Katie Fawcett speaks about the current conservation status of gorillas and the Karisoke Center, which celebrated its 40th anniversary this year and is one of the longest running field research programs in the world.
Katie Fawcett received her PhD from the University of Edinburgh where she studied the behavior and ecology of chimpanzees living in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. At Karisoke, she oversees various activities, including daily monitoring of and research on three groups of gorillas, which represent a third of the remaining Virunga mountain gorilla population. She also manages research programs on the biodiversity of the Volcanos National Park, education programs aimed at increasing the knowledge about gorillas and biodiversity conservation, and the care of 10 confiscated orphaned gorillas.