William Temple Homaday was an American Zoologist, conservationist, taxidermist and author. The first director of the New York Zoological Park, William Temple Homaday was a pioneer in the early wildlife conservation movement in the United States.
He is known for his dramatic ‘life groups” of animals in natural setting for museum displays. Homaday’s goal was to educate the American people about these magnificent animals and generate interest in environmental conservation.
He also produced a very popular exhibit of a bison group for the National Museum.
In 1889, Homaday published ‘The Extermination of the American Bison’ a popular work that did create public support to save this species. He emphasized the importance of saving American native wildife.