Joan Beauchamp Procter was born in 1897 and loved reptiles ever since she was a little girl. By the time she was my age, she had several snakes and lizards as pets and had learned about all of the reptiles found in Great Britain where she lived. She even had a special Dalmatian Lizard that would travel everywhere with her and it sat on the dinner table while she ate. When she was 16, Joan bought a baby crocodile and got in big trouble when she took it out of her bag in math class. Besides the crocodile incident, Joan did really well at school and had planned to go on to Cambridge University to get a science degree but constant illness kept her at home. For a while, it looked like Joan would never be able to seriously study what she loved the most. But Joan never gave up on anything. Her love of reptiles and a chance friendship with a boy named Edward Boulanger would make a huge difference in her life.It turns out that Edward's father was the Keeper of Reptiles and Fishes at the British Museum. Even though she couldn't go to university, Edward's dad helped her study zoology independently. Zoology is what biologists call the study of animals and Joan studied so hard that she was invited to present her first paper to the Zoological Society of London when she was only 19 years old. Amazingly, the very next year she was elected as a Fellow of the Zoological Society of London which was a really, really big deal. When Edward's father retired a few years later, SHE was placed in charge of the reptiles at the British Museum. Joan soon became super busy. Joan's love of dangerous reptiles made her famous as the lady who could handle giant pythons, crocodiles and, her favorite, Komodo Dragons. The first Komodo Dragons to arrive in Europe were placed under her care at the London Zoo. Joan became so close to them that they were almost like pets, especially her favorite Komodo Dragon named Sumbawa. By treating the reptiles with respect and caring for them personally, she was able to show that even though they could kill a person if they wanted, they weren't uncontrollably dangerous. Visitors to the zoo would love to watch her take Sumbawa for a walk and steer him by the tail. He was so tame that children could pet him and pose with him to have their picture taken. Joan became internationally famous for her expertise and was published in all kinds of scientific journals and books. But the ill health that had limited her studies her whole life eventually caught up with her. Sadly, Joan died in 1931 at the very young age of 34. But her fame lived on. If you go to the London Zoo today you can see a bronze plaque at the entrance of the Reptile House put up in her memory. Image attributions: Zoological Society of London (ZSL), Main Building, Entrance By StagiaireMGIMO - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=34694621 Images from London Zoo. Komodo Dragon Location: NW1 4RY By Nevit Dilmen - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=4303910 Komodo dragon, Varanus komodoensis (Ragunan Zoo, Jakarta, Indonesia) By Komodo_dragon_Varanus_komodoensis_Ragunan_Zoo_2.JPG: Midoriderivative work: WolfmanSF (talk) - Komodo_dragon_Varanus_komodoensis_Ragunan_Zoo_2.JPG, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=13976935 Male Komodo are wresting due to a mating season (KomodoDragon Wrestle1.jpg) By Danadi Sutjianto - Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=60246353 Chester Zoo A baby Komodo dragon born by parthenogenesis, photographed at Chester Zoo By Neıl ☎ - self-made, CC BY-SA 3.0, en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?curid=18018908 Komodo dragon and keeper in Prague Zoo By Dan Koehl - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=37130507 Repronegatief. Varanus komodoensis die geplaagd wordt By Tropenmuseum, part of the National Museum of World Cultures, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=8613644 The Natural History Museum. This is a panorama of approximately 5 segments. Taken with a Canon 5D and 17-40mm f/4L. (Natural History Museum London Jan 2006.jpg) By Diliff - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=559965 Podarcis melisellensis By Benny Trapp - Own work, CC BY 3.0, commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12570514 London Zoo - Reptile House - bust of Joan Beauchamp Procter by Elliott Brown CC by 2.0 www.flickr.com/photos/ell-r-brown/4683123986 Reptile House entrance, London Zoo, England. By William Hook from Stafford, United Kingdom [CC BY-SA 2.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

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