The Wildlife Conservation Society has announced the death of senior conservation scientist Dr. John Thorbjarnarson, 52, who died of malaria on February 14, 2010 in India. Dr. Thorbjarnarson was an expert on crocodilians, snakes, turtles, and other reptiles and had worked throughout his career to save critically endangered species such as the Orinoco Crocodile in Venezuela, the Cuban Crocodile, and the Chinese Alligator. When a Yangtze River valley survey he organized revealed that the Chinese Alligator had dwindled to fewer than 150 individuals, he alerted the Chinese government, which responded with a dedicated effort that included support for captive-breeding and restoration of habitat.
A John Thorbjarnarson Memorial Fund has been set up by WCS, and donations can also be made to the IUCN Crocodile Specialist Group’s Chinese Alligator Fund to support today’s Endangered All-Star. Dr. Thorbjarnarson’s latest book, The Chinese Alligator: Ecology, Behavior, Conservation and Culture, will be published by Johns Hopkins University Press in April.
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