born Jan. 16, 1932, San Francisco, Calif., U.S.
found dead Dec. 26, 1985, Volcanoes National Park, Rwanda
U.S. zoologist.
She was working as an occupational therapist when, on a trip to Africa in 1963, she met Louis Leakey (see Leakey family ), who persuaded her to return to study the mountain gorilla in its natural habitat. Owing to her patient and nonthreatening interactions, the gorillas of Rwanda's Virunga Mountains became accustomed to her presence, and she was able to gather detailed knowledge of their habits, communication, and social structure. She obtained a Ph.D. in 1974 and taught at Cornell University while remaining involved with the Karisoke Research Center in Africa, which she had established in 1967. She recounted her observations in Gorillas in the Mist (1983; film, 1988). She actively protected the gorillas from poachers, who are suspected of her murder at Karisoke.