Ernst Frederik Jacobi

Politicians Hugo Willebrord Bloemers and Ernst Frederik Jacobi (right) (1971)

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Video: An elephant brings Dr. Jacobi a basket of eggs (Dutch commentary)

Ernst Frederik Jacobi (born September 11, 1908 in Amsterdam ; † April 10, 1994 ibid) was a Dutch biologist . From 1953 to 1973 he was the fourth director of the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam.

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After studying biology , Jacobi received his doctorate in natural sciences from Mormoniella Vitripennis Walker in 1938 under the direction of Cornelis Jacob van der Klaauw at the University of Leiden with a dissertation on the way of life, locating the host and regulating the number of individuals . Then he was director of the Reichsgartenbauschule Boskoop .

In 1952 Jacobi became deputy director of the Artis Zoo in Amsterdam. In 1953 he took over the post of director from Armand Louis Jean Sunier . Numerous innovations took place under Jacobi's direction, including the opening of one of the first nocturnal animal houses in Europe in 1963 , which, however, had to give way during the restoration of the Artis Library in 1989, the construction of enclosures for small pandas (1954), penguins (1961), hippos (1967) and chimpanzees (1971), the construction of a small animal zoo (1972), the restoration of the aquarium (1957, 1966/1967) and the bird house (1960) as well as the design of a small mammal house that was opened in 1977. Attempts to expand the zoo to the neighboring Entrepotdok canal have failed. Jacobi put his main focus on nature conservation . He reduced the number of species and put larger groups of animals together on larger grounds. Furthermore, conservation breeding programs for endangered animal species have been initiated. He was also involved in the establishment of the Lelystad Nature Park in the province of Flevoland . During his time as director, Jacobi was editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Bijdragen tot de Dierkunde (now Contributions to Zoology ) and editor of the zoo journal Artis . He retired in September 1973 at the age of 65. Bart M. Lensink was his successor.

Fonts (selection)

• Chimpansees , 1969
• Dierbaar dier: over vrijage, huwelijk en verzorging van jongen , 1970
• Artis as bedrijf , 1971
• Honderdvijftig jaar Artis: andershalve eeuw voorlichting over de natuur , 1988
• Overpeinzingen van een oude bioloog: over onze geestelijke ontwikkeling en sociale organisatie vergeleken met die van de dieren , 1992

literature

• Jan H. Stock: Dr. EF Jacobi - Valedictory Notice In: Bijdragen tot de dierkunde , Volume 44, Genootschap Natura Artis Magistra, te Amsterdam, 1974, p. 114
• AC van Bruggen: In memoriam Ernst Frederik Jacobi. In: Lutra , Volume 37, 1994.