Wolfgang Ullrich (zoologist)

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Wolfgang Ullrich (born June 20, 1923 in Dresden ; † October 26, 1973 there ) was a German zoologist , animal filmmaker, author of animal books and former director of the Dresden zoo . From 1946 to 1950 he was a member of the Saxon state parliament .

biography

Wolfgang Ullrich was born on June 20, 1923 as the son of the businessman Max Ullrich and his wife Margarethe, née Döge, in Dresden. He had had an annual ticket for the Dresden Zoo since he was six. He attended high school in Wettin and, even as an inquisitive student, spent a lot of time as a regular at the zoo. After graduating from high school in Easter 1942, Ullrich began studying biology at the Technical University of Dresden , but was drafted into military service as early as 1943. He was taken prisoner by the French in 1944, from which he was released in the spring of 1946.

Ullrich joined the Christian Democratic Union of Germany (CDU) and the Free German Youth (FDJ) in 1946 . In October 1946 he was elected as the youngest member of the Saxon state parliament. In the state parliament of the 1st electoral period he was one of four FDJers and belonged to the youth committee. On March 31, 1950 he was elected Secretary of the Youth Committee.

Ullrich temporarily worked in the CDU's Dresden City Secretariat as a youth officer. With the resumption of general teaching at the Technical University, he continued his studies with a major in zoology and graduated successfully in 1950. When Ullrich applied for an assistant position at the Dresden Zoo, Lord Mayor Walter Weidauer named him unceremoniously as zoo director on December 1, 1950. Under the direction of Ullrich, the completely destroyed zoo was rebuilt after the Second World War and was particularly successful in primate breeding. In 1951 he succeeded in bringing the first post-war elephant to the GDR for the Dresden Zoo. In 1952 Ullrich was accepted into the International Association of Directors of Zoological Gardens .

From 1955 Wolfgang Ullrich made numerous study trips to Africa and Asia. The first two trips led to Africa and resulted in the work On the Biology and Sociology of Colobus Monkeys ( Colobus guereza caudatus Thomas 1885) , on the basis of which Ullrich received his PhD from the Technical University in 1958. rer. nat. received his doctorate. In 1961, on the 100th birthday of the zoo, he was awarded the title of professor by the Ministry of Culture.

Wolfgang Ullrich became particularly popular with the television series Der gefilnte Brehm , which was broadcast for the first time in 1955 with Prof. Karl Max Schneider , the director of the Leipzig Zoo, and which Ullrich took over from 1960. Similar to Bernhard Grzimek in its western counterpart Ein Platz für Tiere , Ullrich used the trips together with his wife Ursula to draw the audience's attention to the threat to the animal world. There were also reports from behavioral research, for example on the aggressiveness of animals. In 1969 he founded the Dresden Zoo School, the most important zoo-pedagogical meeting point of the Dresden Zoo.

Wolfgang Ullrich's grave in the Dresden Heidefriedhof

Wolfgang Ullrich was Dresden city councilor and at times a member of the People's Chamber of the GDR . On March 18, 1949, he was appointed a member of the 1st German People's Council as the successor to Ferdinand Ranft . Then he was also a member of the 2nd People's Council and from October 1949 to October 1950 the Provisional People's Chamber. From 1954 to 1956 he was a member of the main CDU board. He was deputy chairman of the Dresden district management of the German Cultural Association and a member of the Presidential Council of the Cultural Association. In September 1960 he was elected President of the Association of German Zoo Directors. He was also chairman of the Dresden city association of the CDU.

Ullrich died after a serious illness at the age of 50 on October 26, 1973 in Dresden.

Awards

Works (selection)

  • Otherwise they wouldn't be animals. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1952.
  • ... and then animals became our companions. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1953.
  • Africa - once not seen through the rear sight and rear sight. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1956.
  • When giraffes move to water. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1958.
  • Where the rhinos wallow. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1959.
  • Friendship with lions. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1962.
  • In the jungle of the Indian rhinos. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1962.
  • Dealing with great apes. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1964.
  • Hati-Hati, Neumann Verlag. Radebeul 1965.
  • Wild animals in danger. Urania-Verlag, Leipzig 1967.
  • Animals, rightly understood. Urania-Verlag, Leipzig 1968.
  • Wilderness without hope. Neumann Verlag, Radebeul 1968.
  • Kaziranga: animal paradise on Brahmaputra. Urania-Verlag, Leipzig 1971.

literature

  • Heinrich Dathe: Wolfgang Ullrich in memory. In: The Zoological Garden. (New series.) Volume 44, 1974, pp. 237-240.
  • Winfried Gensch: Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Ullrich on his 65th birthday. In: Messages from the Dresden Zoological Garden. New episode. No. 3, 1989, pp. 2-5.
  • Peter Nötzold:  Ullrich, Wolfgang . In: Who was who in the GDR? 5th edition. Volume 2. Ch. Links, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86153-561-4 .

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Dathe (1974): p. 237.
  2. ↑ a b c d e Gensch (1989), page 2.
  3. ↑ a b c d e f Dathe (1974): p. 238.
  4. ^ Minutes of the session of the Saxon state parliament of March 31, 1950.
  5. ↑ Gensch (1989), page 3 f.
  6. ↑ Gensch (1989), page 4.
  7. ^ New members in the People's Council . In: Neue Zeit , March 19, 1949, p. 2.
  8. ↑ Zoo director Ullrich spoke . In: Neue Zeit, April 7, 1961, p. 4.
  9. ^ Neue Zeit, January 20, 1967, p. 2.
  10. ↑ Great task for Dr. Ullrich . In: Neues Deutschland , October 1, 1960, p. 4.
  11. ↑ Our society needs all people . In: Neues Deutschland, June 6, 1967, p. 3.
  12. ^ New Germany , October 6, 1955, p. 3.
  13. ↑ Dathe (1974): p. 239.
  14. ↑ Honored with a cup medal . In: Neue Zeit , June 1, 1962, p. 1.
  15. ↑ Obituary notice in Neues Deutschland from November 12, 1973, p. 6.
personal data
SURNAME Ullrich, Wolfgang
BRIEF DESCRIPTION German zoologist, wildlife filmmaker, animal book author, zoo director
DATE OF BIRTH June 20, 1923
PLACE OF BIRTH Dresden
DATE OF DEATH October 26, 1973
Place of death Dresden