![[titus]](21701783_titus.jpg) | | Alexander H. Harcourt | | Titus, one of the Karisoke gorillas, as a six-year-old juvenile. |
Research
While the demise of Group 4 and its aftermath were tragic, it taught us much about the dynamics of group formation and dissolution, including those of all-male groups (D. Fossey, Gorillas in the Mist, 1983). Perhaps most significantly, it underlined the role of adult males in protecting related infants from infanticide. Soon after the death of the leading silverback of Group 4, two infants were killed by males who were not their fathers. When females lose the protection of the silverback of their group, their infants become vulnerable to infanticide. The 1980s was also a time to start harvesting the fruits of long-term observations of known individuals. Gorillas who had first been seen as small infants in the study groups began reaching adulthood, and researchers could now examine variations in many aspects of behavior. Studies became more problem-oriented and considered the impact of factors such as group size, feeding competition, and kinship on social relationships and dispersal decisions (e.g., D.P. Watts, Strategies of habitat use by mountain gorillas, Folia Primatologica, vol. 56, pp. 1-16, 1991). Our understanding of gorilla ecology increased significantly with detailed studies that measured food quality, distribution, and abundance, and related these to foraging patterns. Finally, long-term ranging data enabled researchers to assess the relative impact of ecological and social factors on gorillas' habitat use. Within the discipline of behavioral ecology, models for the evolution of primate sociality provided a theoretical frame for the emerging pattern of gorilla behavior and ecology. But this picture of gorilla social evolution was still based on one subspecies. This situation began to change as observations on G. g. graueri in eastern Zaire, on groups habituated since the 1970s, became more consistent and systematic (e.g., M.J. Casimir, Feeding ecology and nutrition of an eastern gorilla group in Mt. Kahuzi region (Republic of Zaire). Folia Primatologica, vol. 24, pp. 81-136, 1975). In addition, researchers were establishing long-term studies of the western lowland gorillas G. g. gorilla, first in Gabon in 1980 and then in Central African Republic and Congo. The data emerging from this work confirmed hints from earlier studies as to major differences in diet and ranging behavior between lowland and mountain gorillas. Conservation
The new conservation efforts initiated in the late 1970s in Rwanda appeared to work. Censuses during the 1980s showed a halt to the population decline after 1981, and a subsequent increase in numbers. A conservation program similar to the Mountain Gorilla Project was soon initiated on the Congo side of the Virungas and efforts were mounted to improve the situation for gorillas in Uganda. In keeping with the expansion of the times, Karisoke extended its operations beyond the borders of the study site and the park, establishing cooperative links with conservation projects in Rwanda, and later, Uganda and Congo, and with institutions such as l'Université Nationale du Rwanda. In addition, its conservation activities became closely integrated with those of the Rwandan park authorities, l'Office Rwandais du Tourisme et des Parcs Nationaux (ORTPN), specifically in well-organized joint patrols between the park guards and Karisoke field personnel. For the first time, sociological research was also directed towards the human population surrounding the park. Interviews of farmers revealed that the conservation education program put together by the Mountain Gorilla Project was having a positive impact on people's attitude towards conserving the park and its wildlife. Overall, there were grounds for cautious optimism. Dian Fossey's murder
In December 1984, Dian Fossey was murdered in her cabin at Karisoke by unknown perpetrator/s. It is believed by many in the public domain that research at Karisoke ended with Fossey's death, but her legacy had far too much momentum to die with her. The Digit Fund, later to become the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI), was established to ensure that Karisoke Research Center would carry on its work. DFGFI continues to fund operation of the center today. |
