It was neither a sense of fate nor a quest for romance that inspired Dian Fossey to travel to the mountains of east central Africa to study the elusive mountain gorilla. It was, Fossey once said, "a deep wish to see and live with wild animals in a world that hadn't yet been completely changed by humans. I guess I really wanted to go backward in time." Fossey's work with the mountain gorilla, one of humankind's closest primate relatives, is the focus of the exhibit "Gorillas in the Lens: Dian Fossey's Legacy," opening Sunday, Aug. 1, at the Peabody Museum of Natural History. The show features rare photographs taken by Fossey and the National Geographic Society, and details what a typical day of tracking and studying these animals was like. Fossey was an occupational therapist when she first encountered the mountain gorillas in their natural habitat while on a safari in Africa. She was immediately drawn to the massive creatures, which are found only in the Virunga Mountains, a volcanic range on the borders of Rwanda, Zaire and Uganda. In 1966, Fossey persuaded anthropologist Louis Leakey to give her the opportunity to study and live with the mountain gorillas. She established the Karisoke Research Center, today an international center for the study and protection of the gorillas and their rain forest environment, and began a program of research funded by the National Geographic Society. Like chimpanzee researcher Jane Goodall, Fossey gave each of the animals a name as soon as she was able to distinguish it. To encourage the animals to accept her presence, Fossey mirrored the apes' behavior, munching on wild celery and mimicking gorilla vocalizations. In her book, Fossey wrote: "I learned to accept the animals on their own terms and never to push them beyond the varying levels of tolerance they were willing to give. Any observer is an intruder in the domain of a wild animal and must remember that the rights of the animal supersede human interests." Fossey discovered that, contrary to popular myths, mountain gorillas were not blood-thirsty beasts, but gentle vegetarians with strong family ties. As her affinity with the apes grew, so did her antagonism against the humans who threatened the species' survival, especially poachers. As part of her campaign of "active conservation," Fossey destroyed the poachers' traps and organized anti-poaching patrols. When Digit, one of Fossey's favorite gorillas, was killed while defending his group during a chance meeting with poachers, she established the Digit Fund, which supports mountain gorilla research and conservation. She also became more and more aggressive in dismantling snares and intimidating poachers. On December 27, 1985, Fossey was found murdered by a poacher's panga, a machete-like weapon, in the bedroom of her cabin. While Fossey is widely credited with saving the mountain gorilla from extinction, the animals are still severely endangered, with less than 650 of them alive today. In addition to describing Fossey's work with these beasts, "Gorilla in the Lens" also examines the factors that threaten their survival -- such as civil war and the effects of ecotourism -- and the efforts to protect the gorillas' ever-diminishing population. "Gorillas in the Lens: Dian Fossey's Legacy" was developed by the University of Colorado Museum in conjunction with the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Gargantua the Great Under the direction of Yale anthropologist Andrew Hill, curator-in-charge of the exhibit, the Peabody Museum is augmenting the "Gorillas in the Lens" exhibit with items from its own collections. Chief among these is the skeleton of Gargantua the Great, one of the most famous circus animals that ever lived. The adult lowland gorilla was purchased at age 8 by the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, which billed Gargantua as "the world's most terrifying creature." Thanks to an aggressive publicity campaign -- which included a "marriage ceremony" with a female gorilla named Mitoto in 1941 -- the ape soon became one of the circus' most popular attractions. After Gargantua's death in 1950, its skeleton was given to the Peabody Museum in 1950 by its owner, Yale alumnus Henry Ringling North. "Gorillas in the Lens: Dian Fossey's Legacy" will be on display through Sunday, Oct. 31. The Peabody Museum of Natural History is located at 170 Whitney Ave. For information on hours and admission, call the InfoTape at 432-5050, or visit the museum's website at www.peabody.yale.edu. T H I SW E E K ' SS T O R I E S Yale students working with city residents to revitalize New Haven . . . 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The world of mountain gorillas and the woman who fought to protect them is the focus of "Gorillas in the Lens: Dian Fossey's Legacy."