Dominoes: Level 3: 1,000 Word VocabularyDian and the Gorillas

by Norma Shapiro

Over the years hunters, poachers, and war have killed many of the gorillas of central Africa. But there are still a few hundred living high in the mists of the Virunga Mountains.
When Dian Fossey first saw a family of wild mountain gorillas in the Virungas she knew that she must help these wonderful animals. This true story tells of the twenty years she lived with them, watched them, wrote about them, and protected them. In the end, she gave her life for them.

Genres: Nonfiction

80 pages, Paperback

First published November 28, 2003

Reviews

[Ngân Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to give Dian my top respect and admiration due to her constant protection for mountain gorillas!

Only remaining 880 individuals in population (according to WWF), mountain gorillas are on the brink of extinction, as a result for enduring wars, hunting and habitat destruction for a long time. Poachers also had family to take care, they needed food and money, I knew that. Wildlife conservation is always a very hard dilemma and I do not know how to solve (I only can resist going zoos or using wild animals’ products like elephant tusk or bear bile). However, I really feel sorry for the animals because they cannot speak, they cannot show the world the dangerous condition where they live, how they are treated and how they feel.

Thank to all Dian’s notes and books, now the world knew gorillas’ stories. But how about other species? When will people stop destroying our planet and realize that we cannot eat gold and money?

Unfortunately, Dian was killed by her enemy in the late of 1985. It has been a mystery until now. It was another evidence to show that how tough and tense the relationships between people wanted to generate profit from wild animals (poachers, park guards and national officials) and Dian and her staffs were. That made me even love Dian more!

[Jhon Centeno]

good