Jiří Janda (24 April 1865 – 25 August 1938) was a Czech ornithologist, zoologist and high school teacher. He was involved in the establishment of

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 (Pra ...

where he served as the founding director.

Life and work

Janda was born in

Prague Prague ( ; ) is the capital and List of cities and towns in the Czech Republic, largest city of the Czech Republic and the historical capital of Bohemia. Prague, located on the Vltava River, has a population of about 1.4 million, while its P ...

where his father Bohumil Janda Cidlinský was a Land Committee official who was also a poet and writer. As a young boy, he raised a goldfinch at home and became interested in birds. When he was ten years old, his father died and he was raised by his maternal grandparents in

Poděbrady Poděbrady (; ) is a spa town in Nymburk District in the Central Bohemian Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 15,000 inhabitants. It lies on the Elbe River. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected as an Cultural monument ...

where he had more access to animals and wilderness. He attended Novoměstské gymnasium and graduated from

Prague University Charles University (CUNI; , UK; ; ), or historically as the University of Prague (), is the largest university in the Czech Republic. It is one of the oldest universities in the world in continuous operation, the oldest university north of the ...

studying under Antonín Frič between 1884 and 1889. He also studied at the

University of Graz The University of Graz (, formerly: ''Karl-Franzens-Universität Graz'') is a public university, public research university located in Graz, Austria. It is the largest and oldest university in Styria, as well as the second-largest and second-old ...

in 1887–1888. He studied under

František Vejdovský František Vejdovský (24 October 1849 in Kouřim – 4 December 1939 in Prague) was a Czech zoologist and served as an influential professor of zoology at Charles University from 1892 to 1921. Vejdovsky was born in Kouřim and educated at a Lati ...

, with whom he worked on the systematics of chordates (

Gordiidae ''Gordiidae'' is a family of parasitic horsehair worms belonging to the order Gordioidea. Description To date only two genera have been identified in the Gordiidae. These horsehair worms are characterized by a post-cloacal crescent located at t ...

), and was his assistant in 1892–1893. After his studies, he taught at gymnasia around Moravia spending time in

Uherské Hradiště Uherské Hradiště (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 25,000 inhabitants. The agglomeration with the two neighbouring towns of Staré Město (Uherské Hradiště District), Staré Město and Kunovice has over ...

Kroměříž Kroměříž (; ) is a town in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 28,000 inhabitants. It is known for Kroměříž Castle with its castle gardens, which are a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The historic town centre with the castle ...

Valašské Meziříčí Valašské Meziříčí (; ) is a town in Vsetín District in the Zlín Region of the Czech Republic. It has about 23,000 inhabitants. The historic town centre is well preserved and is protected by law as an Cultural monument (Czech Republic)#Monum ...

and

Brno Brno ( , ; ) is a Statutory city (Czech Republic), city in the South Moravian Region of the Czech Republic. Located at the confluence of the Svitava (river), Svitava and Svratka (river), Svratka rivers, Brno has about 403,000 inhabitants, making ...

until 1904. During these periods he kept notes on the birds of the regions. He began to write popular articles in magazines and dailies. From 1926 to 1930, he translated the bird volumes of ''

Brehms Tierleben ''Brehms Tierleben'' (English title: ''Brehm's Animal Life'') is a scientific reference book, first published in the 1860s by Alfred Edmund Brehm (1829–1884). It was one of the first modern popular zoological treatises. First published in ...

''. In 1919 he was involved in the conservation of natural monuments and became involved in conservation of the Tatra National Park and the establishment of several bird reserves. In 1928 he founded the Czechoslovak Ornithological Society and served as its chairman. Janda had a great love of zoos and had dreamt of a zoo in Prague for long and in 1936 his proposed the establishment of zoo was taken up only after 1926. Janda was made head of the committee to oversee it and it was opened on 28 September 1931 with him as the first director.

References

External links

Biography on ekolist.cz
{{DEFAULTSORT:Janda, Jiri 1865 births 1938 deaths 19th-century Czech scientists Scientists from Prague Scientists from Bohemia Czech ornithologists Charles University alumni University of Graz alumni Burials at Olšany Cemetery