Gorilla project, 1960-09 - 1960-12

This subseries concerns NYZS’s wildlife conservation activities in Africa, which were greatly expanded under Osborn’s leadership. In the late 1950s, the Society began sponsoring field research in Africa; among the most significant of this research were the studies into the ecology and behavior of mountain gorillas carried out by John Emlen and George Schaller in 1959 and continued by Schaller the following year. Others conducting NYZS-sponsored field research in Africa during Osborn’s tenure include Louis Leakey, Irven Buss, and George Treichel. Aside from funding field research, NYZS also supported the development and management of national parks across the continent. In the early 1960s, for instance, with the help of NYZS benefactor Royal Little, the Society took several important steps to incorporate the Amboseli Game Reserve in Kenya into the country’s national park system. This work in Amboseli was funded by NYZS’s African Wildlife Fund; other projects sponsored by the African Wildlife Fund include educational films aimed at both American and African audiences.

Osborn took an active role in the management of these various activities across the continent. This subseries largely consists of correspondence with researchers, national park officials, and others receiving funding from the Society, as well as with those funding these activities.