Rare Photos Discovered of Dian Fossey's Orphan Gorillas

The only known photographs of two of Dian Fossey's orphan gorillas in captivity at a zoo in Germany have been discovered and may be viewed on the Internet.

Pequot Lakes, MN (PRWEB) July 20, 2006 -- The only known photographs of two of Dian Fossey's orphan gorillas in captivity at a zoo in Germany have been discovered and may be viewed on the Internet.

Made famous when they appeared with the celebrated "Gorillas in the Mist" author and primatologist on the cover of National Geographic magazine in January, 1970, the young gorillas were rescued and nursed back to health by Dr. Fossey. Coco and Pucker had been captured in Rwanda by poachers who slaughtered ten adult gorillas in order to snatch the two babies to fill an order for the Cologne Zoo.

When Fossey was unable to convince authorities to allow her to return the gorillas to the wild, Coco and Pucker were nailed into a crate and flown to Germany in May, 1969. They were exhibited in the Cologne Zoo until their deaths in 1977.

In 2005, Georgianne Nienaber learned of a listserv reference to gorilla photos taken in the Cologne zoo in 1974. Ms. Nienaber contacted the photographer, Ria Bakker, who gave permission for the International Primate Protection League (http://www.ippl.org) to publish the photos.

Ms. Bakker had been a zookeeper at the Wassenaar Zoo in the Netherlands. She was visiting the Cologne Zoo in 1974 when she snapped the photos. “At that time I did not have a clue that Coco and Pucker were very special. I only noticed that they were different than the Western lowland gorillas in our zoo,” Bakker said.

“Coco and Pucker had two cages in the very old ape house, and the zookeepers took them out once a day to the playground in the grass. They would play there with them for half an hour or so. Because the keepers knew that we were visiting from another zoo, we were allowed to be there and watch them,” Bakker explained.

Georgianne Nienaber is an investigative writer and author of Gorilla Dreams: The Legacy of Dian Fossey. The six photographs have been digitally scanned and may be viewed at her website, http://www.thelegacyofdianfossey.com.

In the 1970 National Geographic article, Dian Fossey wrote, "Conservation groups and political authority must join in concerted programs if this three-nation area and its wildlife are to be saved from human trespassers. Such help is overdue. I only hope [the gorillas can survive until it comes."

Georgianne Nienaber commented, "With the increasing bushmeat trade, especially in Congo, more and more 'orphans' are being poached for their perceived value in the illegal international wildlife trade. Fossey's words were prophetic. While there are international agreements which prohibit trade in gorillas not bred in captivity, that does not preclude trade of wild animals for private collections. These photos serve as a graphic reminder of human hubris in trying to manage wildlife in captivity."

Dian Fossey was murdered in 1985. The Wassenaar Zoo closed in 1986, for financial reasons.

###