Originally from the United States, Nyiramacibiri played a significant role in preventing the extinction of gorillas in Volcanoes National Park. When she arrived, gorilla populations were dwindling due to poaching.
Nyiramacibiri arrived at the park in 1967 after spending time studying gorilla behavior. Over the 18 years she spent living among them, she gathered extensive knowledge on their feeding habits, social structures, emotional expressions, and more.
On the morning of December 27, 1985, the tragic news of her death spread throughout Rwanda, particularly in the former Ruhengeri Prefecture. She was found murdered in her cabin with six head and facial wounds, indicating she had been hacked to death with a machete.
Robbery was ruled out as a motive since the substantial cash she kept in her home was untouched. Additionally, her passport and a handgun remained undisturbed. Investigators found footprints of two individuals outside her cabin, and a hole had been cut into the wall.
Following her death, Rwandan authorities swiftly arrested her staff, including Emmanuel Rwelekana, who had previously guided Fossey during her fieldwork. While most were released the next day, Rwelekana remained in custody due to prior conflicts with Fossey that had resulted in his dismissal.
Nine months later, on September 29, 1986, the day before U.S. Embassy officials were scheduled to question Rwelekana, the Rwandan government announced that he had died in his cell, allegedly by hanging. This conclusion raised suspicions, especially among his family.
{{We have no proof that my father died- Rwelekana’s daughter}}
To this day, the circumstances of Rwelekana’s death remain unclear. His family never received his body nor any concrete evidence confirming his death.
Donata Mukarwego, born in 1980 in Rwambogo village, is Rwelekana’s daughter. In an interview with IGIHE, she recounted the day her father learned of Fossey’s death.
“My father was at home when he received the news. He immediately left the house after telling my mother that something terrible had happened,” she recalls. A few days later, gendarmes arrived to arrest her father and other staff members. Eventually, the family heard the news of his alleged death in prison.
“A man came to tell us that our father had died. Rumors spread that he either committed suicide or was killed. Among all the staff, only my father died, which left us devastated,” Mukarwego said.
Following Rwelekana’s death, his wife also passed away, leaving their children to face severe hardship.
Fossey died without ever conceiving a child
Jonas Nubaha, born in Kinigi in 1965, started working for Fossey at Karisoke Research Center in 1979. His duties included monitoring wildlife and setting traps for poachers.
“She hired people who knew the work well. We would report to her every morning with our findings,” Nubaha recalled. He remembered Fossey as a kind employer who treated her staff and local residents generously.
“On holidays, we would bring our families to celebrate with her. She provided food, drinks, and clothes for our children. She was a good person who treated us well,” he said. Despite working closely with the gorillas, Fossey’s staff remained cautious around them.
“She loved the gorillas deeply. We would stay back while she approached them. She played a major role in ensuring their protection,” Nubaha said.
Fossey’s work extended beyond wildlife conservation to supporting local communities, which earned her lasting admiration. “The problem is that she died without ever having a child. But even today, people continue to hold memorials in her honor,” Nubaha noted.
Fidèle Uwimana, another former staff member born in 1967 in Kinigi, described how he first encountered Fossey in 1984 during a community celebration. As a young volunteer, he would help with household tasks during staff holidays, receiving clothes in return.
Uwimana explained that the name “Nyiramacibiri” originally belonged to another researcher who was shorter than Fossey. When that researcher returned home, Fossey inherited the nickname.
{{Was Rwelekana wrongfully accused?}}
When asked whether Rwelekana was responsible for Fossey’s death, Nubaha remained skeptical. “Although some people suspected him, there was never clear evidence,” he said.
Rumors suggested that Fossey’s conflicts with local and foreign authorities might have played a role in her murder. Some believed that disagreements over whether the gorillas should be used for tourism rather than research created enemies for her.
Others speculated that she clashed with the Rwandan government, especially with local officials in Ruhengeri. Uwimana, who also knew Rwelekana and his brother, acknowledged that while Fossey and Rwelekana had a contentious relationship, the truth remains elusive.
“There were meetings at his home with foreign collaborators before Fossey died. It is hard to dismiss the possibility that he was involved,” he said.
Fossey was buried at Karisoke among the gorillas she had cared for, fulfilling her wish to rest alongside the animals she loved so dear.
“The government granted us permission to bury her there. To this day, her grave remains a place of remembrance,” Uwimana said.
