There have been at least 45 film adaptations of his story with Disney's Tarzan being the most popular. Possibly inspired by the tale of William Charles Midlin, Rice Burroughs wrote Tarzan of the Apes in 1912. It was an instant success and even appreciated by real life Jane of the Jungle, Jane Goodall. Following in Goodall's footsteps, Dian Fossey studied the mountain gorillas of Rwanda in 1960s-1970s. It is her passion for the great apes that cost the famous primatologist her life when she was brutally murdered in in 1977.
Sources:
-a-brief-history-of-tarzan
-https://www.rd.com/article/man-who-inspired-tarzan/
-https://www.bustle.com/articles/169419-is-the-legend-of-tarzan-based-on-a-true-story-the-answer-might-surprise-you
-https://historybyday.com/pop-culture/the-men-behind-tarzan-the-real-life-jungle-man-and-the-troubled-author-who-brought-him-to-life/
-https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oh_oDr8vg-Y
-fatal-obsession-198609
-dian-fossey-bio
-the-men-behind-tarzan-the-real-life-jungle-man-and-the-troubled-author-who-brought-him-to-life