Nancy Harvey

Nancy Close Harvey passed away on Dec 22, 2024, at the age of 86 at the Palomar Medical Center in Escondido, California. She is survived by her three sons, Chris Butler of Snohomish, Washington, and Jason and Spencer Harvey of San Marcos, California, as well as many lifelong friends far and wide.

Nancy was born in Tupper Lake, New York on March 31, 1938. She lived and worked in both Canada and the United States. She received her B.A. in Anthropology from the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada and later moved to the United States to pursue graduate studies, receiving her Ph.D. in Anthropology from Rutgers University in New Brunswick, New Jersey in 1981.

Her expertise in the behavioral biology of reproduction in diverse species set the through line for much of her professional research to follow. It brought her to Gabon, Africa at CIRMF (The International Centre of Medical Research of Franceville). Amongst her research there, the rare mandrill was especially groundbreaking, as CIRMF was one of the few facilities in the world to house captive mandrills.

Incredibly adventurous and fearless, she traveled around Gabon on her own, resulting in some consternation and worry for those back at CIRMF. She sought the company of equally adventurous and kindred spirits, often connecting to the local community through newly made friendships with Peace Corps volunteers. She spent time in traditional Gabonese villages, where, according to Nancy, she narrowly escaped being married off three times when the chief found out she had successfully given birth to three sons!

Upon returning to the United States, Nancy became a research scientist at CRES (Center for Reproduction of Endangered Species) at the renowned San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, a position she held for several decades. Her work included time in China on a reproductive management program for Chinese giant pandas. Remarkably, this research assignment in China coincided with a pivotal moment in history, the dramatic Tiananmen Square demonstrations in Beijing.

During her time at CRES, she also worked with the African organization PANDRILLUS on the preservation of the highly endangered Drill monkey in Nigeria and Cameroon. Finally, she designed breeding programs for several endangered bird species such as the California condors, San Clemente loggerhead shrikes, and several endangered Hawaiian birds.

Nancy is remembered for many wonderful things, not the least of which was hosting regular Happy Hours and wildly interesting dinner parties. These legendary dinners included dear friends, family, and colleagues in the field of conservation and wildlife biology. Dinners were filled with spirited debates on everything from conservation to politics, and often hilarious stories from her experiences in China and her beloved Africa, and always accompanied by good wine and great food. Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays were especially important occasions.

Nancy will be remembered for her humor and her straight-talk, unafraid to say what she thought, at times surprising everyone with her blunt observations and, in the end, causing the room to erupt in laughter. Nancy, to say the least, was never boring. She was a generous and beloved friend and mother, always there with a hand, a shoulder, and a bottle of wine.