Reinhold Rau
Reinhold Rau | |
|---|---|
| Born | February 7, 1932 Friedrichsdorf, Germany |
| Died | February 11, 2006 (aged 74) Cape Town, South Africa |
| Occupation(s) | Taxidermist, natural historian |
| Known for | Efforts to re-breed the extinct quagga |
Reinhold Eugen Rau (7 February 1932 – 11 February 2006) was a German natural historian who initiated the Quagga Project in South Africa, which aims to re-breed the extinct quagga, a sub-species of zebra.
Rau was born in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, and trained as a taxidermist at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt, joining the South African Museum in Cape Town in 1959. Rau was initially part of a team of seven taxidermists working at the museum. Although principally known for his work on quaggas, Rau also rediscovered a species of tortoise which had been thought extinct.
Rau continued to work at the South African Museum following his retirement; he died on February 11, 2006, at his home in Cape Town.