Anne Innis Dagg was the first Western scientist to study giraffes in their natural habitat
A new Heritage Minute from Historica Canada celebrates Dr. Anne Innis Dagg (PhD ’67, DSc ’19), a groundbreaking zoologist, animal rights advocate and feminist. Dagg received her doctorate degree in animal behaviour from the University of Waterloo and later returned to campus as a faculty member in Independent Studies.
Dagg’s passion for animals, particularly giraffes, began when she was a young girl and continued throughout her life. She received her first two degrees in biology and genetics at the University of Toronto, then embarked on a solo trip to South Africa to study giraffes in their natural habitat.
Despite being turned away numerous times — with rejection letters that claimed this was no work for a woman — Dagg persevered in her mission. Eventually, she became the first Western scientist to study any African mammal in the wild. After returning to Canada, she began working toward her PhD in animal behaviour at Waterloo. Her thesis, later published as The Giraffe: Its Biology, Behaviour and Econogy, is now considered a canonical text in the field.
In 2019, Dagg received an honourary degree from Waterloo. That same year, she was appointed a Member of the Order of Canada.
