Nigel Bonner

William Nigel Bonner, known as Nigel, was born in London in 1928. He was the child of Frederick John Bonner and Constance Emily (née Hatch) Bonner. Later in their lives, Nigel became a respected zoologist, and Gerald Bonner became a noted Early Church historian and scholar. Following in his elder brother's footsteps, he also received a County Scholarship to the Stationers' Company's School in Hornsey, where he was educated. In 1939, the school was evacuated to Wisbech for several years, due to World War II. During this time, he was lodged with a slaughterman, which may have contributed to his later "matter of fact" approach to collecting large animals for scientific research. While in Wisbech he showed an early interest in natural history, by collecting beetles. This interest was supported by one of his schoolmasters, By the time he joined the Army for National Service, in 1946, World War II was over. In 1947, he was commissioned into the Royal Artillery, and stationed on the Isle of Wight. There, he continued to pursue his budding zoological interests, by studying beetles, dragonflies and adders. He was demobilized in 1948. After leaving the Army, he worked as a lab technician, and then studied biology at the Polytechnic of North London, as preparation for further education. In 1950, he entered University College London to study special zoology. Here, Bonner met J.B.S. Haldane, who was one of his instructors. In 1955, he worked with Richard John Harrison, a noted anatomist, who assisted Bonner in processing his Antarctic fieldwork. ==Initial work in Antarctic==

Due to his early interest in beetles, Bonner had planned to pursue entomological studies in East Africa. Instead, he travelled to Antarctica in 1953, with a friend from college, Bernard Stonehouse, on a research expedition to South Georgia, where Stonehouse intended to study king penguins. in the Bay of Isles, where they set up their base in a garden shed. For the following fifteen months, between 1953-1955, Bonner (and Stonehouse) worked for the Falkland Islands' Dependencies Survey, later known as the British Antarctic Survey. Bonner collected specimens from the southern elephant seal, Mirounga leonina. Returning to England in 1955, he spent a year at London Hospital Medical School, working with Richard John Harrison, to process and publish the results of his research. The publication provided reproductive biologists with new information regarding elephant seals, and was accompanied by photographs that he made, despite the primitive and difficult field conditions. ==Career==

After processing his elephant seal research materials in England, Bonner returned to South Georgia in 1956, where he was employed as a biologist and sealing inspector by the Government of the Falkland Islands, who held administrative jurisdiction over the territory at the time. Bonner was charged with implementing a wildlife management plan, which was intended to rescue the elephant seals. Their population had suffered from years of over-hunting. By following the deer, and collecting seven stags, Bonner established their food source as tussock grass, not lichens, as had been previously thought. His 1958 monograph on the reindeer remained the sole source of information for many years. == Post-retirement ==

Environmental clean-up After his retirement from the British Antarctic Survey, he periodically returned to South Georgia, beginning in 1989, and worked to clear environmental hazards associated with the now-deserted, and frequently vandalized whaling stations. Through his efforts, the building was repurposed to serve as the South Georgia Whaling Museum, which later widened its scope and became the South Georgia Museum, in 1992. As a result of his many years in the field, he served as a repository of knowledge regarding the "now extinct way of life of the whalers and sealers". ==Personal life==

Bonner met Jennifer Sachs during his studies at University College London. In August 1955 they married at Hampstead Registry Office. Between 1958 and 1961, Jennifer and their infant son lived with Bonner on South Georgia Island. The couple learned to speak Norwegian from their friends amongst the whalers. The local Norwegian blacksmith became an unofficial , or grandfather, to the little boy. Nigel Bonner suffered a heart attack on 27 August 1994 and died at his home in Godmanchester, England. According to his wishes, his ashes were strewn at Bird Island, South Georgia. On 22 October 1994, a memorial gathering was hosted at BAS, attended by some 200 people. ==Professional affiliations and awards==

In 1987, he received the Polar Medal, in recognition of his achievements in the Antarctic. Bonner was president of the Mammal Society for two terms. The first was from 1985 to 1991. His second term began in 1993 and ended with his death in 1994. Bonner was the recipient of the Society's Silver Medal. == Legacy and recognition ==

Bonner Beach, at Larsen Harbour, South Georgia, where the Weddell seals gather to breed, is named in his honour. The South Georgia Museum, has dedicated the Bonner Room as a tribute to his pioneering work in establishing the Museum. ==Works==

Publications • Bonner, W. Nigel. Reproductive Organs of Fœtal and Juvenile Elephant Seals. Nature176, 982–983 (1955) • Bonner, W. Nigel. The Introduced Reindeer of South Georgia 1958. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey (BAS Scientific Report 22) • Bonner, W. Nigel. The Fur Seal of South Georgia 1958. Cambridge: British Antarctic Survey (BAS Scientific Report 56) • Bonner, W. Nigel. (1958) Exploitation and Conservation of Seals in South Georgia Oryx. 4 (6): 373–380. via Cambridge University Press. • Bonner, W. Nigel. Seals of the Galapagos Islands Biological Journal of the Linnean Society, Volume 21, Issue 1-2, January 1984, Pages 177–184, • Bonner, W. Nigel. (January 1987) "Antarctic science and conservation — The historical background" Environment International / 13 pp 19–25 * Bonner, W. Nigel. [http://www.jstor.org/stable/4313530 "Environmental Assessment in the Antarctic." Ambio 18, no. 1 (1989): 83-89. Books • Ecology of the Antarctic. 1980. London: Academic Press. (with R.J. Berry) • Key environments–Antarctica. 1985. Oxford: Pergamon Press, (with D.W.H. Walton) • Conservation areas in the Antarctic. 1985. Cambridge: Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, (with R.I. Lewis Smith) • Whales. 1980. Poole: Blandford Press. • Whales of the World. 1989. London: Blandford Press • Seals and Man: a study of interactions. 1982. Seattle: University of Washington Press. • The Natural History of Seals. 1989. London: Christopher Helm. • Seals and Sea Lions of the World. 1994. London: Blandford Press ==See also==