Ernst Schäfer

Ernst Schäfer (1910-1992) was a famous German hunter and zoologist in the 1930s, specializing in ornithology.

He is most famous for his three expeditions to Tibet in 1931, 1934-1935, and 1938-1939, the first two led by the American Brooke Dolan II, and the third led by himself under the patronage of Himmler's Ahnenerbe organization.

In July 1934, during his second expedition in Asia, he met the then exiled Panchen Lama, Thubten Chökyi Nyima, in Hangzhou, China.

Schäfer joined the SS in 1933, but after World War II he claimed to have been an unwilling recruit into the organization, a step necessary to advance his career.

Schäfer wrote several books, including "Berge, Buddhas und Bären" ("Mountains, Buddhas and Bears"), and helped produce the film "Geheimnis Tibet" ("Secret Tibet").

Further reading

Christopher Hale, "Himmler's Crusade" (Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, 2003)