Reuben David (19 September 1912 – 24 March 1989) was a zoologist and the founder of the Kankaria Zoo in

Ahmedabad Ahmedabad ( ), also spelled Amdavad (), is the most populous city in the Indian state of Gujarat. It is the administrative headquarters of the Ahmedabad district and the seat of the Gujarat High Court. Ahmedabad's population of 5,570,585 ...

Gujarat Gujarat () is a States of India, state along the Western India, western coast of India. Its coastline of about is the longest in the country, most of which lies on the Kathiawar peninsula. Gujarat is the List of states and union territories ...

, India.

Biography

He was born into a

Bene Israel The Bene Israel (), also referred to as the "Teli, Shanivar Teli" () or "History of the Jews in India, Native Jew" caste, are a community of Jews in India. It has been suggested that they are the descendants of one of the Ten Lost Tribes via t ...

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

family in Ahmedabad. He was the youngest son of Joseph David. He was a self-taught veterinarian. He was invited by the

Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation Amdavad Municipal Corporation (AMC) was established in July 1950 under the Bombay Provincial Corporation Act (1949), is responsible for the civic infrastructure and administration of the city of Ahmedabad. History On 21 April 1831, the collec ...

in 1951 to create a zoo in the city. He also founded the Kankaria Zoo (now Kamala Nehru Zoological Garden), the Chacha Nehru Balvatika (Children's Park) and the Natural History Museum, later named after him. He had lost his speech due to cancer. He also served as an advisor for Sundervan in Ahmedabad and Indroda Park in

Gandhinagar Gandhinagar () is the capital of the state of Gujarat in India. Gandhinagar is located approximately 23 km north of Ahmedabad, on the west central point of the industrial corridor between the megacities of Delhi and Mumbai. Gandhinagar ...

. He co-authored ''The Asiatic Lion'' (1991) with M. A. Rashid who was a retired chief conservator of forests under Government of Gujarat. He was the Fellow of the Zoological Society (FZS). He was honoured with the

Padma Shri The Padma Shri (IAST: ''padma śrī'', lit. 'Lotus Honour'), also spelled Padma Shree, is the fourth-highest Indian honours system, civilian award of the Republic of India, after the Bharat Ratna, the Padma Vibhushan and the Padma Bhushan. In ...

by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

in 1975. Australian anthropologist

Colin Groves Colin Peter Groves (24 June 1942 – 30 November 2017) was a British-Australian biologist and anthropologist. Groves was professor of biological anthropology at the Australian National University in Canberra, Australia. Education Born in Englan ...

discovered the prehistoric warthog in 1981 and named the Central Asian boar after him, '' Sus scrofa davidi''.

Personal life

Author

Esther David Esther David (born 17 March 1945) is an Indian Jewish author, an artist and a sculptor. She is a recipient of the Sahitya Akademi Award. Early life She was born into a Bene Israel Jewish family in Ahmedabad, Gujarat. She won Sahitya Akade ...

is his daughter.

References

1912 births 1989 deaths Bene Israel Scientists from Ahmedabad Recipients of the Padma Shri in medicine Indian veterinarians Gujarati people 20th-century Indian zoologists 20th-century Indian Jews Jewish biologists Zookeepers {{India-med-bio-stub