weaver says: "No, I won't let them turn this mountain into a goddam zoo". This quote must be included here Dear Neil as it epitomizes the main conviction for which Dian Fossey stands for.--EmmaHutton (talk) 20:50, 18 March 2010 (UTC)


 * I think you missed my point. Popular movies are not reliable sources for quotes by real people (or for anything else for that matter) as they often take liberties with reality. If the words are Fossey's then something more scholarly like a book (which you've provided) is needed as a reference. -- Neil N   talk to me  21:31, 18 March 2010 (UTC)

DELETED
"Dian Fossey was described by her friends "as exuberant as a whirlwind" after she obtained her 2 years visa and sold the rights to her book to Universal Studios for 1 million dollars to secure the funding of her poaching patrols forever. Her presence and her opposition to the financial exploitation of the gorillas must have been "intolerable to some people" as cited in Farley Mowat's book Woman in the Mist." as it has literally nothing to do with it's section "Death".--The REAL Teol (talk) 18:41, 20 April 2010 (UTC)

That is wrong.

The Simpsons
I was under the impression that the insane chimpanzee researcher portrayed in The Simpsons episode Simpson Safari was based on Dian Fossey. Is this correct? If so, it should probably be mentioned in the article. Some guy (talk) 07:38, 11 March 2009 (UTC)

No thats not Dian. The chimpanzee lady was Jane Goodall. She studied chimpanzee's in Tanzania.(216.79.193.118 (talk) 20:54, 13 May 2010 (UTC))

Fossey's "weakness"
Hey, what was Dian fossey's weakness that she had


 * I don't know if these two comments are by the same person but I will try to answer them both. As far as the weakness, I hear from someone who once knew her (an anthropology professer) that she was not a nice person and had bad people skills. Supposedly she began kidnapping the children of poachers who kidnapped gorilla babies and held them ransom until the poachers returned the gorillas. However this has never been verified and considering her early work as a child therapist ( not to mention her love of children) this is highly unlikely. Although my teacher didn't like her too much, I think she sounds kinda inspirational, though perhaps a little misguided tactically.
 * Love of children? I read a National Geographic article on her several years ago in which she was portrayed as strongly antisocial, rather unsympathetic, and quite curmudgeonly towards human beings (in addition to her obvious monomania about "her" gorillas). They actually cited an incident after she was recalled to the US for consulations in which she was made extremely uncomfortable by the noises of a small child playing in a waiting room, eventually causing her to jump up and point her finger at the kid and exclaim "Child, shut thine mouth or I shall shut it for you!". I can find the reference if you like but its not really relevant. Bullzeye contribs 12:52, 4 September 2009 (UTC)
 * She worked with disabled/handicapped children for 10 years at a hospital in Louisville, and from the accounts I've read in books, she got along well with children (and I haven't read anything stating otherwise). According to Woman in the Mists by Farley Mowat, she did once take the child of the chief poacher; the child cried when she gave him back the next day because he was glad to have food and toys at Karisoke. --Gloriamarie (talk) 21:16, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

Problems with EmmaHutton's edits

 * - Not sure what Albert Einstein article she's looking at but here on Wikipedia the Einstein article has Early life and education and Marriages and children sections before the Scientific career section - in chronological order as I mentioned previously to the editor. -- Neil N   talk to me  05:07, 24 January 2010 (UTC)
 * - It's not our fault she can't find the cite. As per DMacks:
 * I assume the article is:
 * Which is a review of a documentary program that aired on A&E around that time. The reviewer contrasts the fairly light (in content) and positive (in perspective) material about Fossey with the harsh/negative treatment she was given by Bill Weber and Amy Vedder in their In the Kingdom of Gorillas book. All we have is these texts (and others you might find). Per WP:NPOV policy, we are not allowed to pick which is right. If there are sources that support a claim that another source is biased (or the authors have a grudge, or whatever), we can also include that commentary. But that's how things work here...we say who said what, and let readers read.
 * Which is a review of a documentary program that aired on A&E around that time. The reviewer contrasts the fairly light (in content) and positive (in perspective) material about Fossey with the harsh/negative treatment she was given by Bill Weber and Amy Vedder in their In the Kingdom of Gorillas book. All we have is these texts (and others you might find). Per WP:NPOV policy, we are not allowed to pick which is right. If there are sources that support a claim that another source is biased (or the authors have a grudge, or whatever), we can also include that commentary. But that's how things work here...we say who said what, and let readers read.


