Ellen DeGeneres Campus Of the Dian Fossey in Rwanda

When you visit Rwanda’s Northern Province, one of the things that will capture your attention is the iconic Ellen DeGeneres Campus, a project that represents the bright future of Mountain Gorilla Conservation in this spectacular African country.

The land of a thousand hills is one of the African countries committed to promoting conservation and sustainable tourism, and it is for this reason that the country was voted as the 2023 host of the World Travel and Tourism Council (WTTC) Global Summit. When it comes to Conservation, the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund has taken the first seat in the protection of endangered mountain gorillas in Volcanoes National Park for more than 5 decades.

With the growing team, the Dian Fossey laboratory was no longer able to accommodate the space needs of the entire team. It is at this point that the plan to expand and create more space was drafted. Therefore, the main mission of establishing the Ellen DeGeneres Campus was to create more space that allows different stakeholders in conservation including such as the local community, visitors/tourists, scientists, students, and conservation partners would interact in promoting the common goat-protecting the Giant Apes in their natural habitat.

Bringing all the stakeholders together is therefore one of the ways of making it possible to achieve the collective goal of protecting the endangered mountain gorillas as well as their natural habitats.

It is interesting to know that the Dian Fossey Fund has effortlessly worked towards the protection of the endangered mountain gorilla populations for over 50 years and has also provided support to the individuals that share these Giant Apes’ forest homes (local communities). Dian Fossey was an American primatologist who sacrificed over 18 years of her life to protect these creatures that were facing a high rate of poaching and habitat loss at the time. When she arrived at Volcanoes National Park in 1967, she established two tents on the foothills of the Karisimbi and Bisoke Volcanoes (hence naming it the Karisoke Research Center) and the staff grew from one person (Dian Fossey herself) to over 300 members.

Until recently, operations were undertaken in a tented space that comprised one classroom as well as a kitchen that was converted into a Laboratory. Worse still, this structure was also far from the Mountain gorillas’ natural habitat and the local communities. This was a wake-up call and during the semi-centennial Anniversary in 2018, leaders drafted a strategic decision of moving on a bigger 20-year dream that includes a state-of-art and purpose-built facility close to Volcanoes National Park as a way of increasing conservation work and science.

Barely a year after the decision was made, the Dian Fossey Fund received an unanticipated present from Ellen DeGeneres (a renowned TV host and Comedian) and her wife Portia de Rossi. This Present saw opened more doors for the Dian Fossey Fund as more donors (both small and large) joined hands in supporting the great cause thus contributing to the sooner-than-later establishment of the state-of-art and Purpose-built research and learning facility in the Northern Province of Rwanda. The Ellen DeGeneres Campus is the vision of the Award-winning MASS Design Group, thus making it one of the top 10 most anticipated architectural projects in Africa.

Promotion of Sustainability and Community Development was at the heart of this project and for this reason, it was built with locally-sourced materials and supplies that leave a minimal carbon footprint on the natural environment through reforestation of previously agricultural land, using rainwater and green roofs. A total of $15 million was invested in Rwanda’s economy and about 2400 jobs were created in construction and the majority of these were from the local communities. The Conservation Center was named after Ellen DeGeneres and opened its doors in February 2022.

The over 12-acre Research Center sits on a secluded area just adjacent to Volcanoes National Park, thus making it a perfect add-on activity for visitors planning to track the mountain gorillas, and golden monkeys, hike the Dian Fossey Gravesite or undertake bird watching among others. The Ellen DeGeneres Campus is made up of 3 main buildings that were named after renowned Conservationists. One of the buildings is the “Cindy Broder Conservation Gallery”, another is the “Sandy and Harold Price Research Center”, and the third is the “Rob and Melani Walton Education Center”. Additionally, there are beautiful and fully-furnished housing structures for Researchers and visiting students.

Sandy and Harold Price Research Center

The Sandy and Harold Price Research center is crucial for research advancement in several areas that include Physiology, paleontology, and genetics. It is evident that the 5-time expansion in Laboratory space will open more doors for scientific collaborations and also provide training opportunities to aspiring young conservationists in Africa.

With more space for a science Library, computer laboratory, and classroom space, there will be enhanced teaching opportunities for local, regional, and International Universities, as well as hosting several conservation-related workshops, conferences, training, and seminars. Here, learning here goes beyond the four walls of the classroom, owing to the fact that the Center is a living Laboratory with over 250,000 native plants found in the Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Trail.

 Cindy Broder Conservation gallery

This building is where travelers can learn about the interesting history of these Giant Apes as well as their Conservation from Dian Fossey’s era till date.

Tours of the Ellen DeGeneres Campus

The Ellen DeGeneres Campus is open from 9 am to 5 pm for guided tours (except on 7^th April because it is Genocide Remembrance Day). Onsite is a Gorilla Café and therefore feel free to grab a cup of coffee which you will sip while touring.

The gift shop exhibits gorilla portraits and local crafts made by the local community members. Given the coldness inside the Ellen DeGeneres Campus, visitors are advised to always wear/or carry warm clothing.