![]() ![]() They are truly the front line in the fight against extinction,” says Fossey Fund President and CEO/Chief Scientific Officer, Tara Stoinski, Ph.D. “These trackers have dedicated their lives to ensuring the mountain gorillas survive. The gorilla protection efforts she started have grown significantly over the years and now more than 70 trackers and anti-poachers, working in teams, are in the field every day, protecting half of the entire mountain gorilla population of Rwanda, and supporting important scientific studies on the best conservation methods. Dian Fossey and has been operated by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund since her death. The Karisoke Research Center was founded in 1967 by Dr. “We’d like to dedicate this award to all our colleagues working in the Virunga mountains, and to all those who have dedicated their lives to the cause of conservation,” he adds. “This is a tribute to the hard work and dedication of our past and present trackers, whose many sacrifices over the years have led to the successful conservation of the mountain gorilla,” says Felix Ndagijimana, director of the Karisoke Research Center and the Fossey Fund’s programs in Rwanda, who oversees all of the tracking teams at Karisoke. ![]() The trackers now collectively spend more than 110,000 person-hours in the field each year. The Karisoke trackers, who support the work of the Rwandan national park authorities by protecting roughly half of Rwanda’s gorillas, are so successful that the mountain gorilla population has more than doubled since the time of Dian Fossey, and is the only wild ape population whose numbers are stable. Their daily efforts to protect and monitor this rare type of gorilla have helped bring it back from the brink of extinction. Some have even lost their lives defending their mission. These gorilla trackers have served on the front lines of conservation for nearly 50 years. Recipients from around the world were nominated by nonprofit environmental organizations, and each honoree and the nominating organization will share a monetary award from the fund. The Disney award recognizes local citizens for their commitment to reversing the decline of wildlife and engaging communities in conservation. Atlanta, Georgia and Musanze, Rwanda – The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund announced today that its gorilla trackers based at the Karisoke Research Center in Rwanda have been honored with a Conservation Hero Award from the Disney Conservation Fund. ![]()
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