DIAN FOSSEY
1932-1985
If you’ve ever sat down and sobbed your
way through the 1988 film Gorillas in the
Mist, you probably know a little about Dian
Fossey. Alongside orangutan expert Biruté
Galdikas and chimpanzee researcher
Jane Goodall, she was one of three
leading female primatologists, dubbed
‘the Trimates’ – her work illuminated the
complex social relationships of mountain
gorillas. Unhappy in early life, San
Francisco-born Dian found comfort among
animals. After working in occupational
therapy – which she later credited for her
success interacting with apes – she pooled
her life savings and travelled to Africa in- There, she met palaeoanthropologist
Louis Leakey, who became her mentor; in
the Congo, she encountered wild mountain
gorillas for the first time. Enamoured by
their individuality and shy behaviour, she
began a long-term study of the endangered
apes, living alongside them in the Virunga
Mountains. Dian won the gorillas’ trust by
mimicking their submissive vocalisations
and actions, and identified individuals by
their unique ‘noseprints’. Her research
showed the world that these gentle giants
were not the vicious monsters films like
King Kong would suggest. Over time,
political upheaval shifted her research to
the Rwandan side of the mountains, where
gorillas only knew humans as poachers.
Angered by the slaughter of animals she’d
studied so closely, Dian pivoted from
research to anti-poaching conservation.
Her militant tactics made her many local
enemies, and in December 1985, she
was bludgeoned to death in her home.
Thankfully, the research centre she founded
continues to protect Virunga’s gorillas.
DAVID ATTENBOROUGH
1926-
To generations of TV watchers, David
Attenborough personifies nature itself.
When we imagine documentaries about
the natural world, we hear his soft-spoken
voice, and picture him crouching delightedly
in exotic landscapes. (Always while dressed
in a dapper shirt, casually unbuttoned at
the collar.) At least 15 plants and animals,
plus an Antarctic research ship, are named
after the British naturalist; he’s showered in
awards and honorary science degrees. And
yet, David came from humble beginnings.
When he first joined the BBC in 1950 –
after completing a degree in the natural
sciences – he didn’t own a TV, and had only
ever watched one program. Initially, he was
kept off camera, because his superiors felt
his teeth were too big. But he succeeded
as both producer and presenter, and was
instrumental in expanding the station’s
natural history content. Dissatisfied with
shows that brought animals out of their
natural habitats and into the TV studio,
he launched a series namedZoo Quest
in 1954. The program featured animals
in the wild, filmed on location around the
world – a precursor to David’s magnum
opus: the stunningLifedocumentary series.
Memorably appearing on camera alongside
wild creatures, David used filmmaking
innovations such as infrared and macro
photography to capture animal behaviour in
wondrous vividness and detail. Curious and
unfaltering into his 90s, he’s since written
and narrated hundreds more documentaries,
includingPlanet Earth; worked towards
the conservation of countless species; and
become a passionate campaigner against
human-led climate change, whose effects
he’s in a unique position to observe.CHARLES HENRY TURNER
1867-1923
Biologist Charles Henry Turner was
the first to discover that insects can
hear; honeybees can recognise patterns
and colours; and cockroaches learn
by trial and error. He published more
than 70 research papers over the
course of his scientific career, devising
sophisticated methodologies and
experimental apparatuses to study
insect behaviour. Even more impressive:
he did it all without laboratory space or
research assistants, and with limited
library access. This son of freed slaves
achieved many more firsts. In 1892, he
was the first African-American to earn
a master’s degree from the University
of Cincinnati. In 1907, the University
of Chicago awarded him a zoology
PhD – its first to a black candidate.
Yet, Charles struggled to find work in
higher education. Instead, he taught
high-school science in St Louis until- Charles also campaigned for civil
rights, drawing on his entomological
research to suggest racism could be
both instinctive and learned. One of his
greatest achievements, though, was to
show that insect behaviour is driven by
the creatures’ perceptions and learning
abilities, not external stimuli. He proved
that bugs can distinguish between
different pitches, and are susceptible
to Pavlovian conditioning. Although his
ideas are now mainstream in zoology,
Turner himself has been shamefully
forgotten since his death from heart
disease. However, his memory lives on
in the curvy walking pattern used by ants
to find their way back to their nest – the
habit is known as ‘Turner’s circling’.
forces of nature
MEET THE FOLKS WHO’VE SHAPED OUR
UNDERSTANDING OF THE NATURAL WORLD.
Words Mel Campbell Illustrations Cass Urquhart
learn something new