When her photograph, taken by Bob Campbell, appeared on the cover of National Geographic Magazine in January 1970, Dian Fossey became an international celebrity, bringing massive publicity to her cause of saving the mountain gorillas from extinction, as well as convincing the general public that gorillas are not as fierce as they are sometimes depicted in Hollywood movies and books.

Photographs showing the gorilla "Peanuts" touching the hand of Dian Fossey depicted the first recorded peaceful contact between a human being and a wild gorilla. Her extraordinary rapport with animals and her background as an occupational therapist brushed away the Hollywood King Kong myth of an aggressive, savage beast.

Dian Fossey set up the International Gorilla Fund - Gorilla protection in Africa, through anti-poaching and daily monitoring, is central to the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International’s historic mission. The many ways we protect gorillas have helped to stabilize the mountain gorilla population in Rwanda. We are now we are working to have the same impact on Grauer’s gorillas in the Democratic Republic of Congo.

The Karisoke Research Centre in Rwanda was founded by Dian Fossey on 24th September 1967. The camp was located in Rwanda, between Mt. Karisimbi and Mt. Visoke, and was therefore given a name which was a mixture of these two mountains. Over and above her research she fought against poachers who killed mountain gorillas for body parts to make witch doctors medicines. She buried all slain mountain gorillas in the gorilla cemetery which she established. After her murder she to was buried high up in the mountains next to her beloved gorillas.

The reason for Dian Fossey savage murder has never been established though it is generally thought that she may have been murdered by poachers. On December 26, 1985 Dian Fossey's skull had been split open by a Panga (machete) a tool widely used by poachers.