In the Kingdom of Gorillas: Fragile Species in a Dangerous Land [Englisch] [Gebundene Ausgabe]

In 1978 a young American couple traveled to Rwanda to study mountain gorillas with Dian Fossey. The following 23 years brought poachers, Fossey's murder, and the bloody Rwandan genocide, but through it all the gorillas preserved their quiet lives. This exciting chronicle of field research conducted in extremely harsh terrain will open the reader's eyes to the difficulties of science in a wilderness area. Weber and Vedder write evocatively of the discoveries they made, the joys of sitting with the gorillas and observing their behavior, and interactions with their local Rwandan guides and fellow researchers. This is contrasted with their horror at discovering gorillas massacred by poachers. Their candid views of the difficult and neurotic Fossey show the disintegration of a once great scientist and demonstrate why the authors took a different and ultimately successful path in protecting the gorillas. The final chapters, describing the civil war in Rwanda and the resulting slaughter of the Tutsi minority make even more miraculous the fact that all sides during the conflict left the gorillas alone. A marvelously thoughtful account. Nancy Bent
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Here is the long-awaited update to the fate of mountain gorillas in Rwanda, as written by the married couple who joined Dian Fossey at her Karisoke research facility in the late 1970s. Although Fossey's is the more familiar name owing to her groundbreaking contact with the gorilla and subsequent grief over their deaths because of poaching, Weber and Vedder have ultimately accomplished far more to insure their survival. Unlike Fossey, they believe that the key to saving the gorilla is to create an ecotourism program that will benefit the Rwandan people. Much of the book is a detailed account of both field research and the political challenges of establishing the Mountain Gorilla Project, but the final chapters are devoted to a chilling portrait of mass genocide in the early 1990s. This important book is a case study in how conservation must be grounded in the realities of people: "We can't love animals or save wildlife without understanding the social, economic, and political context in which conservation occurs." Highly recommended for both academic and public libraries. Beth Clewis Crim, Prince William P.L., VA
Copyright 2001 Reed Business Information, Inc.

George B. Schaller

Author of "The Year of the Gorilla"

Mountain gorillas owe their survival to a very few innovative and far-sighted individuals. Foremost among these are the authors of "In the Kingdom of Gorillas" who, with a dream in their hearts, devoted a quarter century to these splendid apes. I observed with admiration and fascination as they established a pioneering program in conservation that combines research, ecotourism, and education. Its shining success saved the gorillas during the recent turbulent decades. In eloquent and gripping prose, Bill and Amy chronicle the compassionate fight on behalf of these our most majestic kin.

An adventure story rich with details about the gorillas' lives and the realities of conservation. Based on Bill Weber's and Amy Vedder's trip to Rwanda to study mountain gorilla's. -- Dieser Text bezieht sich auf eine andere Ausgabe: Taschenbuch .

Chronicles the attempts of the authors to protect and study the mountain gorillas of Rwanda, discussing the foundation of the Mountain Gorilla Project as well as the ecological and political situation of Rwanda.