Bernhard Grzimek
| Bernhard Grzimek | |
|---|---|
| Born |
Bernhard Klemens Maria Hoffbauer Pius Grzimek 24 April 1909 Neisse, Prussian Silesia, German Empire (today Poland) |
| Died | 13 March 1987 (aged 77) Frankfurt, West-Germany |
| Occupation | television host, filmmaker, author, zoo director, veterinarian, businessman |
| Years active | 1954–1987 |
| Spouse(s) | Hildegard Prüfer (1930–1973; divorced) * Rochus (born 1931) * Michael (1934–1959) * Thomas (1950–1980) (suicide) Erika Grzimek (1978–1987; his death) * Stephan Michael (grandson, born 1956, adopted) * Christian Bernhard (grandson, born 1959, adopted) Illegitimate children: * Monika Karpel (born 1940) * Cornelius Grzimek (born 1945) |
Bernhard Klemens Maria Grzimek (German pronunciation: [ˈɡʒɪmɛk]; 24 April 1909 – 13 March 1987) was a renowned German zoo director, zoologist, book author, editor, and animal conservationist in postwar West-Germany.
Grzimek was born in Neisse (Nysa), Prussian Silesia. His father Paul Franz Constantin Grzimek was a lawyer and civil law notary and his mother was Margarete Margot (nee Wanke).
After studying veterinary medicine in 1928, first at Leipzig and later in Berlin, Grzimek received a doctorate in 1933.
He married Hildegard Prüfer on 17 May 1930 and had three sons: Rochus, Michael, and an adopted son, Thomas.
During World War II he was a veterinarian in the Wehrmacht and worked for the Reichsernährungsministerium (Food Ministry of the 3rd Empire) in Berlin. In early 1945, the Gestapo raided Grzimek's Berlin apartment, because he had repeatedly supplied food to hidden Jews. Grzimek then fled from Berlin to Frankfurt, which was occupied by the U.S. Army. In April 1945 he was appointed police chief of Frankfurt by U.S. authorities, but he refused the job.
In late 1947, Grzimek was accused of membership in the NSDAP by the U.S. military government, which he denied. He was then removed from office in the Frankfurt Zoo (see below), fined, and sent for denazification. On 23 March 1948, it was determined that he was innocent (Category 5; Exonerated) and had participated in the Resistance War. He was then reinstated at the Zoo by the U.S. government but his reputation was besmirched. The Zoo Director of Munich, Heinz Heck, led a private smear and lawsuit campaign against him. Grzimek was acquitted of any wrongdoing in 1949.
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