Maria Koepcke
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Maria Emilie Anna Koepcke (also spelled Köpcke) (May 15, 1924 - December 25, 1971), born von Mikulicz-Radecki, was a famous ornithologist who died in the crash of LANSA Flight 508.
Maria was born and educated in Germany, earning a PhD in Zoology from Kiel University in 1949. She then moved to Peru, where she married zoologist Hans-Wilhelm Koepcke in 1950. Together they collaborated on much of their scientific work and publications, and had a daughter Juliane.
In Christmas Eve 1971, when Juliane was 17 years of age, Maria traveled with her on LANSA Flight 508 from Lima to Pucallpa to meet Hans-Wilhelm for the holidays. The plane encountered a severe thunderstorm, was hit by lightning and exploded. Maria was killed along with the rest of the passengers, but Juliane miraculously survived, after falling two miles down to the Amazon jungle below, still strapped to her seat. Despite sustaining a broken collar bone and an eye injury, Juliane was able to walk through the dense jungle for 10 days, before finally reaching civilization and help. She subsequently returned with her father back to Germany, where she fully recovered from her injuries, continued her studies, and became a zoologist like her parents.
Maria was, in a time when South American ornithology was essentially male-dominated, not merely successful, but one of the greatest scientists in neotropical ornithology worldwide.
A number of birds have been named in Maria's honor:
- Koepcke's Screech Owl, Otus koepckeae
- Koepcke's Hermit, Phaethornis koepckeae
- Selva Cacique, Cacicus koepckeae
[edit] References
- Niethammer, G. (1974): Maria Koepcke geb. Mikulicz-Radecki. Journal für Ornithologie 115(1): 91-102. DOI: 10.1007/BF01647319 10.1007/BF01647319
- Rea, Amadeo M. & B. León Kostritsky (1973): Obituary: Maria Emilie Anna von Mikulicz-Radecki Koepcke. Auk 90(3): 735-736. PDF fulltext
- Vuilleumier, François (1995): Five Great Neotropical Ornithologists: An Appreciation of Eugene Eisenmann, Maria Koepcke, Claës Olrog, Rodulfo Philippi, and Helmut Sick. Ornitología Neotropical 6(2): 97-111. PDF fulltext
