Ellen DeGeneres Campus of Dian Fossey is a beautiful eco-friendly facility placed adjacent to the Volcanoes National Park in the northern part of Rwanda. It was built in memory of the great American primatologist Dian Fossey who dedicated her life towards the conservation of mountain gorillas, due to her great works the park gained fame and was known to the world through her research, and books about the primates she lived along the foothills of Mountain Karisimbi. The school all started with a few tents that were put together by Dian Fossey herself as a way of supporting the conservation of mountain gorillas and the people who lived in the gorilla communities in 1967, to date there are more than employees that have joined the campus.
The campus was named after Dain Fossey’s actual name, it was first opened to the public in 2022, it includes permanent facilities, laboratories, classrooms, and libraries used to teach people about the science-based research needed to conserve mountain gorilla species of the world, these are a subspecies of the eastern gorilla beringei, the campus is a modern version of the Karisoke research centre which was established in the 1957. Despite Dian Fossey not being the first scientist to study mountain gorilla species, she is credited for being the first scientist to introduce the world to gorilla habituation, a process of getting mountain gorillas to be used to the presence of humankind without being captivated, they keep doing their day today activities, for example, jumping from one tree to another, eating mothers feeding babies to mention a few behaviours.
Ellen De Generes campus of Dian Fossey, illustrates and proceeds on the great works of her time, she became the base of all gorilla trekking experiences on Rwanda safaris, and she had a cabin built between Karisimbi and Mountain Bisoke to monitor and protect mountain gorillas. The campus was constructed later as a centre of excellence and an important research point for understanding the conservation of mountain gorillas for future purposes in Rwanda.
The campus is open to the public from students, environmentalists, wildlife scientists, and biologists to mention a few. The most eye-catching is the Laboratory of Life, which contains over 2000 species of plant species, It also showcases the arts and crafts of Rwanda, the country is best known for its crafts across East Africa more so the woven baskets. the region is built and crafted to perfectly blend into the environment within which it exists. Research is the main foundation of the Dian Fossey campus, educating the young generations is also a bonus to the campus for residents, and students to come and learn more about mountain gorillas.
Within the campus is a wall of inspiration Gallery where the great works of gorilla conservation are displayed from the time of Dian Fossey to date. It includes art of never seen art from her research about mountain gorillas, the campus features a gift shop and a café for relaxation following a day’s experience at the place.