On September 10, 2018,  SDZG lost one of its legendary leaders. Dr. Kurt Benirschke, the founder of SDZG’s conservation research arm and both a board of trustees member and board president, passed away at his home at the age of 78.

“Dr. B” as he was affectionately called, was considered by many to be a Renaissance man. He was famous for his insatiable curiosity, and throughout his life, he was always learning, investigating, and developing new ideas from seemingly disparate concepts. He was a world-renowned expert in comparative pathology, reproductive medicine, and genetics, as well as an innovator in zoo and conservation science. Among his many extraordinary accomplishments, Dr. Benirschke melded his scientific expertise with his passion for wildlife conservation to forever change the face of San Diego Zoo Global.

When the San Diego Zoo’s Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species (CRES) was established in 1975, Dr. Benirschke was asked to serve as its director. He was already working as a professor of Pathology and Reproductive Medicine at UCSD, running a genetics laboratory, and serving as director of autopsy services for UCSD Medical Center, but Dr. Benirschke believed strongly in the need for conservation research. As he once stated, “We can live without gorillas and giraffes, without butterflies and hummingbirds. But will we like it? Will we want to? I don’t think we have the right to say the world is made for us alone.” Dr. Benirschke also pioneered the “Frozen Zoo,” and his vision has proven to have profound applications, as scientists work on techniques to genetically save species.

Dr. Benirschke was described by colleagues and friends as a charming person, an intense scholar, and a man of vision. He touched the lives of so many people, and leaves a large legacy as a part of SDZG and conservation science worldwide.