Eduard Paul Tratz
Encyclopedia
Eduard Paul Tratz was an Austria
n zoologist.
in Austria, in 1924. A member of the Nazi Party, he ensured significant funding for the museum after the Anschluss
and spent much of it adding eight new areas dealing with such topics as eugenics
and racial hygiene
. He played a leading role in helping to popularise "Rassenkunde" in Austria and was also a departmental head in the Ahnenerbe
(and thus entitled to officer rank in the Schutzstaffel
).
In late 1939, Tratz was one of a number of leading scholars chosen by Wolfram Sievers
to be sent to Poland
in order to help plunder the country's museums. His main port of call was the State Zoological Museum in Warsaw
, where his haul included 147 rare birds, three wisent
s, two wildcat
s, a Nile crocodile
, numerous skeletons and prehistoric skeleton parts and twelve rare reference books, all sent to his own museum in Salzburg.
remained on display into the 1990s. A bust of Tratz is situated near the museum's entrance.
on a comparative study examining chimpanzee
s and bonobo
s, most of the work for which was done during the Second World War at Munich
's Hellabrunn Zoo. The study, which was not published until after the war, noted a list of eight differences between the two species, which at the time were believed to be very closely related or even identical, mainly focusing on the more passive and vocal nature of the bonobo and their preference for human-like face to face sexual intercourse instead of the dog-like copulation utilised by chimpanzees. The research was largely ignored internationally, in part because it was not published in English language
although a general distrust of research findings based on zoo animals also damaged its credibility. However later research undertaken in the wild largely supported Tratz and Heck's conclusions and the work became recognised as groundbreaking.
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
n zoologist.
Ahnenerbe
Tratz was the founder of Salzburg's Haus der Natur, one of the leading museums of natural historyNatural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
in Austria, in 1924. A member of the Nazi Party, he ensured significant funding for the museum after the Anschluss
Anschluss
The Anschluss , also known as the ', was the occupation and annexation of Austria into Nazi Germany in 1938....
and spent much of it adding eight new areas dealing with such topics as eugenics
Eugenics
Eugenics is the "applied science or the bio-social movement which advocates the use of practices aimed at improving the genetic composition of a population", usually referring to human populations. The origins of the concept of eugenics began with certain interpretations of Mendelian inheritance,...
and racial hygiene
Racial hygiene
Racial hygiene was a set of early twentieth century state sanctioned policies by which certain groups of individuals were allowed to procreate and others not, with the expressed purpose of promoting certain characteristics deemed to be particularly desirable...
. He played a leading role in helping to popularise "Rassenkunde" in Austria and was also a departmental head in the Ahnenerbe
Ahnenerbe
The Ahnenerbe was a Nazi German think tank that promoted itself as a "study society for Intellectual Ancient History." Founded on July 1, 1935, by Heinrich Himmler, Herman Wirth, and Richard Walther Darré, the Ahnenerbe's goal was to research the anthropological and cultural history of the Aryan...
(and thus entitled to officer rank in the Schutzstaffel
Schutzstaffel
The Schutzstaffel |Sig runes]]) was a major paramilitary organization under Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party. Built upon the Nazi ideology, the SS under Heinrich Himmler's command was responsible for many of the crimes against humanity during World War II...
).
In late 1939, Tratz was one of a number of leading scholars chosen by Wolfram Sievers
Wolfram Sievers
Wolfram Sievers was Reichsgeschäftsführer, or managing director, of the Ahnenerbe from 1935 to 1945.-Early life:...
to be sent to Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in order to help plunder the country's museums. His main port of call was the State Zoological Museum in Warsaw
Warsaw
Warsaw is the capital and largest city of Poland. It is located on the Vistula River, roughly from the Baltic Sea and from the Carpathian Mountains. Its population in 2010 was estimated at 1,716,855 residents with a greater metropolitan area of 2,631,902 residents, making Warsaw the 10th most...
, where his haul included 147 rare birds, three wisent
Wisent
The wisent , Bison bonasus, also known as the European bison or European wood bison, is a species of Eurasian bison. It is the heaviest surviving land animal in Europe; a typical wisent is about long, not counting a tail of long, and tall. Weight typically can range from , with an occasional big...
s, two wildcat
Wildcat
Wildcat is a small felid native to Europe, the western part of Asia, and Africa.-Animals:Wildcat may also refer to members of the genus Lynx:...
s, a Nile crocodile
Nile crocodile
The Nile crocodile or Common crocodile is an African crocodile which is common in Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Kenya, Egypt, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Gabon, South Africa, Malawi, Sudan, Botswana, and Cameroon...
, numerous skeletons and prehistoric skeleton parts and twelve rare reference books, all sent to his own museum in Salzburg.
Post-war
After the Second World War Tratz was interned for two years before being adjudged a "lesser activist" and then was allowed to return to his role as director of the Haus der Natur in 1949. Whilst many of the exhibits he had plundered were returned to Warsaw plaster casts of supposed ideal types of Nordic and Jewish "races"Jews
The Jews , also known as the Jewish people, are a nation and ethnoreligious group originating in the Israelites or Hebrews of the Ancient Near East. The Jewish ethnicity, nationality, and religion are strongly interrelated, as Judaism is the traditional faith of the Jewish nation...
remained on display into the 1990s. A bust of Tratz is situated near the museum's entrance.
Bonobo research
Tratz also worked with Heinz HeckHeinz Heck
Heinz Heck was a German biologist and director of zoo in Munich . Heck worked on the breeding back projects of the Heck Horse, which strove to recreate the Tarpan , and the Heck Cattle, which was to recreate the aurochs, both of which...
on a comparative study examining chimpanzee
Chimpanzee
Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:...
s and bonobo
Bonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
s, most of the work for which was done during the Second World War at Munich
Munich
Munich The city's motto is "" . Before 2006, it was "Weltstadt mit Herz" . Its native name, , is derived from the Old High German Munichen, meaning "by the monks' place". The city's name derives from the monks of the Benedictine order who founded the city; hence the monk depicted on the city's coat...
's Hellabrunn Zoo. The study, which was not published until after the war, noted a list of eight differences between the two species, which at the time were believed to be very closely related or even identical, mainly focusing on the more passive and vocal nature of the bonobo and their preference for human-like face to face sexual intercourse instead of the dog-like copulation utilised by chimpanzees. The research was largely ignored internationally, in part because it was not published in English language
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
although a general distrust of research findings based on zoo animals also damaged its credibility. However later research undertaken in the wild largely supported Tratz and Heck's conclusions and the work became recognised as groundbreaking.