Olwen Anne Elisabeth Rasa (1940 – 15 November 2020) was a British
ethologist, known for her long-duration study of the social behaviour of the
dwarf mongoose
The common dwarf mongoose (''Helogale parvula'') is a mongoose species native to Angola, northern Namibia, KwaZulu-Natal in South Africa, Zambia and East Africa. It is part of the genus '' Helogale'', along with the Ethiopian dwarf mongoose.
Ch ...
in Kenya.
She had studied aggression among
coral reef fish
Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...
under the pioneering ethologist
Konrad Lorenz
Konrad Zacharias Lorenz (Austrian ; 7 November 1903 – 27 February 1989) was an Austrian zoology, zoologist, ethology, ethologist, and ornithologist. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Nikolaas Tinbergen and Karl von ...
. Her fieldwork in Kenya's
Taru Desert led to a book, ''Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed'', and to a popular German television series, ''Expedition ins Tierreich''. She later studied social behaviour in the yellow mongoose and the sub-social
tenebrionid beetle ''Parastizopus armaticeps''.
Education
In 1961 Anne Rasa graduated with
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...
(with honors) from the
Royal College of Science
The Royal College of Science was a higher education institution located in South Kensington; it was a constituent college of Imperial College London from 1907 until it was wholly absorbed by Imperial in 2002. Still to this day, graduates from t ...
,
Imperial College
Imperial College London, also known as Imperial, is a public research university in London, England. Its history began with Prince Albert, husband of Queen Victoria, who envisioned a cultural district in South Kensington that included museums ...
,
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
. Subsequently, she received a
NATO
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO ; , OTAN), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental organization, intergovernmental Transnationalism, transnational military alliance of 32 Member states of NATO, member s ...
-scholarship to investigate the aggression of fish. In 1965 she graduated with a
Master of Science
A Master of Science (; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree. In contrast to the Master of Arts degree, the Master of Science degree is typically granted for studies in sciences, engineering and medici ...
from the
University of Hawaiʻi
The University of Hawaiʻi System is a public college and university system in Hawaii. The system confers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees through three universities, seven community colleges, an employment training center, ...
. In 1970 Rasa received her
Ph.D. from
London University
The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degr ...
with a
Max-Planck-Scholarship on
coral reef fish
Coral reef fish are fish which live amongst or in close relation to coral reefs. Coral reefs form complex ecosystems with tremendous biodiversity. Among the myriad inhabitants, the fish stand out as colourful and interesting to watch. Hundreds ...
aggression under Konrad Lorenz.
Scientific work
From 1970, she continued her work at the
Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltenspsychologie in Seewiesen under Konrad Lorenz. During this period she started her studies on mongoose dwarfs, concentrating on social structure, marking behavior and intra-group aggression.
From 1975, she worked as a scientific assistant at
Marburg University
The Philipps University of Marburg () is a public research university located in Marburg, Germany. It was founded in 1527 by Philip I, Landgrave of Hesse, which makes it one of Germany's oldest universities and the oldest still operating Protes ...
, Germany. She focused on
ontogeny
Ontogeny (also ontogenesis) is the origination and development of an organism (both physical and psychological, e.g., moral development), usually from the time of fertilization of the ovum, egg to adult. The term can also be used to refer to t ...
of behaviour in the dwarf mongoose and was awarded the
Habilitation
Habilitation is the highest university degree, or the procedure by which it is achieved, in Germany, France, Italy, Poland and some other European and non-English-speaking countries. The candidate fulfills a university's set criteria of excelle ...
qualification in 1981.
From 1981, her work at the
University of Bayreuth
The University of Bayreuth (German: Universität Bayreuth) is a public research university located in Bayreuth, Germany. It is one of the youngest German universities. It is broadly organized into seven undergraduate and graduate faculties, with ...
was financed by a Heisenberg-Scholarship to study dwarf mongoose in the
Taru Desert,
Kenya
Kenya, officially the Republic of Kenya, is a country located in East Africa. With an estimated population of more than 52.4 million as of mid-2024, Kenya is the 27th-most-populous country in the world and the 7th most populous in Africa. ...
. She published the results in ''Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed'' with a foreword by Konrad Lorenz. He compares the significance of her works with those of
Jane Goodall
Dame Jane Morris Goodall (; born Valerie Jane Morris-Goodall; 3 April 1934), formerly Baroness Jane van Lawick-Goodall, is an English zoologist, Primatology, primatologist and Anthropology, anthropologist. She is considered the world's foremo ...
and
Dian Fossey. In 1984 the book with its results was presented by
Bernhard Grzimek in the German TV-series ''Expedition ins Tierreich'' and was translated into several languages.
