quiltersmuse.com Blog

Last night, I happened to catch the last half of a movie about mountain Gorillas in Rwanda and the attempts of a woman, Dian Fossey, to save them from poaching and extinction. Watching this movie was very coincidental, having just visited a zoo yesterday morning. I wish I had seen the film from the beginning. Nonetheless, I now understand a lot more about gorilla behavior: that they live in groups, that the male gorilla will manifest highly territorial behavior, if threatened, such as banging on his chest, shrieking, and showing his teeth.

Dian studied these animals daily, photographed them, and loved them. She also listened for signs of danger to them and would have given her own life for one of them. In the end, she did just that. Speculation is that she became so threatening to the poachers who wanted only to exploit the gorilla’s parts (heads and hands), for trophies, she was murdered in 1985 by an unknown, possibly hired, assassin.

With the beautiful Sigourney Weaver cast in the role of Dian Fossey, the passion that Dian had for protecting these animals was played out. I highly recommend the movie. It is informative, chilling, and educational. The name of the film is “Gorillas in the Mist.” Amazon.com sells it, as well as a number of other books that tell this same story, along with updates. This is a moving tale, particularly if you are a person who loves animals and wants to preserve them in their natural habitat for future generations. The baby gorillas were just adorable!

Ultimately, Dian had singlehandedly saved the mountain gorillas. Her legacy is that they continue to flourish and live today.

Patricia Cummings
Quilter’s Muse Publications