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New Species of Fossile Bird named after Veterinary Scientist Fritz Huchzermeyer

In a paper published online on October 29th in the Chinese Science Bulletin, a research team from the Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology (IVPP) of the Chinese Academy of Sciences described a new bird species from the Sihedang locality in northeastern China. This locality has yielded a large number of birds, all of a single taxon, which the team named Iteravis huchzermeyeri.

The new species binomial, meaning Huchzermeyer’s journey bird in Latin, is in honor of the late South African veterinarian, Dr. Fritz Huchzermeyer, whose obituary VetScite published as its most recent Editorial. In the last two years of his life, Dr. Huchzermeyer participated in two important papers with IVPP scientists, one published in Nature (Zheng et al., 2013), the other in PlosONE (Zheng et al., 2014). Dr. Huchzermeyer provided invaluable knowledge and quickly developed a heartfelt friendship with IVPP colleagues – his indomitable spirit and expertise will be sorely missed. The team wanted to honor this erudite, peripatetic veterinary scientist with the naming of the fossile species.

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Editorial

Obituary Dr. Fritz Huchzermeyer

Dr. Fritz Huchzermeyer Dr. Fritz Huchzermeyer

(12 January 1930 – 3 March 2014)

It is with great sadness that I announce the passing of Dr. Fritz Huchzermeyer, Pretoria, South Africa – a prominent veterinary scientist, a creative mind and a good friend; you will remember: he was the author of our last Editorial, the linguistic analysis of the word Nandu.

To talk about Fritz only in veterinary terms is impossible, and the Nandu editorial proves what I mean. He was the most colorful character I have met in the science arena, an ever curious personality, a thoughtful individual who merits to be remembered for many reasons. Rather than trying to picture my own experiences with him since early students’ times in Hannover, Germany, I quote from an account of his vita compiled by his wife Hildegard and children David, Philippa and Marie.

“Fritz loved science and knowledge, but also enjoyed painting, sketching, sculpting, cooking, blowing the trumpet, writing and running. Beside his contribution to veterinary science, he has left many rich memories plus an archive ranging from Comrades Marathon silver medals to poetry collections and colorful abstract paintings.

During studies in theology in Vienna, he fell in love with Hildegard back home, whom he had asked to type up an assignment. A change in academic direction was followed by marriage, and soon Hildegard joined him in the study of veterinary science at the University of Hannover.
Here they were surrounded by a circle of family and of individualistic, open-minded and international friends and fellow students. These have remained close to the family ever since. Both Fritz and Hildegard completed one year of their studies at the Ecole Veterinaire Maisons Alfort, France.

Open to adventure, Fritz accepted a posting to the then Rhodesia as field veterinarian. In 1975 he took up a senior lecturer post in poultry diseases at the Veterinary Faculty in Onderstepoort. Hildegard became his colleague across the road at the Institute. Refuge from segregated and regulated South African society was found on a thornveld smallholding in Buffeldrift with many unconventional pets and in a growing collection of books in the various languages mastered by Fritz. Through a technical exchange, Fritz took the family to Paraguay for the year 1980. While working at the Veterinary Faculty in Asuncion, he immersed them in Spanish and Guarani and in friendships with diverse Paraguayans met while out jogging. He later moved to the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute working in poultry and then in pathology, branching into specializations in ostrich and crocodile diseases. This work continued until two months before his death, when he handed his accumulated collections over to colleagues whom he had mentored.

After retirement, Fritz completed his PhD. He remained much sought after as crocodile and ostrich specialist, writing and publishing authoritative texts and being invited by farmers and associations around the world (particularly as chair of the Veterinary Group in the Crocodile Specialist Group, IUCN). One of several trips involved an 11-day crossing, by foot, of the unmapped Likouala swamp in a remote region of the Congo, in search of dwarf crocodiles. Tortoises and other interesting animals were part of his home life, and these featured in his most pleasant dreams.”

