Otto
J.B. Hübschle passed away in Paris on 16 July 2008.
Born
on 9 October 1945 in Radolfzell, Germany, Otto qualified as a veterinarian
from the universities of Munich and Zurich. In 1970, he received
a scholarship from the German student exchange programme to study
at the Onderstepoort Veterinary Institute where he was awarded the
degree of M Med Vet having majored in virology.
Otto
Hübschle worked in the Virology section at Onderstepoort for several
years. In 1976, he joined the Federal Research Institute for Virus
Animal Diseases in Tübingen where he worked on foot and mouth disease
and other airborne viral diseases. During this period he obtained
the Dr Med Vet and Fachtierarzt qualifications (specialist
microbiology/ serology). He also worked on different developmental
projects in Madagascar and Kenya as was a consultant to the European
Union.
In
1983, he was appointed Deputy Director responsible for the Central
Veterinary Laboratory (CVL) in Windhoek. Under his guidance, the
laboratory was entirely renovated and new sections were introduced,
such as the rabies diagnostic and molecular biology sections. He
was a prolific researcher who authored or co-authored over 60 scientific
papers.
In
2006, Otto Hübschle was appointed Chief Veterinary Officer, a position
he held until his untimely death. During this time, he strived to
achieve freedom for the communal areas of Namibia from foot and
mouth disease and contagious bovine pleuropneumonia to provide farmers
with greater access to local, regional and international markets
for animals and animal products. Otto Hübschle was a man of science
who faithfully served his country of adoption and its livestock
industry for many years. As Head of the CVL in Windhoek and then
Chief Veterinary Officer, he succeeded in elevating the Namibian
Veterinary Services to the status of an internationally recognised
institution. He will be missed not only by his family, his Namibian
colleagues and friends but also by all those abroad, with whom he
worked during his professional life.
Through
the work of Otto Hübschle, the Italian veterinary services and the
Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dellAbruzzo
e del Molise G.
Caporale
established a long-lasting scientific relationship with the Namibian
Department of Veterinary Services.
Otto
was a valued member of the Scientific Advisory Board of Veterinaria
Italiana.
We
shall miss and remember a dear friend.
He
is survived by his wife, Michaela, and two children, Annette and
Tim.
|