 * - Investigating a little bit would reveal the source is not a personal website but the website of the The Innominate Society of Louisville, founded in 1926 . -- Neil N   talk to me  05:07, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

Here is the "made up" WSJ citation:. And another source referring to Fossey's problems with alcohol -- Neil N    talk to me  05:37, 24 January 2010 (UTC)

The Albert Einstein article has a short biographic introduction just as Fossey's article has now (thanks God). Then The AE article focuses on his scientific work.

Thank You for providing this framed up sensationalistic "Wall Street Journal article" whose primary source is Amy Vedder and Bill Weber: Two frustrated former Fossey students that dragged Dian's name deliberately through the mud. May I remind You that in F. Mowat's book it is written that:"Amy Vedder defecated among the gorillas, let them eat their feces and then laughed about their reaction to it". Bill Weber was severely beaten by a silverback in 1984 and hospitalised because he led hordes of tourists to the gorillas. This lets You guess about these two students' mind frame.

Also: The fact is Dian Fossey spoke out against apartheid in South Africa and was banned from reentry. She was well loved in the Kinigi village where she's still remembered for her generosity and her love for the local kids. As opposed to the Mukingo poacher village.... There's no proof of racism and alcoholism.

It's just as F. Mowat writes: "Myths, espacially racist and salicious ones die hard".--EmmaHutton (talk) 21:48, 25 January 2010 (UTC)

I'm puzzled why the scientific section appears before the early life, etc. This is not the case with Jane Goodall, who would be a more comparable example than Einstein.--Gloriamarie (talk) 21:23, 7 July 2010 (UTC)

photo
As she is dead, could someone put up a fair use photo?

76.66.193.119 (talk) 23:54, 17 July 2010 (UTC)

WSJournal vandalism
Why do some editors have a problem with the WSJ article? Reinserted. Rgds, --Trident13 (talk) 22:15, 19 August 2010 (UTC)

Unsourced attribution DELETED
In the references listing, number 16, is a link to an article on a site called innominate. This link - number 16 - is used as an attribution source for several parts of this entry. If you take a moment to actually read this so-called article, you will see the following: 1. It is nearly illegible and was either written by a small child or a person without a working grasp of the English language. 2. The article itself has ZERO sources listed or attributions in itself. Thus it is based on opinion or conjecture without declaring itself as such. 3. Is used to make several unfounded and unproven allegations which - if it were scholarly - would have to cite sources.

If the info selected from this source is independently verified, then allow it to stand. But as it is not, and only serves to lower the bar for what can be used as a Wiki source, then it should not merit inclusion. I'm no perfectionist myself, and I do make allowances for those who may be illiterate to still contribute. But not at the expense of entry/article quality. I'm all for including controversial elements, but only those with some proof or validity to them. Ergo, I deleted the paragraph which was least credibly sourced. Citing that so-called article is akin to someone writing their own school term-paper/report on an old Geocities page - then using that page as a legitimate source for attribution. NOT credible. If any Wiki-Editors disagree? I welcome you to read the original article (source 16) and make your own decisions. I am just trying to help maintain standards here. Thank you. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 69.68.187.159 (talk) 22:36, 15 February 2011 (UTC)

Setting the Record Straight
For some of us who worked with Dian Fossey at Karisoke Research Centre we can only give our own story during our own time there. Dian often used racist terms towards other ethnic groups. She used the term, wogs, to refer to Africans and spelled it in their presence so they would not know what she was saying. She thought I was Jewish and after an evening of heavy drinking she had some choice names to call me.

I was far from perfect while I was there and was struggling as a young student just out of college having to deal with two egotistical PhD candidates along with Dian's erratic behavior. There are some stories I am sure many would not believe but they are not due to lies, elaboration or faulty memory. I am very clear on all the details, both good and bad. Dian could be endearing one day and you genuinely liked her and just wanted to give her a hug. Then the next day dark clouds could form around her head and there could be no limit to her maliciousness.

