Lee Crandall

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Lee Saunders Crandall (born January 26, 1887 in Sherburne , New York , † June 25, 1969 in Bronxville , New York ) was an American ornithologist and worked from 1908 to his death at the Bronx Zoo , most recently as chief curator.

Live and act

Lee Crandall was born on January 26, 1887 as the son of Charles Spencer Crandall (1852-1944) and Ada Harwood Crandall (1864-1964) in the small town of Sherburne in the US state of New York and moved with his family as a four-year-old to about 60 kilometers more northern Utica . Here he began raising and displaying sebrights and cochins at the age of about 15 . In his younger years he accompanied his father, who as a doctor drove to patients by horse and carriage, and during this time he collected animals for his own zoo on his parents' property. Following the path of his grandfather and father, Lee Crandall began studying medicine ; at that time the family had just returned from UticaNew York City drawn. He finished his studies at Weill Cornell Medical College , which he began in 1907, after only a year, as he preferred to dedicate his career to animals. A casual conversation with the class representative at his school, the nephew of the treasurer of the New York Zoological Society (now the Wildlife Conservation Society ), led to an interview with William T. Hornaday , the first director of the New York Zoological Park , now known as the Bronx Zoo is known.

After a successful interview Crandall was established in June 1908 as students or trainee ( Engl. Student keeper ) was added; his initially rotating work area included mammals, reptiles and birds. Mainly he was active in the " ostrich house " and with the pheasants in the aviary . He also worked closely with John Quinn (1870–1936), the first zoo keeper of the zoological garden. Samuel Stacey, the zoo's first chief bird keeper, also had a great influence on him. Stacey, whose grandfather was the body sergeant of Arthur Wellesley, 1st Duke of Wellington in the Battle of Waterloo , grew up in the house of the Duke of Wellington, for whom his father worked as a water bailiff , on. He received his first young bird from the Duchess Catherine Pakenham , whereupon his further career led to the London Zoo and the New York Zoological Parks in the Bronx . Crandall received his first intensive basic training in ornithology from the silent and mysterious-looking Stacey. After a meeting with William Beebe , the curator of the ornithological department at the time, in the late summer of 1908, Crandall received the position of Beebe's assistant in the fall of the same year, which was his first permanent position ( $ 30.00 / month). This was preceded by the recommendation of Samuel Stacey. This also led to Crandall's brief study at Columbia University , where he attended various courses between 1908 and 1909, before returning full-time to the zoological park in the last year mentioned.

At the university he met James Chapin , among others ; he became a lifelong close friend of Crandall. His first publication also appeared in 1909; the article Wild birds published in captivity in the United States in the New York Zoological Society Bulletin , number 2, pages 580 to 583. In the same year Beebe took him on a research trip to British Guiana ; from this he came back with 300 birds from 50 species. Beebe later reported that his assistant was bitten by a predatory fish on the trip there and had fought with a large blow from the bushmaster genus . One day he is said to have arrived with a bird in each hand and a bird in his mouth. In 1910, Crandall married Celia Mary Dowd, with whom he was married until his death. Also in 1910 he became an associate member of the American Ornithologists' Union ; In 1930 he became a full member and in 1951 he was made a Fellow of the organization. Other personalities with whom Crandall worked closely included President Henry Fairfield Osborn and the curator of the reptile department, Raymond Ditmars . In 1912 he returned from a trip from Europe, where he had previously visited various zoological institutions and animal dealers and brought a large collection of animals to the United States. These included what were believed to be the first white canaries and blue budgies ever to be brought to the United States.

In 1914 he took part in an expedition to Costa Rica and was accompanied by his own assistant T. Donald Carter (1893–1972). Carter later became Assistant Curator of Mammals at the American Museum of Natural History . After six weeks of field research, the two returned home with over 300 living mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, fish and insects. In 1919 Crandall von Beebe took over the board of trustees of the ornithological department, Beebe himself then became an honorary curator of this department and supported Crandall in all matters. His previous expeditions overshadowed Crandall's journey into the interior of New Guinea , at that time already part of Australia as Territory of New Guinea , in 1928. He left New York on August 9, 1928 and returned on March 21, 1929 with 40 birds of paradise , as well as around 200 others exotic birds and numerous mammals back to his homeland. Accompanied by JE Ward , an Australian naturalist and filmmaker, and numerous local porters , he entered the Owen Stanley Mountains and caught nine different species of birds of paradise. On the way back, the company was shipwrecked on a coral reef between Port Moseby and Sydney ; after the majority of the crew left the ship within a very short time, Crandall stayed with the precious cargo on the ship and was only rescued after six days from the ship that overturned in the storm. On the 44-day return trip to New York, he got through all living things and had no losses to report. The birds of paradise he brought to New York, which got used to it well, were subsequently a large part of Crandall's works and writings, which he published mainly in the Zoologica .

In 1943 Crandall was appointed chief curator of the zoo and from then on had the board of trustees for all animals. In 1952, Crandall, who was known for his extraordinary memory until his death, retired at the age of 65. Throughout his career, Crandall published around 250 articles and four books. Including the 300,000-word work The management of wild mammals in captivity , which he began after his retirement and which appeared in 1964. As the Bronx Zoo became known over time for its good treatment and the longevity of its animals, the concept was quickly copied from other zoological parks. His work was soon nicknamed The zoo man's bible . While preparing for this book and shortly before he became seriously ill, Crandall volunteered at the zoo five days a week. As a retired general curator and later advisor to the zoo, he was still heavily involved in the zoo's operations. An avid bridge player, philatelist , gardener, and golfer , Crandall died on June 25, 1969 , at the age of 82 in Bronxville , New York. At the time of his death, Crandall was a dual secretary and treasurer of the American Committee for International Wild Life Protection (ACIWLP), a fellow of the New York Zoological Society (NYZS) and the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). He was also a corresponding member of the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and an honorary member of the Zoological Society of San Diego (ZSSD), the American Institute of Park Executives (AIPE), the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG) and the Avicultural Society (AS). In 1965 he was awarded the Evefly Gold Medal by the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums (AAZPA). His widow died on June 17, 1970; almost exactly a year after him. Both were survived by their daughter Sylvia Dudley. Although his close ties to his wife, this had little effect on his professional activity as an ornithologist.

Publications (selection)

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ John Quinn on the official Find A Grave website , accessed May 30, 2018
  2. ↑ T. DONALD CARTER, EX ‐ EDUCATOR, DIES , accessed on May 31, 2018
  3. ↑ Lee S. Crandall, Ex-Curator at Bronx Zoo, Dies , accessed May 31, 2018
personal data
SURNAME Crandall, Lee
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Crandall, Lee Saunders (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American ornithologist and chief curator of the Bronx Zoo
DATE OF BIRTH January 26, 1887
PLACE OF BIRTH Sherburne , New York
DATE OF DEATH June 25, 1969
Place of death Bronxville , New York