Zdeněk Veselovský (26 August 1928 – 24 November 2006) was one of the most important

Czech Czech may refer to: * Anything from or related to the Czech Republic, a country in Europe ** Czech language ** Czechs, the people of the area ** Czech culture ** Czech cuisine * One of three mythical brothers, Lech, Czech, and Rus' Places *Czech, ...

zoologist Zoology ()The pronunciation of zoology as is usually regarded as nonstandard, though it is not uncommon. is the branch of biology that studies the Animal, animal kingdom, including the anatomy, structure, embryology, evolution, Biological clas ...

s of the 20th century, founder of Czech

ethology Ethology is the scientific study of animal behaviour, usually with a focus on behaviour under natural conditions, and viewing behaviour as an evolutionarily adaptive trait. Behaviourism as a term also describes the scientific and objectiv ...

, director of the

Prague Zoo Prague Zoological Garden (Czech: ''Zoologická zahrada hl. m. Prahy'') is a zoo in Prague, Czech Republic. It was opened in 1931 with the goal to "advance the study of zoology, protect wildlife, and educate the public" in the district of Troja in ...

(1959-1988) and the president of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (1971-1975) (renamed in 2000 to

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the "umbrella" organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Its mission is to provide leadership and support for zoos, aquariums, and partner organizations of the world in animal ca ...

) He was born in

Jaroměř Jaroměř (; german: Jermer) is a town in Náchod District in the Hradec Králové Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 12,000 inhabitants. It is known for the Josefov Fortress. Josefov is well preserved and is protected by law as an urban m ...

and died in 2006, aged 74, in

Prague Prague ( ; cs, Praha ; german: Prag, ; la, Praga) is the capital and largest city in the Czech Republic, and the historical capital of Bohemia. On the Vltava river, Prague is home to about 1.3 million people. The city has a temperate ...

. In November 2008, he received the Minister of the Environment Award in memoriam "for his lifelong work in the field of zoology and ethology and for his admirable activity in activities involved in the conservation of animal species and the promotion of zoos as educational institutions."

Early life

Zdeněk Veselovský was born in Jaroměř on August 26, 1928, after graduating from the Faculty of Science of Charles University in Prague, he worked here in 1952–1959 as a university assistant. While still a university student, he worked for a year as a zoological assistant to the then director Cyril Purkyně, and in 1959 he was appointed director. He was a student of the later Nobel Prize winner

Konrad Lorenz Konrad Zacharias Lorenz (; 7 November 1903 – 27 February 1989) was an Austrian zoologist, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von Frisch. He is often regarded ...

Career

In 1964 he was elected Secretary-General of this organization of the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG). He served as a vice president from 1967 to 1971 and as a president from 1971 to 1975. He served as a director of the Prague Zoo until 1988. He later became a professor of zoology at the Faculty of Biology of the University of South Bohemia in

České Budějovice České Budějovice (; german: Budweis ) is a city in the South Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 93,000 inhabitants. It is located in the valley of the Vltava River, at its confluence with the Malše. České Budějovice is t ...

, where he lectured until his death in 2006. He also lectured externally at the department of zoology of the Faculty of Science at Charles University.

Publications

* The Hunter Farms on the Water, SZN, 1954 * Animal World. Part I, Mammals, SNDK, 1960 - together with Jan Hanzák * Ancient Animals, Mladá fronta, 1964 * Trip to the Tertiary, Mladá fronta, 1969; 2nd extended and revised edition, 1986 * Prague Zoo: Can You Look at Animals ?, Prague: Zoological Garden, 1971 * It's Just Animals !, Mladá fronta, 1974 * Voices of the Jungle, Orbis, 1976 * Elephants and Their Relatives , SZN, 1977 * Everyday day at the Prague Zoo, Albatros, 1983 * Penguins , SZN, 1984 * Birds and Water, Academia, 1987 * To the Springs of the Orinoco, Panorama, 1988 * Chimpanzee, Panorama, 1991, ISBN 80-7038-081-0 Do * We Behave Like Animals ?, Panorama, 1992, ISBN 80-7038-240-6 * Lynx, Panorama, Ministry of the Environment of the Czech Republic, 1992, ISBN * 80-7038-294 -5 * Conquest of Troy or Not Only Elephants Have a Memory, ISV, 1995, ISBN 80-85866-10-2 * Tiger, Aventinum, 1997, ISBN 80-7151-018-1 * Animal Kingdom, Aventinum, 1998, ISBN 80-7151-071- 8 * Otter, Aventinum, Třeboň Otter Foundation, 1998, ISBN 80-7151-063-7 * Man and Animal, Academia, 2000, ISBN 80-200-0756-3 * General Ornithology , Academia, 2001, ISBN 80-200-0857- 8 * Ethology. Animal Behavior Biology., Academia, 2005, ISBN 80-200-1331-8

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Veselovsky, Zdenek 1928 births 2006 deaths People from Jaroměř Czechoslovak zoologists Ethologists Members of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts Charles University alumni