Heini Hediger

Heini Hediger ( born November 30, 1908 in Basel, † August 29 1992 in Bern ) was a Swiss zoologist and zoo director. Hediger, resulted in the founding of the modern zoo biology. In the professional world his counselor wild animals found in captivity for the furnishing of enclosures and the handling of the animals housed there still apply. Hediger also generated significant contributions to animal psychology and the concept of a zoo, which is not a purely commercial operation by Hediger, but should reflect the character of a cultural institution.

• 4.1 The panels Hediger
• 4.2 The distinction between tameness and Domestiziertheit
• 4.3 from kennel to the territory
• 4.4 The streets of the animals
• 4.5 Have certain animals conscious?

Biography

Heini Hediger was born on November 30, 1908 in Basel, the son of the merchant Gottfried Joseph Alfred Hediger and Maria Amalia Trueb. In 1927 he finished his school career with the Matura at the secondary school in Basel. Over the next five years, he studied zoology, botany, ethnology and psychology at the University of Basel. The Habilitation with Adolf Portmann took place in 1935. 1942 he married the zoologist Kathi Zurbuchen. In the years 1938-1973 he worked as director of the zoo in Bern, Basel and Zurich.

From 1942 to 1953 he worked as a professor at the University of Basel. In the following 26 years he worked as a Professor at the University of Zurich in the subject animal psychology. Hediger is considered an important behavioral scientists, animal psychologist, and founder of the scientific zoo biology. He was made an honorary member of many societies.

In 1960 he founded, together with Karl von Frisch, Bernhard Grzimek, Wolf Herre and Konrad Lorenz, the magazine " The Beast " that was almost forty years one of the most successful animal magazines in Europe. In 1974, the Culture Prize of the City of Zurich, he was awarded. 1996 founded the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums in honor of Heini Hediger a price.

Career as a zoo director

Dählhölzli Zoo, Bern

From 1938-1943 Hediger led the zoos Dählhölzli in Bern. Hediger reached into his book Wild animals in captivity, a floor plan of the zoo biology, largely based on his experiences as a director of the zoo back. By he initiated scientific studies, he found, for example, that female rabbits, even before they have brought their young into the world already able to become pregnant again. However, its activities are not limited only to administrative matters, as he often had to replace military service committed keepers. He described his time in Bern as a " school of hard knocks ". Difficulties in animal feed and procurement are on the agenda. Despite the difficult circumstances, the zoo support of the zoo association was given. For their motto of the zoo, more space for fewer animals, Hediger sets undoubtedly the foundation.

Zoo Basel

In the years 1944-1953 Hediger was employed as director of the zoo of Basel. In 1949, the first okapi died at the zoo with the name Bambe after only two months on a heavy worm infection. Hediger could gain important experience for Okapihaltung, making the successful keeping in European zoos was possible later reference to this animal. Moreover held very rare spectacled bears moving into the bear enclosure.

Two years later, Hediger care of the expansion of the zoo and thus could 1951 finally a second input to be opened. The sea lion pool was surrounded by a crowd ramp and the giraffe get a long-distance run. The first rhinoceros male is imported to the Basel Zoo in the same year. A year later, a female animal. So the cop Gadadhar and the female Joymothi the later progenitors molds for the famous Basel rhinoceros breeding.

1952 reach five young elephants from East Africa to the zoo. The group is rapidly well known because she used to take regular walks including through the city. A year later opened the new elephant house, in addition to the African newcomers, the rhinoceroses and pygmy hippopotami home. A great success for the Basel Zoo is the arrival of an adult gorilla pair, since Basel was the first European zoo has a such.

Zoo Zurich

In the years 1954 to 1973 begins with Heini Hediger the era of scientifically managed zoos Zurich.

At the beginning of his term, all members of the Zoopersonals which are over 50 years old, or less than 45 years with 25 years of service, due to the 25th anniversary of the zoo, a special recognition: A fourth week of vacation. This is from a nurse used to with a llama cheer the sick children at the Children's Hospital. In the same year, the zoo undergoes a training technical innovation, the so-called Hediger panels. Another important event under the leadership of Heini Hediger is the establishment of the first free -flight aviary, which can be regarded as a milestone in modern aviculture.

1955, the magic mark of half a million Zoogänger per year is exceeded with a precise number of 527 332 visitors for the first time.

In 1960, the zoo can enforce as a cultural institution with charitable motives. Thus it is exempt from tax in immense height.

Hediger 1961 sets out an overall plan to increase the zoo. The new affiliated areas separate areas for the claws and non- hoofed animals are to be created, whereby the director of the zoo hopes to avoid a re-closing due to foot - and -mouth disease. The implementation of the project fails due to financial reasons.

1962 decided that supporting funds from the city and canton will be paid in favor of the zoo, which should be justified by the scientific rigor of the zoo.

Three years later, the new so-called Africa home with residents such as black rhinos, pygmy hippos and various African bird species, such as Made hackers, cattle egrets or tokos, officially opened. The Africa House exemplary represents Hediger's philosophy. There are different species of animals housed in the same enclosure, forming a symbiosis in nature. The decisive factor is not the size but the way in their own enclosure all important behaviors that can as food intake and reproductive live. With Hediger changes at the zoo the image of this device can be generally improved.

