Karl Theodor Leopold Liebe (11 February 1828 - 5 June 1894) was a German

geologist A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid, liquid, and gaseous matter that constitutes Earth and other terrestrial planets, as well as the processes that shape them. Geologists usually study geology, earth science, or geophysics, althou ...

and

ornithologist Ornithology is a branch of zoology that concerns the "methodological study and consequent knowledge of birds with all that relates to them." Several aspects of ornithology differ from related disciplines, due partly to the high visibility and th ...

. A pioneer in bird conservation, he established the first bird protection agency in Germany. Liebe was born in

Neustadt an der Orla Neustadt an der Orla is a town in Saale-Orla-Kreis district, in Thuringia. It is situated at the small river Orla (Saale), Orla, 17 km north of Schleiz, and 25 km southeast of Jena. The former municipality Stanau was merged into Neustadt ...

. His father was a clergyman while his grandfather was an eye specialist. His mother was the daughter of a physician. He observed birds in the garden of his grandfather as a boy and visited

Christian Ludwig Brehm Christian Ludwig Brehm (24 January 1787 – 23 June 1864) was a German pastor and ornithologist. He was the father of the zoologist Alfred Brehm. Life Brehm was born in Schönau near Gotha on 24 January 1787. He was educated at University ...

at Renthendorf. At school he took an interest in geology but was unable to find the means to study Mining and Geology. He studied at Neustadt, Zeitz and Weimar. Between 1848 and 1852 he studied theology, mathematics and natural science at the University of Jena. He obtained a doctorate for his studies in geology. From 1852 to 1855 he taught in

Hamburg (male), (female) en, Hamburger(s), Hamburgian(s) , timezone1 = Central (CET) , utc_offset1 = +1 , timezone1_DST = Central (CEST) , utc_offset1_DST = +2 , postal ...

at Dr Schleiden's Gymnasium. Liebe observed the birdlife of Thuringia and noted the decline of many species in 1878. He founded the German Society for Bird Protection in the same year which helped in establishing the Imperial Law on Bird Protection in 1888. In 1891 Liebe criticised the use of economic reasons for bird protection at the Budapest International Ornithological Congress. He believed that ethical and aesthetic reasons were foremost and that it was the moral duty of humans to protect birds.

Writings

* Liebe, Karl Theodor (1893) Ornithologische Schriften. Gesammelt und herausgegeben von Carl R. Hennicke. Leipzig, Verlag von W. Malende.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liebe, Karl Theodor 1828 births 1894 deaths 19th-century German geologists German ornithologists