COAL VALLEY, ILLINOIS (June 12, 2024) — Recently, the zoology community lost an icon with the passing of Dr Anne Innis Dagg. Credited as the first person to study wild giraffes as early as 1956, Anne was a pioneer in the study of animal behavior and a powerful force in the work of wildlife conservation.
Dr Innis Dagg was featured in the award-winning documentary The Woman Who Loves Giraffes which describes her experience traveling to Africa at age 23 and then returning in 2015 when she was 82 years old. It also discusses the challenges she faced when was denied tenure at universities that selected less-qualified men instead. In the meantime, she dedicated herself to raising her family, advocating for gender equality in academia, and writing books that became truly important to the zoo world. Nearly all zookeepers that work with giraffes have read Anne’s books such as Giraffe: Biology, Behavior, and Conservation.
Her daughter Mary Dagg, CEO of the Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, will speak at the Niabi Zoo Discovery Center on Tuesday, June 18, 6:30PM, to present the legacy of Dr Anne Innis Dagg's tireless efforts to conserve giraffes through her foundation and all those that she inspired by her work. Mary will present The Woman Who Loves Giraffes and discuss her mother’s important contributions, answer questions, and bring some of Anne’s books, which will be available for donations to her Foundation. Students in high school and college as well as Zoo Staff/Volunteers will receive free admission. Zoo members can attend for $8 and non-members for $10.
