Each morning before dawn, Amy guzzled a hot cup of tea. Then she headed into the forest to pick up the gorillas' trail from the exact point she had left them the night before. She had to decipher the smallest tracking clues, such as overturned leaves and warm piles of dung, or she might wind up on a dead-end trail for hours.

Amy's research focused on the gorillas' habitat requirements, or how much food and land they would need to survive. To collect data, she followed Group 5 on its daily rounds through the rain forest.

Amy's husband Bill investigated the human actions that were causing the apes' decline. She and Bill worked together, using their research to convince the Rwandan government that there were opportunities to help both gorillas and the people who live alongside them.

"Thanks to the project, people throughout the country are now proud of their gorillas. The park is stable and well managed, tourist fees pay for these costs, and more local people have park jobs. Most importantly, the number of gorillas has gone from 260 in 1978 to 380 in 2004—a huge increase for this fragile population, and a sign of great promise for the future of these animals and many others."

	In 1978, shortly after her arrival in Rwanda, Amy cared for a young gorilla named Mweza that had been injured when it was captured by poachers, or illegal hunters. In her futile struggle to save Mweza, Amy renewed her dedication to stop the poaching and habitat destruction that threatened the gorilla's future.

When Amy and Bill learned that the Rwandan government planned to convert a part of the gorillas' forest habitat into pastures for cattle grazing, they acted quickly on the gorillas' behalf. They proposed that the government instead launch a gorilla tourism project that would reap more money than the cattle project. This would ensure the gorillas' future in the park and inform Rwandans about the importance of preserving their natural resources. The government agreed!

Today, thanks to Amy and Bill's work and the dedication and courage of many Rwandans, the presence of mountain gorillas brings millions of dollars into Rwanda from eco-tourism. (Eco-tourism minimizes any negative impact tourism has on the animals and the environment.) And the gorillas' numbers are rising, despite a terrible genocide and civil war.

As a director at the Wildlife Conservation Society headquartered at New York's Bronx Zoo, Amy has overseen many animal conservation projects in Africa and beyond—from the plains of Mongolia and coral reefs in Belize to forests in her home state of New York.