Reinhold Rau
Encyclopedia
Reinhold Rau was a well-known South Africa
n natural historian. He was born near Frankfurt
, Germany
. He was trained as a fossil preparator at Senckenberg Museum
and joined the South African Museum in 1951.
In 1969, he re-mounted the quagga
foal, the only extant specimen in southern African museum collections. Dried tissue samples from the foal's skin, together with additional tissue samples from the two Mainz
quaggas that he re-mounted in 1980/81, formed the basis of the DNA analyses that led to the discovery that the Quagga was a subspecies of the Plains Zebra, not a distinct species. Reinhold Rau was the pioneer of the Quagga Project
, an attempt to re-breed
the extinct Quagga. In 2000, the Cape Tercentenary Foundation
awarded him the Molteno Medal for lifetime services to nature conservation in the Cape.
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
n natural historian. He was born near Frankfurt
Frankfurt
Frankfurt am Main , commonly known simply as Frankfurt, is the largest city in the German state of Hesse and the fifth-largest city in Germany, with a 2010 population of 688,249. The urban area had an estimated population of 2,300,000 in 2010...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. He was trained as a fossil preparator at Senckenberg Museum
Senckenberg Museum
The Naturmuseum Senckenberg in Frankfurt is the second largest museum of natural history in Germany. It is particularly popular with children, who enjoy the extensive collection of dinosaur skeletons: Senckenberg boasts the largest exhibition of large dinosaurs in Europe. One particular treasure is...
and joined the South African Museum in 1951.
In 1969, he re-mounted the quagga
Quagga
The quagga is an extinct subspecies of the plains zebra, which was once found in great numbers in South Africa's Cape Province and the southern part of the Orange Free State. It was distinguished from other zebras by having the usual vivid marks on the front part of the body only...
foal, the only extant specimen in southern African museum collections. Dried tissue samples from the foal's skin, together with additional tissue samples from the two Mainz
Mainz
Mainz under the Holy Roman Empire, and previously was a Roman fort city which commanded the west bank of the Rhine and formed part of the northernmost frontier of the Roman Empire...
quaggas that he re-mounted in 1980/81, formed the basis of the DNA analyses that led to the discovery that the Quagga was a subspecies of the Plains Zebra, not a distinct species. Reinhold Rau was the pioneer of the Quagga Project
Quagga Project
The Quagga Project is an attempt by a group in South Africa to bring back the quagga from extinction and reintroduce it into reserves in its former habitat....
, an attempt to re-breed
Breeding back
Breeding back can be described as either a natural or a human attempt to assemble or re-assemble the genes of an extinct species, subspecies or domesticated breed, which may still be present in the larger gene pool of the overall species or those of multiple interbreedable species.Breeding back is...
the extinct Quagga. In 2000, the Cape Tercentenary Foundation
The Cape Tercentenary Foundation
The Cape Tercentenary Foundation was set up in 1950 by brothers Edward and Harry Molteno, pioneers of the Cape fruit industry. The influential exporters were great appreciators of music and the arts, and were deeply concerned about the natural environment...
awarded him the Molteno Medal for lifetime services to nature conservation in the Cape.