Zdeněk Veselovský

Zdeněk Veselovský ( born August 26, 1928 in Jaroměř, † 24 November 2006 in Prague) was a Czech zoologist. Zdeněk Veselovský was from 1959 to 1988 director of the Prague zoo. He is the founder of Czech ethology and author of several articles and popular science books in the fields of zoology and ethology. He has contributed significantly to saving the Przewalski horse.

Life

Veselovský was a student of Nobel Prize winner Konrad Lorenz. He studied until 1952 at the Faculty of Science of Charles University and then worked as a teacher. On 1 July 1959 he was appointed director of the Prague Zoo, where he had previously worked as a zoologist. 1964 to 1967 he held the post of Secretary General of the International Zoodirektorenverbandes, from 1967 to 1971 he was vice-president, then president of the organization until 1975. At one of his great merits as a director of the Prague zoo saving the Przewalski horse is counted from extinction. In 1988 he was dismissed because of a confrontation with the communist representatives of the city of Prague, which even led to an international boycott of the Prague zoo. After 1989 he worked in the Department of Physiology, University of South Bohemia and at the Faculty of Science of Charles University.

Works

Veselovský published in addition to numerous technical papers ten books, including in German language:

• Illustrated Encyclopedia of Birds
• Illustrated Encyclopedia of Animals
• The Otter
• The large color handbook of birds
• Trip to the tertiary
• Are animals different?
• Work of the Second International Symposium on saving the Przewalski's horse