In 1991, PIC initiated a conservation partnership with Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International (DFGFI) in Rwanda to fund programs at the Karisoke Research Center (KRC); this partnership continues to the present. PIC helps provide gorilla tracker salaries, field equipment, and language classes in both French and English for employees of the KRC. PIC is privileged to have the opportunity to fund programs that benefit the KRC field staff; we believe that it is the dedication and commitment of these men and women that have ensured a future for the endangered mountain gorillas.
In 2009, PIC funded the field research for a Rwandan university student, Olive Imanizabayo. Olive’s research topic is: The Evaluation of the Abundance of Mountain Gorilla Food Plants in the Karisoke Area of the Volcanoes National Park.
Beginning in 2010, PIC initiated funding a Conservation Education program in partnership with the KRC that benefits more than 1,700 students attending four primary schools that border the Volcanoes National Park. The program presents information through classroom instruction, nature walks, and for older students, an opportunity to visit the Volcanoes National Park. The content for this program was developed by Disney’s Animal Kingdom and training for its implementation was received by Joseph Karama, Conservation Education Program Manager for the KRC.
During a meeting with the PIC Team in 2010, Katie Fawcett, Ph.D, Director - Karisoke Research Center, expressed her gratitude to PIC and the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium for 19 years of continuous support to KRC that included critical funding during the 1994 genocide.