Safekipedia

Heinz Heck

Adapted from Wikipedia · Discoverer experience

A commemorative plaque at Munich's Tierpark Hellabrunn zoo honoring Heinz Heck, a former director.

Heinz Heck (22 January 1894 – 5 March 1982) was a German biologist and director of Hellabrunn Zoo in Munich. He was born in Berlin and died in Munich.

Memorial to Heinz Heck at Hellabrunn Zoo

With his brother, Lutz Heck, who was director of the Berlin Zoological Garden, he worked on two breeding back projects to recreate extinct species. The Heck horse aimed to recreate the tarpan, and the Heck cattle, aimed to recreate the aurochs, the wild cattle of the European forest.

He also played an important part in saving the European bison from extinction. He started the first studbook for a non-domestic species to help manage the remaining animals, and thanks to his efforts, the European bison population grew and some were returned to the wild.

Images

A European bison, also known as a wisent, in Białowieża, Poland.
Heck cattle grazing in Lainzer Tiergarten zoo.

Related articles

Munich
Berlin

This article is a child-friendly adaptation of the Wikipedia article on Heinz Heck, available under CC BY-SA 4.0.

Images from Wikimedia Commons. Tap any image to view credits and license.