In collaboration with paleontologists in China, Dr. Huchzermeyer co-authored an article published last year in Nature. The paper reported the preservation of ovarian follicles in Mesozoic birds and the early evolution of avian reproductive behavior. Crocodilians and birds are closely related to dinosaurs and have served as models to explore the reproductive behavior of the theropods.

It would have been in Fritz’ spirit to conclude this obituary with one of his poems:

To the Sacred Crocodiles of Burkina Faso
(Montélimar, July 2006)

Feared and ferocious predator, what is it
That you can live in harmony with man
When you are sacred and revered,
And when you are accepted as an equal
That – even when your lake is dry –
The villagers will share their home with you?
We know already that you are a gentle parent,
And yet it is so difficult to understand
Your very motions and emotions.
We cannot read expressions in your face
And only barely in your voice;
In our ignorance we will behave
So much more brutally than you.

It is my dream that all of us
Could live in harmony with all the crocodiles
As is the case
In a small part
Of Africa.

Marian C. Horzinek
Editor

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Editorial

On the origin of the name nandu used for the greater rhea (Rhea americana) in several European languages

Several European languages (e.g. German, French, Italian) use the word “nandu” for the greater rhea (Rhea americana), the South American cousin of the African ostrich.

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Author: F.W. Huchzermeyer

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Fertility control: A new and successful paradigm for African elephant population management

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Author: J.F. Kirkpatrick

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Obituary Dr. Frank J. Fenner

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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A framework for the study and assessment of animal emotions

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Author: Mike Mendl

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Rescue of Indian vultures – role of meloxicam?

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Author: Chris Bowden

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An approach to pain assessment in the laboratory setting

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Author: Anjop Venker-van Haagen

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Quackery and Science in Veterinary Education : I do not believe in astrology, because I am a Libra

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Helping veterinary professionals to improve their scientific output in peer-reviewed journals

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Author: Enzo Emanuele

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Vaccination guidelines: a bridge between official requirements and the daily use of vaccines

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Author: Etienne Thiry

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European veterinary specialists denounce alternative medicine

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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“Journals are an extension of the marketing arm of pharmaceutical companies”; – are they?

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Editorial

Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow celebrates its 5th birthday!

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Editorial

Whose article is it anyway?

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Author: Ronald Plasterk

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Whatever happened to acid rain?

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Author: Huub Schellekens

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Writing a textbook equals balancing on a copyright tightrope, or does it?

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Author: Anjop Venker-van Haagen

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Ask somebody to assess the importance of a certain risk, and you may be in for a surprise!

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Author: Sophie A.M. van den Akker

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Editorial

Everybody knows what ornamental plants are, and that they are the result of selective breeding

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Editorial

A thought provoking discussion about the different styles and cultures of veterinary research leadership and teaching

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Immunocastration of horses: A tool for behavioural modification?

Legislative bodies will need to rule whether treatment is legal for a supposed food-producing animal and whether it contravenes the spirit, if not the letter, of doping regulations.

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Author: Tom A.E. Stout

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Continuous publication from now on…

Starting next year, we will implement a ‘first come, first served’ principle of publishing your material.

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Electronic publishing is here to stay

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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The Future of Feline Science

The diagnostic-therapeutic process is an attempt at anticipating the future.

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Author: Stefano Romagnoli

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Veterinarians, academia and industry: shaping the future of veterinary sciences

Financing research in universities – where does the money come from?

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Author: Walter H. Günzburg

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Reaction to an article published in the Education section of Issue 1, entitled ‘Graduate School education for veterinary and related scientists’.

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Editorial

The perceived and actual risk of infectious disease, whether zoonotic or not, has occupied centre stage during the last few years, from BSE to Classical Swine Fever to the current outbreak of Foot and Mouth Disease.

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek

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Editorial

“Veterinary Sciences Tomorrow (VST) is a refereed electronic ‘current awareness’ journal aimed at building a global community of animal

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Author: Marian C. Horzinek