Digit Fund

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Digit Fund was created by Dr. Dian Fossey in 1978 for the sole purpose of financing her antipoaching patrols. It was named in memory of her favourite gorilla Digit who was decapitated by poachers for the offer of US$20 by an American merchant.

In the United Kingdom the Digit Fund was administered through the Fauna Protection Society or FPS. Other scientists and conservationists acquired control of the fund in the UK and Dian Fossey lost her fund to the Fauna Protection Society. According to Dian Fossey's own letters she didn't receive any of the funds collected in her name and the Fauna Protection Scociety gave most of its money to costly tourism projects and local Rwandan bureaucrats^{[citation needed]}.

Dian Fossey managed to keep the control of the Digit Fund in the United States until her death. After Dian was murdered, the Digit Fund in the USA was renamed "The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International" and the Digit Fund in the UK was renamed the "Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund UK" and later "The Gorilla Organisation".

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund UK continues to use Dian's name up to this day for their financial purposes even though Dian Fossey never received any of its money and some conservationists associated with the FPS and the Digit Fund UK wanted Dian to be removed from Rwanda^{[citation needed]}.