Joan Procter

By: Evelyn S.

Hello, today I am here to tell you about Joan Procter. She grew up loving reptiles and amphibians. She has had so many fun things happen to her including, getting a baby crocodile, discovering a new species, and getting some incredible jobs.

Her childhood was full of excitement. She was born on August 5, 1897. She grew up in a time where women were seen as dainty, but that didn’t stop Joan from loving reptiles. For her sixteenth birthday she received a baby crocodile. She would walk him around with a leash, she once brought him to math class and her teacher was horrified.

Joan got a job at The Natural History Museum in Britain. There, she studied reptiles and fish. London zoo had asked her to design a new reptile house for their reptiles. She designed the new reptile house and became the London zoo curator.

Joan became an expert in herpetology. She published so many papers on science. She had had a reptile friend. It was a Komodo Dragon named Sumbawa. They went everywhere together.

Joan cared for every creature and was there for every creature, during surgeries and more. Joan had chronic ill health issues and died in 1931 at age 34.

Thanks for listening to my report on Joan Procter. I think she is very interesting and I hope you do to.


Sources: Good night Stories for rebel girls 2, by: Francesca Cavallo and Elena Favilli. Joan Procter, Dragon Doctor, by: Patricia Valdez. Women in Science, by: Rachel Ignotofsky.