Nigel Bonner

Nigel Bonner
Born	William Nigel Bonner (1928-02-15)15 February 1928 London, England
Died	27 August 1994(1994-08-27) (aged 66) Godmanchester, Cambridgeshire, England.[1]
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University College London
Known for	Study of Antarctic fur seals - marine mammals - introduced reindeer - marine ecology
Spouse	Jennifer
Children	2
Awards	Polar Medal
Scientific career
Fields	Zoology, Antarctic marine mammals, Antarctic ecology
Institutions	British Antarctic Survey - Natural Environment Research Council - Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research
Academic advisors	J.B.S. Haldane, Richard John Harrison

William Nigel Bonner (15 February 1928 – 27 August 1994) was a British zoologist, Antarctic marine mammal specialist, author and ecologist. The topics of his books and scientific publications included marine animals, reindeer and the ecology of the Antarctic. He headed the Life Sciences Division of the British Antarctic Survey from 1974 to 1986, and served as deputy director from 1986 to 1988. Bonner received the Polar Medal in 1987, in recognition of his work in Antarctica.^[1]

Bonner was recognized for his research on the Antarctic fur seal of South Georgia, publishing in 1968 a highly respected monograph, which was the "first modern study of the species". At the time of his death in 1994, it was still referred to and quoted. He also conducted the first research on the introduced reindeer that lived on South Georgia. His 1958 monograph on the reindeer remained the sole source of information for many years.

After retirement, Bonner was a leader in the environmental reclamation of South Georgia, and worked to establish the South Georgia Museum, where the Bonner Room is dedicated in his honour. The Bonner Lab at Rothera Research Station on the Antarctic Peninsula is named in his honour, as is Bonner Beach in Larsen Harbour, where Weddell seals breed.