In Memoriam: Devra Kleiman

Devra Kleiman, a long time member of the Animal Behavior Society and major contributor to the integration of behavior and conservation biology, died of cancer at age 67 on April 29, 2010. Devra was Senior Scientist emeritus at the National Zoological Park in Washington, D.C. She was originally from New York. During her undergraduate years at the University of Chicago, she worked at the Brookfield Zoo; her experiences there lead to a career in behavior and zoo biology. She obtained a B.S. from Chicago in 1964 and a Ph.D. from the University of London in 1969. Shortly after completing her degree, Devra joined the staff at the National Zoo, where she remained for her entire career, retiring in 2001. She directed the zoo research program for 17 of those years (1978 – 1995). Devra held an adjunct appointment at the University of Maryland in College Park starting in 1979. Married to John Eisenberg, from whom she later divorced, Devra was, at the time of her death married for 22 years to Ian Yeomans.

Devra helped establish the modern approach to scientific research at zoological parks. She was a pioneer in combining studies of animal behavior and reproduction with conservation biology. Her most notable work was with golden lion tamarins (Leontopithecus rosalia). Her success with breeding this species in captivity and reintroductions to the wild, in Brazil, are recognized as a model approach to attempts to conserve and manage endangered populations. The principals she helped to develop are used in many locations today and include successes with California condors, ibex, and other species. Careful studies of reproduction, combined with detailed records of locations and breeding of tamarins resulted in reintroductions and the establishment and augmentation of viable wild populations. Devra also pioneered many aspects of the cooperation of zoological parks and related animal facilities with regard to sharing their tamarins so that a breeding program that would maximize genetic diversity could occur.

Known best to the public for her decades-long studies on giant pandas (Ailurupoda melanoleuca), Devra worked closely with colleagues in China to foster both panda conservation and international goodwill. She was the ‘den mother’ for Ling-Ling and Hsing-Hsing when they arrived at the National Zoo in 1972, and lead a team of fellow investigators to learn about the behavior and reproductive biology of the species. This knowledge of panda behavior, as well as new information on dietary preferences, enhanced efforts to successfully breed the species in captivity in the U.S., China, and additional locations. Studies on tamarins, pandas, and several other endangered mammals provided a new basis for public understanding of zoos and their mission in terms of animal conservation. Many of the ongoing breeding programs at zoos and animal parks derive from her work.

Her contributions to the sub-discipline she helped to found include numerous articles in professional journals. Many of these works provide evidence of her research, in conjunction with numerous colleagues on the investigations of mammals in zoos, but some publications are aimed at assisting zoos, aquariums, and other animal facilities with the structural framework to accomplish conservation efforts similar to those she pioneered. Further, Devra was skilled at writing for a public audience about her work, fostering understanding for and enthusiasm about the studies of reproduction and species conservation. Her co-edited volume, Wild Mammals in Captivity, published in 1996 is a widely used reference work for investigators exploring conservation biology and management of mammals.

Devra’s connections with and service to the Animal Behavior Society abound. She served as secretary (1978-1981) and in the presidential sequence (1981 – 1985), as well on the Ethics and Nominating Committees. She was elected a Fellow of the Society in 1986. She was a superb ambassador for the Society and for animal behavior around the globe. Devra Kleiman’s quick wit, enormous energy, and gift for working with people will remain, along with her scientific accomplishments, as a true legacy. A memorial celebration of her life occurred at the National Zoo on June 1^st.