Friday, April 5, 2024
Anne Innis Dagg, a groundbreaking Canadian zoologist, feminist and environmentalist, passed away on April 1, 2024. She studied and worked at the University of Waterloo from the 1960s through 2013, pursuing a wide range of research interests. Anne donated many of her research papers, drawings and photos to the Library’s Special Collections & Archives (SCA) in 2003 and continued to work with the materials, visiting SCA in Dana Porter Library.
(88-09-11 – image of Anne from 1988)
Anne showed an early passion for animals which can be seen through her newsletters that she wrote for family and friends, including the Giraffe Gazette (pictured here), going on to receive her BA and MA from the University of Toronto in biology and genetics, respectively, before completing her PhD from the University of Waterloo in 1967 in animal behaviour. Her thesis was later published as The Giraffe: Its Biology, Behavior and Ecology (1976) and is considered a canonical text in the field.
(GA377-1-11 - Giraffe Gazette newsletter, 1946)
Her thesis was informed by an earlier solo journey to South Africa in 1956, where she conducted groundbreaking research on giraffe behavior and became the first scientist to study the animals in their natural habitat. Getting access to giraffes in the wild didn’t come easily, and her applications to numerous countries were denied, with the rejection letters often indicating that the work wasn’t suitable for women. She eventually was successful, spending the next year observing the behaviour of 95 giraffes for up to ten hours a day.
Anne was a prolific author and wrote widely about animals, the environment and women’s rights. In 2018 she was featured in her own documentary, The Woman Who Loves Giraffes, and in 2019 was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada. Anne's legacy will continue through her many contributions to science, advocacy for gender equality and dedication to protecting our planet.
(GA146-5-36, original notes and images from observing giraffes, 1956-57)
