Ronald Lockley; Naturalist, Expert on Rabbits

Ronald Lockley, 96, naturalist and expert on islands, birds and rabbits who provided factual data for the imaginative “Watership Down.” Richard Adams, who wrote the whimsical novel about rabbits in 1972, acknowledged at the beginning of the book that he had relied on Lockley’s earlier non-anthropomorphic descriptions of bunny behavior. Lockley, who studied rabbits under a contract with the British Nature Conservancy, detailed his findings in his factual 1964 book, “The Private Life of the Rabbit: An Account of the Life History and Social Behavior of the Wild Rabbit.” Lockley, who wrote about 60 books on flora and fauna, and penned the 1934 screenplay for one of the earliest nature films, “The Private Life of the Gannet.” That film about the goose-like bird earned the Academy Award for best documentary. Born in Cardiff, Wales, Lockley became an avid observer of nature at an early age. After living for years on British islands and estates, which he helped turn into nature conservancy areas, he moved to New Zealand in 1977. There he began altering his factual books, enabling his marine mammals to converse with each other in the manner of Adams’ rabbits in “Watership Down.” Lockley’s final book, “Dear Islandman,” was published in 1996. The naturalist served in British naval intelligence during World War II. On April 12 in Auckland, New Zealand.