Solomon Col Adol (1909–1971), Game Ranger and animal collector in Bor, South Sudan

Abstract

The study of fauna in South Sudan during the first two-thirds of the twentieth century relied on a web of collection stations, a vast field network of observers, the assembly of many disparate facts, and the collection of animals to be sold for display and study in zoos and museums in Sudan and other countries. This work of zoological study and the trade in animals mobilized great numbers of South Sudanese, relying on their labour, observations, and knowledge about how to capture and care for animals. These participants have rarely been credited for their own contributions to knowledge about the natural history of their country. This paper examines the work of Solomon Col Adol who was based at the zoological collection station in Bor, a small town on the White Nile, where he was a Game Ranger.