Pedro Trebbau (born Karl Peter Trebbau Millowitsch; 20 May 1929 – 16 January 2021) was a German-born Venezuelan zoologist. His career was characterized by the promotion and preservation of Venezuelan wildlife and nature. His research and collaboration with the

herpetologist Herpetology (from Greek ἑρπετόν ''herpetón'', meaning "reptile" or "creeping animal") is the branch of zoology concerned with the study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and caecilians (gymnophiona)) and rept ...

Peter Pritchard Peter Charles Howard Pritchard (June 26, 1943 – February 25, 2020) was a leading turtle zoologist. Pritchard was educated at Oxford University and the University of Florida, where he received a Ph.D. and specialized in Zoology. He was most com ...

produced the still-extant reference book on

The Turtles of Venezuela ''The Turtles of Venezuela'' is an identification guide of the Testudines families that are found in Venezuela, written by zoologist Pedro Trebbau and herpetologist Peter Pritchard. It was originally published in English in 1984, by the Society f ...

Biography

Trebbau was born in

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western States of Germany, state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the List of cities in Germany by population, fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 m ...

, where he very early on showed a keen interest in the natural world. He obtained a bachelor's degree in biology at the universities of

Frankfurt Frankfurt, officially Frankfurt am Main (; Hessian: , "Frank ford on the Main"), is the most populous city in the German state of Hesse. Its 791,000 inhabitants as of 2022 make it the fifth-most populous city in Germany. Located on its na ...

and

Freiburg Freiburg im Breisgau (; abbreviated as Freiburg i. Br. or Freiburg i. B.; Low Alemannic: ''Friburg im Brisgau''), commonly referred to as Freiburg, is an independent city in Baden-Württemberg, Germany. With a population of about 230,000 (as o ...

, as well as a veterinary degree from the

University of Giessen University of Giessen, official name Justus Liebig University Giessen (german: Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen), is a large public research university in Giessen, Hesse, Germany. It is named after its most famous faculty member, Justus von L ...

. He arrived in Venezuela in 1953 and enrolled at the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of the

Central University of Venezuela The Central University of Venezuela (Spanish: ''Universidad Central de Venezuela''; UCV) is a public university of Venezuela located in Caracas. It is widely held to be the highest ranking institution in the country, and it also ranks 18th in L ...

(UCV), based in

Maracay, Aragua ) , image_skyline = , image_caption =Top:Maracay Municipal Garden and Las Delicias area, Second:Sindoni Tower, Los Tamarindo residential area and overview to Maracay, Third:Maestranza Cesar Giron Bullring Stadium, Girardot Square and Maracay ...

. Shortly afterwards he decided to remain in Venezuela, and obtained Venezuelan nationality in 1957.Albor Rodríguez: ''TREBBAU. Maestro por naturaleza''. Venezuela: Ediciones La Fauna KPT, 2018. . His work in Venezuela began as a technical director of El Pinar Zoo, in Caracas. Between 1965 and 1970 he also worked as a professor at the Institute of Tropical Zoology of the UCV. In 1968 he led an expedition and rescue operation in the region of Guayana that protected an estimated 10.000 animals of 53 different species that would have drowned as a result of the construction of the

Guri Dam The Simón Bolívar Hydroelectric Plant, also Guri Dam ( es, Central Hidroeléctrica Simón Bolívar or ''Represa de Guri''), previously known as the Raúl Leoni Hydroelectric Plant, is a concrete gravity and embankment dam in Bolívar State, Ven ...

.
La operación rescate de fauna y petroglifos
'. Venezuela:

Corporación Venezolana de Guayana The Corporacion Venezolana de Guayana (CVG) is a decentralized state-owned Venezuelan conglomerate, located in the Guayana Region The Guayana Region is an administrative region of eastern Venezuela. History In the 1970s, after the proce ...

, 1969. In 1974 Trebbau accomplished the endowment and foundation of the first modern zoo in Venezuela. Later called Caricuao Zoo, it was inaugurated in 1977 and Trebbau remained as its president until 1979. He then worked as the zoo coordinator for the National Parks Institute (Inparques), and as Special Commissioner for the Ministry of Environment. From 1980 to 1983 he was president of the Humboldt Cultural Association. In 1989 he took an active role on the advisory committee for a new Wildlife Law, and in 1991 he became president of the National Foundation of Zoological Parks and Aquariums.Catharine E. Bell, Laura Mizicko, Lester Fisher: ''Encyclopedia of the World's Zoos'' (pág. 1575). UK:

Taylor & Francis Taylor & Francis Group is an international company originating in England that publishes books and academic journals. Its parts include Taylor & Francis, Routledge, F1000 (publisher), F1000 Research or Dovepress. It is a division of Informa ...

, 2001. . Trebbau produced and hosted several TV programs aimed at the dissemination of the knowledge of the local fauna, especially among the younger generations. Among these ''Zoológico Infantil'' (''Children's Zoo''), ''La Fauna'' (''The Wildlife'') and ''Campamento en la Selva'' (''Jungle Camp''), were broadcast by the former National Television-Channel 5 and

Venezolana de Televisión Corporación Venezolana de Televisión (Spanish for: ''Venezuelan Television Corporation'') or VTV is a state-run television station based in Caracas, Venezuela, which can be seen throughout the capital and surrounding areas on channel 8. Programs ...

for several years. His scientific research was widely published in technical journals around the world; but he was most proud of his role as a disseminator of the local knowledge of the fauna to the local population. For him, the entertainment role of zoos was always secondary to its role as an educational and research-producing institution. His research and collaboration with the

produced the still-extant reference book on

. On 16 January 2021,

Radio Caracas Radio Radio Caracas Radio was a Venezuelan radio station. It was last owned by Empresas 1BC, a Venezuelan private media corporation. History Background In 1930, Edgar J. Anzola, who was employed in an electronics business named ''Almacén Americano' ...

confirmed his death.

References

External links

*
Official website
*
Yaracuy and its nature; Pedro Trebbau (1981) - YouTube
*
Photographer Karl Weidmann presented by Pedro Trebbau - YouTube

Venezuelan fauna & nature by Pedro Trebbau - Medium
{{DEFAULTSORT:Trebbau, Pedro 1929 births 2021 deaths Scientists from Cologne German emigrants to Venezuela Venezuelan biologists Central University of Venezuela faculty Venezuelan television presenters