Desalegn Chala

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The blind beetle species Anophthalmus hitleri, named for Adolf Hitler. Natural History Museum: Coleoptera Section from South Kensingon, London, UK, via Wikimedia Commons

A blind beetle named Hitler? The case for changing offensive names of animals and plants, and how it can be done

Desalegn Chala, University of Oslo; Dag Endresen, University of Oslo; Nils Christian Stenseth, University of Oslo, and Sebsebe Demissew, Addis Ababa University

Taxonomy does not exist in a vacuum. It is deeply entwined with history and society.
The pied kingfisher helps the Nuer to find parts of the river where there’s an abundance of fish. Henrik Karlsson/Getty Images

Nuer people have a sacred connection to birds – it can guide conservation in Ethiopia and South Sudan

Abebayehu Aticho, Jimma University; Abebe Beyene, Jimma University; Andrew Gosler, University of Oxford; Desalegn Chala, University of Oslo; Nils Christian Stenseth, University of Oslo, and Shimelis Aynalem Zelelew, Bahir Dar University

Birds play a wide range of unique cultural roles for the Nuer people, who have three interchangeable names for them.

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