Yoon Moo-boo, an honorary professor of biology at Kyunghee University, known as the 'Bird Doctor,' passed away on the 15th. He was 84 years old.
According to the bereaved family, Professor Yoon passed away at around 12:01 a.m. at Kyunghee Medical Center. He collapsed due to a cerebral infarction in 2006 but successfully rehabilitated, only to have a recurrence and struggle with illness this past June.
Professor Yoon was born in Jangseungpo-eup, Tongyeong-gun, Gyeongnam (now Jangseungpo-dong, Geoje City), graduated from HanYoung High School, and obtained his degrees from the biology department of Kyunghee University and its graduate school. He received his doctoral degree in 1995 from Korea National University of Education for his thesis titled 'Geographical Variation of the Songbirds in Korea.'
He taught in the biology department of Kyunghee University from 1979 to 2006. From 1994 to 2001, he served as a consultant for the Ministry of Interior's National Parks Advisory Committee and the Seoul City Environmental Protection Advisory Committee. In 2001, he was also a United Nations peace ambassador.
The deceased frequently appeared on TV programs, including as a commentator for KBS's 'Quiz Exploration: The Mysterious World.' He became known as the 'Bird Doctor' for making bird feeding habits and breeding ecology understandable to the general public. He also appeared in advertisements during the 1980s and 1990s.
His publications include 'Birds of Korea' (1987), 'Resident Birds of Korea' (1990), 'Migratory Birds of Korea' (1990), 'Birds of Korea' (1992), 'Natural Exploration in Korea' (1993), 'WILD BIRDS OF KOREA' (1995), 'Why Are Bald Eagles Bald?' (co-authored) (1998), and 'Kersplash Nature Observation' (2010, Samsung BNC). In 1994, he released 'Professor Yoon Moo-boo's Nature Exploration Video.'
The deceased had a strong interest in birds from childhood, and during his graduate studies in 1967, he went on a birdwatching trip to Gwangneung Arboretum (now the National Arboretum) where he survived a flash flood.
In April 1971, after the male of a pair of last-caught storks discovered in Eumseong, Chungbuk, was shot dead by poachers, the deceased mounted the male stork as a specimen for the Kyunghee University Natural History Museum. After the female died from pesticide poisoning in 1994, Korea National University of Education received two storks from Russia in 1996 to initiate stork restoration efforts.