OUT OF THE MIST

Atlantan leading the charge for gorilla conservation

By Clare S. Richie

Dr. Tara Stoinski, recently named CEO and Chief Scientific Officer of The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International headquartered at Zoo Atlanta, wants you to understand the plight of gorillas in the wild and support the fund’s conservation efforts in Africa.

That should be easy because we can relate to gorillas. “We see our behavior in them. They care for babies, fight, make up, have allies, and are political. They not only look like us, they reflect our behavior,” Stoinski said.

Her favorite gorilla at Zoo Atlanta is Taz because he is quirky, smart, and a good father to eight offspring, including twins Kazi and Kali sired with female gorilla Kuchi. Since 1995, Stoinksi has watched him grow up to become a leader of his group.

After two decades of extensive primatology research and field studies, Stoinksi is recognized as an expert on gorilla behavior with a particular passion for studying the male social dynamics of gorillas. While pursuing her doctorate in psychology from the Georgia Institute of Technology, Zoo Atlanta was her lab, where she was exposed to diverse species in more natural living conditions. “My studies included one of the smallest primates – gold lion tamarins who were being reintroduced from zoos to the wild, to the biggest primate on the planet – gorillas,” she said.

After completing her studies, she split her time between Zoo Atlanta’s director of primate research and the fund’s chief scientist. “A foot in each world,” she said. One that nurtures some of the 350 western gorillas in captivity and another that protects some of the 900 mountain gorillas left in the wild.

Stoinski has “grown up” at the fund and is uniquely qualified to lead it forward. “During my tenure, I’d like to see our 47-year, successful approach to conservation in Rwanda applied to other countries where gorilla populations are still declining.”

This approach includes activities that promote safe living conditions for gorillas, other wildlife in the habitat, and humans. For half of the gorillas in Rwanda, dedicated teams of African staff each follow a group to collect data (where the gorillas go, what they eat, who they interact with) and to provide protection. For example, if a gorilla gets caught in an antelope poacher’s snare, it could be fatal.

The working conditions are challenging, as the gorillas live on the slopes of volcanoes where the climate is cold and wet 10 months out of the year, but the staff are dedicated and extremely attached to the gorillas. Losing one is like losing a family member.

And efforts extend beyond gorillas. The staff also monitor population patterns in plants, mammals, amphibians, and birds in the habitat. In order to improve the local human condition, the fund partners with local governments, nongovernmental organizations, and universities on health and education activities. For instance, the fund works with University of Rwanda students to increase the number of local scientists, many of whom take on leadership roles in the community, empowered to conserve their own natural resources.

According to Stoinski, when Dian Fossey first went to Rwanda, mountain gorillas were on a trajectory to extinction by the end of the century. Fossey (memorably portrayed by Sigourney Weaver in the film Gorillas in the Mist) showed the world that gorillas were not fierce and aggressive but rather “gentle giants that live in tight knit groups that take care of each other.” Her legacy is a reversal of this trend but there is still work to do as poachers and habitat loss continue to pose threats.

“We are still at a critical conservation moment for much of the world’s charismatic, large species like gorillas, elephants, rhinos,” Stoinski emphasized.

She encourages you to learn more about gorillas and join the fund’s efforts to keep them in our natural world. For more information, visit gorillafund.org.