I know the reality of working with Dian at the time I did. The worst of the rumors don't even begin to fully detail some of what was said or done. But Dian could also be kind, endearing, and likeable. We had a genuine affection as well as animosity towards each other. I had no hidden agendas or wanting to usurp Dian from her role at Karisoke. What I wanted was for her to somehow see how her behavior affected how others responded to her, the effect it could have on the legitimacy of her work at Karisoke, and ultimately future of the mountain gorillas. I had neither the skills nor the time and patience to do that. Nor was it my responsibility.

What I will always remember is my wonderful and magnificent encounters with the mountain gorillas. Each one has a place etched in my heart. I have often said that you never leave the mountain gorillas of the Virunga Volcanoes; rather you take them with you for the rest of your life.

24.39.229.9 (talk) 18:43, 12 May 2009 (UTC)Richard Natoli-Rombach AKA Richard Rombach at Karisoke in 1974-75
 * Even though your posting here goes against the intent of the talk page, I appreciate you sharing your story.--Chimino (talk) 13:25, 6 July 2011 (UTC)

Is this an encyclopedia or a gossip page?
This artile and wikipedia cannot be taken seriously anymore.

Dian Fossey was a fierce opponent of gorilla tourism and a strong supporter of active conservation i.e. cutting traps. Yet everytime one mentions it it will be removed. Instead this article´s full of irrelevant gossip.

§$%& WIKIPEDIA in the §$%&!


 * Calm down and remain civil. Add information to the article with proper sources. Discuss changes to existing info here. I've had to remove two of your changes because they were unsourced or just plain incorrect. -- Neil N   talk to me  19:56, 1 January 2010 (UTC)

What is going on? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.6.243.40 (talk) 20:30, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Seriously?
"The murderer was a man because the murderer was definately a poacher." Wow. No comment on this one. 76.125.241.165 (talk) 02:48, 31 March 2010 (UTC)

That is wrong. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 75.6.243.40 (talk) 20:33, 3 September 2012 (UTC)

Ymke Warren, primatologist, murdered in Cameroon
Similar case: British Gorilla expert Dr Ymke Warren, who dedicated working life to gorillas in Africa, murdered June 29, 2010 aged 40 in Cameroon. --46.115.53.125 (talk) 20:37, 27 September 2012 (UTC)
 * http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/cameroon/7864423/British-gorilla-expert-murdered-in-Cameroon.html
 * http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/science-obituaries/7925027/Ymke-Warren.html

Murders of female naturalists in Africa
Joan Root was a conservationist. She was murdered in Africa in 2006. Dian Fossey was a conservationist. She was murdered in Africa in 1985. They were both women of caucasian heritage. Coincidence?

--Atikokan (talk) 03:15, 10 February 2013 (UTC)

Is this worthy of a separate Wikipedia entry? There are numerous cases now, of the murders (mostly unsolved) of White female environmentalists and conservationists in Africa.

Dian Fossey.

Joan Root.

Ymke Warren.

(REF: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/cameroon/7864423/British-gorilla-expert-murdered-in-Cameroon.html)

Is there a serial killer at work? Targeting them because of their racial heritage? Or is there a political motive? This needs to be dealt with. We cannot continue to sweep this under the rug. This is the sort of thing for which Wikipedia was invented - to disseminate cogent facts throughout the world, and spark debate amongst intellectuals who have the power to change things for the better.

Or am I wrong?

--Atikokan (talk) 03:25, 10 February 2013 (UTC)
 * Dian Fossey was murdered in Rwanda in 1985. Joan Root in Kenya in 2006. Ymke Warren in Cameroon in 2010. The first two made many enemies in the local community. The conservationist agenda tends to run contrary to the norm, otherwise conservation would be unnecessary. Poaching makes money, fishing provides food. In much of the world there will also be tense relations with nationalities identified with past colonial activity, the seizing of land does not make for popular rule. Ymke Warren was unfortunate enough to fire the wrong chef. On top of that women are, unfortunately, seen as easier targets. None of the three countries border each other, while Kenya and Cameroon are on opposite coasts of the subcontinent. To suggest a serial killer and focus solely on the plights of three white women is to ignore nuance and give in to wild speculation.
 * Wikipedia is meant to hold and disseminate all human knowledge. Not debate. Talk pages are meant for discussion on the improvement of articles, and articles are meant for all. -Tomásdearg92 (talk) 02:43, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Controversy Section
Bar the last part of the section, almost the entire piece is unsupported by reference's or sources. The reference for whipping people with nettles leads us to an article about the movie "gorrila in the mists" and even that only makes a vague mention to nettles and whipping (and it doesn't state a source for the allegation). I wonder whether or not the the unsupported part of the section should be removed once the protection is removed. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 80.168.60.198 (talk) 11:14, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Youtube video on the reunion
Since the article mentions the Youtube video of the reunion towards the end, someone should link to it, either where it is mentioned, or in the External Links section at the end (unless there are some copyright reasons not to link to it, but I don't see why it shouldn't be done). The video is here. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 1singur (talk • contribs) 09:18, 16 January 2014 (UTC)


