Innocent here. Recently, Team AoC and I visited the historic Karisoke Research Center founded by Dian Fossey in 1967. This site is located in the saddle between volcanoes Karisimbi and Bisoke in Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda.
After registering and paying for our permits at the park and tourism headquarters in Kinigi, we drive to our drop off point at the foothills of Bisoke. I am here with children we meet along the way before we reach the forest.
Bisoke is 3711 meters in altitude with a beautiful crater lake at the top. We will follow our guide Felix Shyamba to the west of Bisoke up through local villages and cultivated farm land before we reach the protected forest.
This is a picture of the Chrysanthemum plant drying on a plastic mat in front of a small house we pass by on our way to the park.
Much of the park land was turned over to pyrethrum farms. Pyrethrum is the extract from the flowerhead of the Chrysanthemum plant (looks like a daisy) which is processed to kill insects. Dian Fossey campaigned hard to stop the deforestation caused by such farms.
Our hired porter, Betty, with Amy and Eusebe.
The photograph above of my colleagues and porter Betty is a good example of the Chrysanthemum plant as well as rows of Irish potatoes. No doubt these are pretty fields with cattle often seen out on their short grazing break, but it is also very apparent that these fields are pressing ever harder up to the park boundary.
Eusebe and I are on top of the ‘Buffalo Wall’. We are now entering the forest!
After a beautiful hike, we reach the mid-way point. Veering in one direction one would make their way up to Bisoki Crater Lake, but wanting to stay on goal we took the other fork in the path and continued our trek to the renowned Dian Fossey Site at 2967 meters in altitude.
Please stay with me as we venture into the site of the lone woman of the forest, Dian Fossey, also known as Nyiramachabelli. Thanks and see you next time, Innocent.
3 Comments
Dear Innocent,
When you got to the Karisoke site was there an engraved marker on Dian’s grave? It reads in part, “No one loved gorillas more. Rest in peace dear friend…” I wrote the inscription on the marker and sent it to Rwanda through the US Embassy to be installed in 1986. We later learned it had been removed during the war for safekeeping but we don’t know if it was ever reinstalled. Can you let us know?
Thank you,
Evelyn Gallardo
David Root
Dear Evelyn & David, Thank you for contacting us with your questions and concerns. Yes, the engraved marker is indeed on Dian’s grave. I am sending you two photos to your email now. So you wrote the inscription? Wow, that is interesting. If you don’t mind, please share more with us and our readers of your connection with Dian. Again, thank you for contacting us. Please stay in touch. Yours, Innocent
Dear Innocent,
Thank you for the photos of Dian’s grave marker. My husband David and I are so happy to see it back in its right place. Dian invited us to Karisoke in August of 1985. We spent 2 amazing weeks among the gorillas of Group 5, Peanut’s Group helping Dian with photos, videos, observations, etc. Our friendship with Dian and our experiences among the mountain gorillas of Rwanda enriched and changed the course of our lives for the better.
Gratefully
Evelyn & David