Mati Kaal

Mati Kaal (born 3 June 1946) is an Estonian zoologist, mammalogist, animal ecologist and former zoo director. He worked at Tallinn Zoo from 1968 and served as its director from 1975 until his retirement in 2016. He is known for research on Estonia's large carnivores, for popularising zoology and nature conservation, and for his long association with conservation work involving the European mink. He is one of the founders of the Estonian Nature Fund.

Early life and education Kaal was born in Tallinn and spent much of his childhood in Mui village in Pöide Parish on Saaremaa, where he began school and lived for about fourteen years. He studied biology at the University of Tartu, graduating in 1969.

Under Kaal's directorship, Tallinn Zoo became the first zoo in the Soviet Union to join the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) in 1989, and the institution later became active in regional and international zoo associations.

Research, conservation and public outreach Kaal's research has focused on Estonia's large carnivores, especially the brown bear, wolf and lynx.

Kaal was one of the founders of the Estonian Nature Fund in 1991. During Kaal's directorship, Tallinn Zoo developed into an important centre for the conservation of the European mink. A later scientific review identified Tallinn Zoo's 1984 conservation-breeding programme as the first such programme for the species, while Estonian reporting on Kaal's 2016 conservation award linked him to the zoo's species-conservation work and to reintroduction methods used on Hiiumaa. After retirement, he also worked as a nature guide for safari visitors in Tanzania; in 2024 he published the travel and nature book Minu sõbrad Serengetis.

Honours Kaal received the Order of the White Star, III class, in 2001. In 2014 he received the Tallinn Coat of Arms for his long service and dedication as director of Tallinn Zoo. In 2016 he was awarded the Eerik Kumari Nature Conservation Award. WAZA's 2019 annual report listed him among the association's honorary members.

Selected works

Hunt (Valgus, 1983). Minu sõbrad Serengetis (Tänapäev, 2024).