 * See WP:YOUTUBE – YouTube videos of TV shows etc. are generally assumed to be copyright violations unless can be demonstrated otherwise. DoctorKubla (talk) 22:34, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Capitalization
"Her 82nd Birthday in 2014 was marked by a Google Doodle appearing on its Search Homepage worldwide." Someone really likes to capitalize everything. Let's stick to proper nouns. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2602:30A:C0B3:B0C0:15BF:DE89:F60B:E3E3 (talk) 20:43, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Fixed. Thanks. DoctorKubla (talk) 22:34, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Dian's father's occupation
In the section on Life and career, the article states that Dian's father was an insurance agent. In the very next sentence, it states that he was a sailor in the US Navy. Can both of these be true? — Preceding unsigned comment added by Courosh (talk • contribs) 21:06, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
 * I've removed the statement about his Navy service; he was a sailor during the war, but not at the time Dian was born, so mentioning it at that point is confusing. Thanks for pointing it out. DoctorKubla (talk) 22:34, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

This article is not objective
I think this article has a slight bias in favor of Dian Fossey and discounts any biographical sources that are critical of her. In the Dark Romance of Diane Fossey, for example, various accounts of the possible rape of Diane by Congo soldiers are discussed, but the book never concludes that this was an actual event.


 * Your statement that an account of the rape of Fossey would be "critical of her" says a lot more about you than it say about Fossey. Being raped is not a criticism.   — Preceding unsigned comment added by 50.161.71.85 (talk) 01:00, 17 January 2014 (UTC)

The life of Dian Fossey was controversial, and the accounts of those that knew her are not consistent with each other. This lack of concluding evidence about events her life is now part of her biography, and we may never know the exact truth about many of the details of Dian Fossey's life. Knarfmo 05:20, 20 January 2007 (UTC)


 * In my view the article is now very biased in favor of Dian. But maybe I am biased a little the other way because I have just read the Weber/Vedder book? Pcb21 Pete 16:51, 31 January 2007 (UTC)

So- You guys want to say that the article is not objective enough because Fossey denied that she was raped and Vedder and her friends claim that this was exactly so?

I have no personal investment in any pro or con Fossey argument, but I have heard that she was contraversial for a number of reasons, including her dismissive attitude regarding the economic conditions that lead some to poach gorillas, and her arrogant, paternalistic attitude of protecting "her" gorillas. There is almost none of this mentioned in this article. In fact, there is no contraversy section at all. Surely, she had detractors, and this article should include a discussion of them if it is to be balanced.Kemet 18:06, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

The article isn't objective because any critique of Dian Fossey is dismissed as being irrelevant because, for example, those views supporting these critiques belonged to her "detractors", failing to grapple with the fact that she may have developed "detractors" because of her shortcomings. It implies that these people were "detractors" before ever having met Dian Fossey, and that her bearing didn't somehow influence their negative attitudes of her. In short, the article is dismissive of her detractors. MisterQuickly 6:00, 27 June 2007 (UTC)

It is probably not irrelevant to mention Fossey's many feuds and personal quirks, not least because these seem to have adversely influenced the success of her project. A recent article in the Telegraph describes Fossey as "extravagantly eccentric," which sounds about right. But many of her most pugnacious critics, including her younger students and the particularly misogynistic Harold Hayes, don't take account of her extreme isolation and loneliness, the vulnerable position of a young American woman alone in a remote part of a foreign continent, or of her great (though sometimes misguided and myopic) moral courage. A more nuanced picture of this complex character is needed, but because there are still (as there were in her lifetime) Fossey-worshippers and Fossey-haters, this is difficult to achieve. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 131.111.220.6 (talk) 17:24, 1 August 2008 (UTC)

