Italian naturalist Danilo Mainardi,
a historic head of bird society LIPU and a top TV populariser on
nature and animal issues, died Wednesday in Venice aged 83.
"He passed serenely, with a smile on his face," his wife
said.
The ethologist, scholar, and writer, a lifelong atheist, was
born in Milan and graduated in 1956 in biology in Parma.
From 1967 to 1992 he taught Zoology, and then Biology and
Ethology at the University of Parma.
From 1973 he directed the School of Ethology of the
Scientific cultural center Ettore Majorana in Erice, Sicily and
also taught Ethology of Behaviour at the Ca' Foscari University
of Venice.
He was long the president of LIPU (Lega italiana protezione
uccelli, Italian League for the defence of birds), and was its
honorary president at the time of his death.
Besides his research and teaching, he was most popular in
Italy as a regular and appreciated guest at various scientific
TV programs, such as Dalla parte degli animali (On the animals'
side), and the scientific series Quark, the first show of the
kind in Italy aimed at the general public, created in 1991 by
legendary Italian journalist Piero Angela.
Angela paid tribute to Mainardi Wednesday, saying he was a
"great scientist and great communicator".
Mainardi also contributed to several leading Italian
newspapers, such as Corriere della Sera, and wrote more than 200
publications and books.
photo: Mainardi (L) and Angela
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