From 1986, Rasa was
associate professor
Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''.
In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...
at
Pretoria University
The University of Pretoria (, ) is a multi-campus public university, public research university in Pretoria, the administrative and ''de facto'' capital of South Africa. The university was established in 1908 as the Pretoria campus of the Johan ...
, South Africa, teaching
ethology
Ethology is a branch of zoology that studies the behavior, behaviour of non-human animals. It has its scientific roots in the work of Charles Darwin and of American and German ornithology, ornithologists of the late 19th and early 20th cen ...
and starting her studies on
Yellow mongoose
The yellow mongoose (''Cynictis penicillata''), sometimes referred to as the red meerkat, is a member of the mongoose family. It averages about in weight and about in length. It lives in open country, semi-desert scrubland and grasslands in A ...
in the
Kalahari Desert
The Kalahari Desert is a large semiarid climate, semiarid sandy savanna in Southern Africa covering including much of Botswana as well as parts of Namibia and South Africa.
It is not to be confused with the Angolan, Namibian, and South African ...
.
In 1991, she became associate professor at the
University of Bonn
The University of Bonn, officially the Rhenish Friedrich Wilhelm University of Bonn (), is a public research university in Bonn, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It was founded in its present form as the () on 18 October 1818 by Frederick Willi ...
, where she taught ethology and continuing her studies on Yellow mongoose and studies on the sub-social
tenebrionid beetle ''Parastizopus armaticeps''. Rasa retired from Bonn at the end of 2000.
Post retirement
Rasa owned the Nature Reserve ''Kalahari Trails'' at the southern end of the Kalahari Desert in South Africa, which she bought a few years prior to her retirement. She lived there since December 2000 and offered accommodation and guided walks to everyone interested in the
flora
Flora (: floras or florae) is all the plant life present in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring (indigenous (ecology), indigenous) native plant, native plants. The corresponding term for animals is ''fauna'', and for f ...
and
fauna
Fauna (: faunae or faunas) is all of the animal life present in a particular region or time. The corresponding terms for plants and fungi are ''flora'' and '' funga'', respectively. Flora, fauna, funga and other forms of life are collectively ...
of the Kalahari.
In 2007, OSHANA published the book ''KALAHARI – Magnificent Desert'' with pictures and text by Rasa.
In 2011/2012, Rasa worked as a scientific advisor on a film series called ''Kalahari Trails'' which was being shot in the Kalahari.
Personal life and death
Rasa had three children and four grandchildren. She died on 15 November 2020.
[ ]
Publications
*''Territoriality and the Establishment of Dominance by means of Visual Cues in Pomacentrus jenkinsi (Pisces: Pomacentridae)'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 26, Issue 7, pages 825–845, Blackwell, 1969.
*''The Effect of Pair Isolation on Reproductive Success in Etroplus maculatus (Cichlidae)'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 26, Issue 7, pages 846–852, Blackwell, 1969.
*''Social Interaction and Object Manipulation in Weaned Pups of the Northern Elephant Seal Mirounga angustirostris'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 29, Issue 1, pages 82–102, Blackwell, 1971.
*with H. Caspers: ''Appetence for Aggression in juvenile Damsel Fish.'' Beiheft 7 zur ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Paul Parey, 1971.
*''Marking Behaviour and its Social Significance in the African Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale undulata rufula'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 32, Issue 3, Blackwell, 1973.
*''Prey Capture, Feeding Techniques, and their Ontogeny in the African Dwarf Mongoose, Helogale undulata rufula'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 32, Issue 5, pages 449–488, Blackwell, 1973.
*''Intra-familial sexual repression in the dwarf mongoose (Helogale parvula)'' in ''Naturwissenschaften'', Volume 60, Number 6, p. 303-304, Springer, 1973.
*with
Bernhard Grzimek,
Irenäus Eibl-Eibesfeldt, et al.: ''Grzimek's animal life encyclopedia, Volume 1, Lower animals'', Van Nostrand Reinhold, 1974.
*''Mongoose sociology and behaviour as related to zoo exhibition'' in ''International Zoo Yearbook'', Volume 15, Issue 1, pages 65–73, 1975.
*''Aggression: Appetite or aversion?—An ethologist's viewpoint'' in ''Aggressive Behavior'', Volume 2, Issue 3, pages 213–222, Wiley-Liss, 1976.
*''Invalid Care in the Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale undulata rufula)'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 42, Issue 4, pages 337–342, Blackwell, 1976.
*''The ethology and sociology of the dwarf mongoose (Helogale undulata rufula)'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 43, Number 4, Paul Parey, 1977.
