Abstract: Gerard Morel was a pioneer in bringing scientific ornithology to a part of the world that lacked it. After his education in France, his whole career (1953–1992) was spent in an isolated village in West Africa. He became the recognized authority on West African ornithology, as evinced by his contribution to the worldwide survey of ornithology in the 100th Bulletin of the British Ornithologists’ Club (Morel 1980). But, though isolated, he was not alone. He had married another ornithologist, MarieYvonne, and together they established one of Africa’s foremost ornithological stations at Richard-Toll in Senegal (16825N, 15842W), where they lived and brought up four children, until Gerard’s retirement in 1992. Back in France, they settled in Normandy and Gerard continued to contribute as president of the West African Ornithological Society (WAOS) and through correspondence with the international ornithological community. Gerard was born in Amiens, north of Paris, in 1925 and had his high school education there, following the classics curriculum. The River Somme was very near, and he showed an early interest in nature, spending much of his free time among the river’s marshes, exploring and identifying the plants and animals he encountered. Amiens was frequently bombed during World War II, and in August of 1944 it was liberated from German occupation, but only after fierce fighting. Gerard and other young men were forced to bring in the corpses from the streets, a terrible memory that stayed with him all his life. Gerard studied biology and botany at the University of Paris, graduated with a master’s degree in 1950, and was Gerard (wearing hat) with staff of the Richard-Toll Ornithological Station engaged in bird census activities on the arid savanna of northern Senegal. Date and photographer unknown.
Publication Year: 2015
Publication Date: 2015-04-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref']
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