From 1967, Heini Hediger convey, as well as the senior zoo veterinarian in evening classes their newly acquired knowledge to the successful keeping of wild animals in the zoo.

To the end of his service Hediger is honored by the city of Zurich with the award for cultural services. The eulogy for him is held by Konrad Lorenz.

The concept of modern zoos ( according to Hediger )

• The Zoo is a recreational area for the urban population and thus constitutes an emergency exit to nature
• He is a source of information in the field of nature, particularly the animal science and is therefore used in education in general.
• He runs conservation and protecting endangered species and therefore has significance as a refuge and breeding station.
• It is important that the zoo involved in scientific research and mainly studied the behavior of animals in more detail.

Hediger's scientific achievements

The Hediger panels

The Zurich Zoo gets first European zoo info display cases in which information is given to four areas

- The animal name in the national languages ​​as well as in its scientific form

- The distribution map

- A photograph ( in some species, a colored drawing) of the species

- A short text with special features to the described species

The system of the so-called Hediger panels has prevailed in numerous zoos and proven.

The distinction between tameness and Domestiziertheit

An essential behavior characteristic of all pets is the lack of flight tendency. The best dairy cow would have no real benefit if they would not let that man approaches it and it would be to let milk also do not agree with it.

Almost all pets can be referred to as contact animals, because not only the flight distance, but also the individual distance is missing, so they can be like to be touched.

From tameness is when the missing flight tendency is based on an individual loss. Domestiziertheit as the cause for the missing flight tendency is due to genetic loss.

From the kennel to the territory

Thanks Hediger is no longer used today, massive barriers, as already sufficient symbolic boundaries in most animal species. The animals that live today in the zoo are limited by the territory they accept limits that are also highlighted. There is neither at the zoo, even in the great outdoors is complete freedom, because in nature there is for humans, although invisible, for the species but existing limitations.

Hediger's goal is to make the animals where possible to demonstrate in natural breeding groups, ie in living with their social partners, in an environment that is optimally aligned to the well-being of the animals. This concept forms a strong contrast to the then usual individual animals in small cages, as they were in use from the time of the menageries of the 19th century.

Due to the advent of vaccinations being sought by Hediger attitude in social organizations is greatly facilitated. To avoid boredom and stereotypic behavior in trapped wild animals, propagated Hediger without knowing this term already, the method of behavioral enrichment.

The streets of the animals

According to Hediger move certain animals, as well as the people on the streets, that is, they always use the same way to get around. Though it is clear that smaller animals often use the road ( bills) of larger animals and even these often follow the human streets. Very characteristic of the animal streets is the tortuosity, because the geometric straight line is not biologically determined. The width of the change is specifically dependent on the species ( bison: 30cm; mouse: 3cm ).

The zoo is striking that a very highly used substitute exchange along leads directly to the enclosure or cage - limit, which can be explained by a significant reduction of the territory area. But even flying animals, like birds and bats move again and again to the same air changes.

Have certain animals conscious?

Heini Hediger is convinced that animals have "a kind of consciousness" or at least " certain simple preforms " it. Not to go out of the correctness of this position is unthinkable for him.

Awareness is understood hereafter as knowledge itself.

To substantiate his results, Hediger cites as an example an African bird, the honey guide, who eats like bee larvae on. Normally, the bird performs a honey badger to a beehive. The Badger destroys the honeycomb and eats the honey. The rest is the honey guide available.

But if a human honey collector assumes the role of the badger and fails with a machete against the tree, the bird comes flying and humans leads to the next hive.

This behavior is difficult to justify for Hediger without the idea of ​​animal consciousness.

Moreover, it underlines the correctness of his ideas by an example, which assigns certain animals humor, or at least a kind of "Schadenfreude " or " Necklust ". It has been observed as a juvenile Yellow Baboon repeatedly from the acacia tree on which he sat and rested under which a pack of wild dogs, climbed down, jumped about in front of the pack to eventually climb back up the tree.

This form of " vexing " can hardly comprehend without a simple form of self- Into offsetting in other, combined with its own intention.

Further evidence of the awareness of certain animals, the Hediger points out, is the consciousness of its own size, which is the most primitive, but also most important form of self-awareness.

Hearing support the zoo squeeze her head often through very narrow grid meshes to reach food. For humans it is difficult to understand the elegance with which it manages the animals her head with long processes again withdraw from the opening.

Also, the deliberate use of the shadow of an animal allows conclusions to be consciousness. For example, positioned a Chapman -Mare, which was regarded as exemplary mother, in the summer in extreme sunlight her body that her shadow fell on the way to the resting foal on the ground.

Quotes

" Love of animals is to get to know peculiarities and needs of the animals and the absence of satisfying our own desires, usually aimed at a lot of physical contact. Among genuine love of animals we see joy on the animal with the greatest possible consideration of its biological needs. " ( Heini Hediger )