*''The Effects of Crowding on the Social Relationships and Behaviour of the Dwarf Mongoose (Helogale undulata rufula)'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 49, Issue 3, pages 317–329, Blackwell, 1979.
*''Towards a structural concept of agonism'' in ''Aggressive Behavior'', Volume 8, Issue 3, pages 253–260, Wiley-Liss, 1982.
*''A Case of Invalid Care in Wild Dwarf Mongooses'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 62, Issue 3, pages 235–240, Blackwell, 1983.
*''A motivational analysis of object play in juvenile dwarf mongooses (Helogale undulata rufula)'' in ''Animal Behaviour'', Volume 32, Issue 2, pages 579–589, 1984.
*with H. van den Höövel: ''Social Stress in the Fieldvole: Differential Causes of Death in Relation to Behaviour and Social Structure'' in ''Zeitschrift für Tierpsychologie'', Volume 65, Issue 2, pages 108–133, Blackwell, 1984.
*''Die perfekte Familie'', DVA, 1984, .
*''Mongoose Watch: A Family Observed'', John Murray, 1985, .
*''Coordinated Vigilance in Dwarf Mongoose Family Groups: The 'Watchman's Song' Hypothesis and the Costs of Guarding'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 71, Issue 4, pages 340–344, Blackwell, 1986.
*''Patterns of intra-African small raptor spring migrations in the Taru Desert, Kenya'' in ''African Journal of Ecology'', Volume 25, Issue 3, pages 165–171, 1987.
*with M. Hopp: ''Age and sex-related differences in threat perception in a modern urban society'' in ''Aggressive Behavior'', Volume 15, Issue 5, pages 389–398, Wiley-Liss, 1989.
*with Somers, M.J., Rasa, O.A.E. & Apps, P.J. Marking behaviour and dominance in Suni antelope (Neotragus moschatus). Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 55(5): pages 340–352. 1990.
*with Christian Vogel, Eckart Voland: ''The Sociobiology of sexual and reproductive strategies'', Chapman and Hall, 1989.
*with B.A. Wenhold, P. Howard; A. Marais: ''Reproduction in the yellow mongoose revisited'' in ''South African Journal of Zoology'', Volume 27, Number 4, pages 192, 1992.
*with B.A. Wenhold: ''Territorial marking in the Yellow mongoose Cynictis penicillata: sexual advertisement for subordinates?'' in ''Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde'', Volume 59, Number 3, page 129, 1994.
*''
Parabiosis and its Proximate Mechanisms in Four Kalahari Desert Tenebrionid Beetles'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 98, Issue 2, pages 137–148, Blackwell, 1994.
*with Somers, M.J. & Penzhorn, B.L. Group structure and social behaviour of warthogs Phacochoerus aethiopicus. Acta Theriologica. 40(3): pages 257–281. 1995.
*with Somers, M.J., Penzhorn, B.L. Home range size, range use and dispersal of warthogs in the eastern Cape, South Africa. Journal of African Zoology. 108(4): pages 361–373. 1994.
*with Somers, M.J. A causal analysis of the relationships between behaviour patterns of free living warthogs. Zeitschrift für Säugetierkunde. 62(2): pages 93–98. 1997.
*''Aggregation in a Desert Tenebrionid Beetle: A Cost/Benefit Analysis'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 103, Issue 6, p. 466-487, Blackwell, 1997.
*''Biparental investment and reproductive success in a subsocial desert beetle: the role of maternal effort'' in ''Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology'', Volume 43, Number 2, pages 105–113, Springer, 1998.
*''Division of Labour and Extended Parenting in a Desert Tenebrionid Beetle'' in ''Ethology'', Volume 105, Issue 1, p. 37-56, Blackwell, 1999.
*with Michael Streif, ''Divorce and its consequences in the Common Blackbird Turdus merula'' in ''Ibis'', Volume 143, Issue 3, pages 554–560, 2001.
*with Dik Heg, ''Effects of parental body condition and size on reproductive success in a tenebrionid beetle with biparental care'' in ''Ecological Entomology'', Volume 29, Issue 4, pages 410–419, 2004.
*''KALAHARI – Magnificent Desert.'' OSHANA Publishing, 2007, .
References
External links
*http://www.kalaharitrails.co.za
{{DEFAULTSORT:Rasa, Anne
1940 births
2020 deaths
20th-century British zoologists
21st-century British zoologists
Ethologists
Welsh zoologists
Alumni of Imperial College London
University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa alumni
Alumni of the University of London
British women biologists
Academic staff of the University of Pretoria
Academic staff of the University of Marburg
Academic staff of the University of Bayreuth
Academic staff of the University of Bonn
Welsh expatriates in South Africa