Ellen Degeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus is situated in the Kinigi region, right outside of Volcanoes National Park. It is about two hours’ drive from Kigali City, Rwanda’s main tourist destination and the gorillas’ home. The majority of visitors to Rwanda come for the gorilla trekking experience.

This was Ellen’s ideal offer, and it arrived about four years after her gorilla safari in Rwanda, when Portia de Rossi surprised her with a trip to Rwanda to celebrate her 60th birthday by giving the daytime presenter a gorilla conservation centre.

Her thoughts were prompted to consider the future and welfare of gorillas after learning more about them and their conservation efforts. After having a safari that changed her life, she made the decision to make a unique contribution to the cause of conservation. She did not accomplish this alone, though; with the help of other contributors and her show, she was able to raise money for the project.

The Fossey Fund has been working to protect and conserve the populations of wild gorillas as well as the people who share their forest home for more than 50 years. Our founder, Dian Fossey, set up two tents in the jungle in 1967, and it has since expanded into a larger institute.

In honour of the late American primatologist and conservationist, Ellen DeGeneres Campus of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund is the name of the spread.

In a statement provided to The Post, DeGeneres stated, “Dian Fossey has always been a hero of mine, so it’s been the honour of a lifetime to support this project.”

This is more of an institute for cultural awareness and environmental conservation than it is merely a campus.

The Dian Fossey Gorilla Sanctuary’s Ellen DeGeneres Campus consists of three main buildings: the Rob and Melani Walton Education Centre, the Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery, and the Sandy and Harold Price Research Centre. Additionally, there is housing available for visiting researchers and students. For the numerous stakeholders we engage with, the Ellen Campus will act as a point of entry into conservation, assisting in the development of the next generation of environmentalists.

This project’s purpose has always been to create a space where the numerous stakeholders in conservation; students, scientists, tourists, conservation partners, and community members can come together to work towards the common goal of protecting gorillas and the earth as a whole. We hope that, like Dian Fossey, visitors to the Ellen DeGeneres Campus will be motivated to change the world.” Dr. Tara Stoinski, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund’s president and chief scientist.

The projects at the fund are spread across around 15 acres of land, and they include eco-friendly buildings made of materials that are found locally, as well as lodging for visiting scholars and students.

The campus serves as a centre for scientific research and is also open to tourists. After going on a gorilla safari, you may spend some time here visiting the lovely campus, getting coffee at the café, or shopping for handcrafted goods from the area.