Semi-protected edit request on 16 January 2014
Dian Fossey was known by local rwandans as Nyiramacibiri, not Nyirmachabelli

Anged12 (talk) 00:53, 16 January 2014 (UTC)
 * Different sources say different things. For example, this one uses Nyirmachabelli. -- Neil N  talk to me  01:20, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

✅ I have added Nyirmachabelli, but kept Nyiramacibiri. Although Google matches do not prove anything, Nyirmachabelli has 1230, but Nyiramacibiri has 1620, however, once the Nyiramacibiri hotel is removed, this drops to 1400, so their use is fairly even, meriting inclusion of both spellings. - Arjayay (talk) 09:10, 17 January 2014 (UTC)

Dian's mother's name...
http://www.marindirect.com/fxhistory/feature.html

The above claims that Dian's mother is Hazel, and Kathryn (Kitty) was her stepmother who married George. Wikipedia says Kathryn was her birth mother in the first section, and then says her mother Hazel challenged her will towards the end in the "Death" section. I'd bet the first section is incorrect. Maybe someone in CA can confirm this and make the change. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.216.229.2 (talk) 19:39, 16 January 2014 (UTC)

Mowatt's book agrees with your link that Kathryn was the stepmother. It also makes clear that Kathryn is not Kitty, so that part on wikipedia (and in the source given) is probably indeed incorrect in multiple ways. Hazel Kidd Fossey is mostly referred to as Kitty in the book, but also as Hazel (Hazel Fossey Price in a picture caption, Kitty Fossey Price in index and elsewhere), so apparently Kitty is a nickname stemming from her middle name of Kidd. All the sources talking about the will also say Hazel. I am currently trying to find a clear definitive source to cite before I change it108.244.93.171 (talk) 03:50, 12 October 2014 (UTC)

Her mother's name
Her mom's name is stated at the beginning of the article as Kathryn "Kitty", but later in the section on Dian's death and will the mother's name is suddenly "Hazel". Can someone clarify this please? TheBlinkster (talk) 19:57, 10 April 2016 (UTC)

External links modified
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External links modified
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External links modified (February 2018)
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quote in Controversy -
This quote in the section Controversy should be worked over -

"Fossey would "load up on firecrackers, cheap toys and magic tricks as part of her method to ***mystify the (Africans) hold them at bay***."[49]

It does not make sense this way. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 2001:16B8:C142:6D00:54D2:A639:8E30:3E86 (talk) 14:03, 21 January 2020 (UTC)

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 19:34, 5 September 2020 (UTC)
 * Louis Leakey.jpg

A Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion
The following Wikimedia Commons file used on this page or its Wikidata item has been nominated for deletion: Participate in the deletion discussion at the. —Community Tech bot (talk) 01:18, 19 April 2021 (UTC)
 * Louis Leakey.jpg

Animal rights activist?
It's been questioned whether this article should include a link to List of animal rights advocates. Please note that that list does mention Fossey and includes a source. As such, in my estimation the link should not be removed without a clear consensus to do so. At that point, it should likely also be asked at the List's Talk page whether Fossey should be removed. DonIago (talk) 16:15, 19 November 2021 (UTC)

beating
The reference to her supposedly beating some man's testicles is only supported by gossip and rumor and should be deleted 2600:8801:280C:5900:2DE1:A234:91BE:1E52 (talk) 22:27, 22 March 2023 (UTC)


 * That information is sourced to the Washington Post. What's your basis for saying it's only supported by gossip and rumor? DonIago (talk) 17:00, 23 March 2023 (UTC)
 * Ian Redmond confirmed the indicent in the second Episode "Dian Fossey: Secrets in the Mist" mini-series
 * The victim was a man who had killed gorillas which were studied by Fossey. 2003:E7:B74E:8400:9DB2:933E:C3BA:3EF (talk) 22:14, 16 June 2023 (UTC)

Journey to Africa section
The bottom line here is WP:VNT. The copy needs to be based on the sources provided. The editor doesn't get to decide what is correct. For Wikipedia's purposes, what is "correct" comes from sources, hopefully secondary, reliable sources. No matter what the copy says, it has to come from a stated source. Stefen Towers among the rest!  Gab • Gruntwerk 17:50, 28 May 2024 (UTC)