Remembering Pioneering Biologist Anne Innis Dagg (BA 1955 UC)

University College alumna Anne Innis Dagg, a wildlife biologist and advocate for women in science, passed away on April 1, 2024.

After graduating from UC at the top of her class, in 1956 she travelled solo to South Africa to study giraffes, becoming the first Western scientist to observe the animal in its natural habitat. After completing a doctorate in animal behaviour at the University of Waterloo, she joined the University of Guelph as an assistant professor of zoology.

Innis Dagg was the author of more than 60 scientific papers and more than 20 books, including The Giraffe: Its Biology, Behaviour and Ecology with co-author Bristol Foster, which is considered the seminal work in giraffe science.

She was named a Member of the Order of Canada in 2019, and was honoured with both the UC Alumni of Influence Award and an honorary degree from the University of Toronto in 2021.

Read more about Anne Innis Dagg’s incredible life and legacy in U of T News.