Popular American comedian, Ellen DeGeneres, has fulfilled a long-awaited dream as she finally opens her section of a gorilla sanctuary to the public.
The television host announced the latest development during her talk show, The Ellen Show.
In 2017, Ellen was gifted a gorilla trust fund by her partner, Portia de Rossi, to build a secure home for wild mountain gorillas.
Speaking about the sanctuary on the show, DeGeneres said it is named the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund in a bid to recognize the legacy of the late Dian Fossey in service of mountain gorillas.
“Dian Fossey has always been a hero of mine, and so it’s been the honor of a lifetime to support this project. To see my name alongside hers on the walls of this beautiful campus, and to know I’m doing my part to protect endangered gorillas and continue Dian’s legacy, is simply amazing,” DeGeneres said in a press release.
Photo courtesy of The Ellen Fund
Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist known for undertaking an extensive study of mountain gorilla groups from 1966 until her 1985 murder.
“Portia, for my birthday, wanted to build a campus in Rwanda that would help continue Dian’s work,” DeGeneres added. “And today…I am happy to announce the official opening of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund.”
Visitors at the campus will be able to see exclusive artifacts from Fossey’s 18 years of living and working with gorillas and facilities, including Sandy and Harold Prince Research Center, Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery, and Rob and Melani Walton Education Centre.
“It is for everyone to visit… it’s just so much going on. And I hope that you get a chance to go to Rwanda and go see that and see the gorillas because it’s a life-changing experience.”
Ellen’s sanctuary is incorporated into Fossey’s organization, which has for decades been helping gorillas survive poaching and other deforestation activities which may lead to their extinction. Hundreds of gorillas have thrived thanks to the Fossey’s conservationist efforts.
