Reinhold_Rau
Reinhold Rau
South African historian
Reinhold Eugen Rau (7 February 1932 – 11 February 2006) was a German natural historian who initiated the Quagga Project in South Africa, which aims to re-breed the extinct quagga, a sub-species of zebra.
Rau was born in Friedrichsdorf, Germany, and trained as a taxidermist at the Senckenberg Museum in Frankfurt,[1] joining the South African Museum in Cape Town in 1959.[2] Rau was initially part of a team of seven taxidermists working at the museum.[3] Although principally known for his work on quaggas, Rau also rediscovered a species of tortoise which had been thought extinct.[4]
Rau continued to work at the South African Museum following his retirement;[3] he died on February 11, 2006,[2] at his home in Cape Town.[5]