Bernhard Grzimek
Bernhard Grzimek | |
|---|---|
Grzimek in Zurich, 1967 | |
| Born | Bernhard Klemens Maria Hoffbauer Pius Grzimek 24 April 1909 |
| Died | 13 March 1987 (aged 77) |
| Occupation(s) | television host, filmmaker, author, zoo director, veterinarian, businessman |
| Years active | 1954–1987 |
| Spouses | Hildegard Prüfer
(m. 1930; div. 1973)Erika Grzimek (m. 1978) |
| Children | 5, including Michael (1934–1959) |
| Signature | |
Bernhard Klemens Maria Hoffbauer Pius Grzimek (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʒɪmɛk]; 24 April 1909 – 13 March 1987) was a German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West Germany. During the Third Reich, he served as a veterinarian in the army. After World War II, he popularized the study of animals and an interest in wildlife in Germany, acting as the public face of Frankfurt Zoo, producing a popular German magazine called Das Tier, giving radio talks and appearing on a popular television series Ein Platz für Tiere [A place for animals] in the 1950s and 60s, apart from producing a multi-volume encyclopedia on animals. He wrote another book Kein Platz für wilde Tiere [No Place for Wild Animals] (1954) which was later produced as a documentary on the problems of African wildlife. Along with his son Michael Grzimek he produced a documentary Serengeti Must Not Die which won an Oscar. He was involved in popularizing African wildlife and was involved in wildlife conservation in Africa, particularly in Serengeti. He served as a government advisor on conservation and campaigned against the use of animal furs for fashion. He sometimes wrote under the pseudonym "Clemens Hoffbauer".