Constance Ullner

Constance Maria Ullner (20 March 1856 in Vantaa – 13 January 1926 Helsinki) was a Finnish animal protection activist and writer.

Early life and career Constance Ullner was born into an upper-class Swedish-speaking family in Helsinki. The parents were municipal councilor Robert Ullner and Anna von Kothen. Ullner attended a Swedish girls' school in Helsinki and in 1876 married the Swedish factory worker Theodor Gullberg, but the union ended in separation in 1878 and Ullner returned to Finland. After the marriage failed, Ullner graduated as a teacher, but as a divorced woman, she could not get a teaching job. Ullner participated in animal protection and charity activities.

Animal Protection Society of Helsinki Ullner toured international meetings and was particularly opposed to the fashion for women's hats, where bird feathers were used as decoration. This had driven many species, such as silk peas in England, to near extinction. She was a key figure in the activities of the Animal Protection Society of Helsinki, founded in 1874, and served as its chairman in 1916–1926. Ullner represented the organization at the 13th International Animal Protection Congress in Paris in 1900 and on his initiative. since 1909 Animal Day began to be celebrated in Finland every year on October 4. Ullner also worked as editor-in-chief of the Animal Protection magazine from 1894.