Six Finalists Named for the 2008 Indianapolis Prize
INDIANAPOLIS, Dec. 4 /PRNewswire/ — The six finalists for the Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation, were announced today. Selected from a pool of 29 nominees, the finalists are Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Ph.D., Rodney Jackson, Ph.D., K. Ullas Karanth, Ph.D., Laurie Marker, Ph.D., Roger Payne, Ph.D., and George Schaller, Ph.D. These heroes of animal conservation were nominated by their peers and chosen for their outstanding achievements on behalf of endangered or at-risk species across the globe.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070731/CLTU100 )
“The Indianapolis Prize recognizes animal conservationists who are ensuring the survival of some of our planet’s most marvelous creatures,” said Michael Crowther, CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, the organization that initiated the animal conservation award. “Our ability to see whales frolicking in the ocean or to know elephants are protected from poachers is a direct result of some of the finalists’ efforts. They are inspiring local and global communities to celebrate, preserve and protect wild creatures in wild places.”
The Prize Jury will determine the winner for the 2008 Indianapolis Prize, who will receive $100,000 and the Lilly Medal at the Indianapolis Prize Gala held September 27, 2008, in Indianapolis. The Indianapolis Prize was first awarded in 2006 to Dr. George Archibald, co-founder of the International Crane Foundation, who, through his decades of work, has contributed significantly to the preservation of the world’s 15 surviving species of cranes.
About the Finalists Iain Douglas-Hamilton, Ph.D.: (Save the Elephants)
As president and CEO of Save the Elephants, Douglas-Hamilton has long been a friend to the largest land mammals. His pioneering study of the social behavior of wild elephants four decades ago in Tanzania formed the basis for all subsequent studies. In the 70s, Douglas-Hamilton launched the first pan- African elephant survey to accurately account for the devastation of the ivory trade on elephant populations. As a result, the ivory trade was banned and the United States took greater interest in the plight of elephants, creating the African Elephant Bill, one of the most successful funding programs for elephants that continues to this day.
Rodney Jackson, Ph.D.: (Snow Leopard Conservancy)
Jackson, director/founder of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, has received recognition for his groundbreaking radio-tracking study of snow leopards in the 1980s and his subsequent dedication to building local communities’ capacity as key players in conserving the species. Jackson works tirelessly to save snow leopards from the threat of poachers and shrinking habitats, which often put the big cats in conflict with local villagers. Jackson toils alongside locals to protect livestock from snow leopards, yet finds ways for all to coexist peacefully. He believes local farmers who are involved in the stewardship of snow leopards offer the best long-term chance of the species’ survival. Towards this goal, he assists communities to predator-proof corrals, better guard their livestock and enhance local livelihoods in environmentally friendly ways.
K. Ullas Karanth, Ph.D.: (Wildlife Conservation Society)
Senior conservation scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and premier tiger expert, Karanth energizes the new generation of India’s conservationists. He has championed the cause of tigers through his groundbreaking work in India, Thailand, Malaysia and Indonesia. After two decades actively involved in tiger conservation, Karanth still finds room for optimism: “We have experienced successful tiger conservation actions in India, including a voluntary relocation of villages, the closure of a destructive mine, and a campaign that lead to the termination of a failed eco-development project in Nagarahole.”
Laurie Marker, Ph.D.: (Cheetah Conservation Fund)
Marker, founder/executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF), has accomplished much since founding CCF in 1990. She has led a conservation program from humble beginnings in rural Namibia to an unparalleled model for predator conservation. Time magazine awarded her “Hero for the Planet” in 2000. In 2007, she completed a breakthrough research study on captive cheetah reproduction. The first-ever in vitro cheetah embryos to reach early embryonic development were produced at CCF in collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution and the University of California at Davis.
Roger Payne, Ph.D.: (The Ocean Alliance)
As founder and president of The Ocean Alliance, Payne has devoted more than 40 years to the study and protection of whales. He discovered that whales sing and that their songs propagate across oceans. His whale song recordings became immensely popular and helped launch the “Save the Whales” movement, which led to a moratorium on whaling passed by the International Whaling Commission (IWC). Since then, he has worked with the IWC to create whale sanctuaries throughout the world.
George Schaller: (Wildlife Conservation Society)
George Schaller, Ph.D., the world’s preeminent field biologist, is with the Wildlife Conservation Society and has traveled across the globe to work with a variety of species, including two rediscovered species once thought extinct. Schaller began studying mountain gorillas near Rwanda more than 40 years ago, well before Dian Fossey earned recognition for her work through the film “Gorillas in the Mist.” He was the first to show how gorillas are really gentle and intelligent, with a highly developed social and family structure, rather than the savage monsters that had been previously depicted.
About the Committees
Committees for the Indianapolis Prize include 30 renowned conservationists, community and business leaders and six Honorary Co-Chairs: award-winning actor and environmentalist Harrison Ford; Tony-winning actress and conservationist Jane Alexander; Indiana’s senior senator, Richard G. Lugar; global leader and conservation supporter Roger Sant, founder of the AES Corporation; Newbery Award-winning author, newspaper columnist and environmentalist Carl Hiaasen; businesswoman and philanthropist Christel DeHaan, businesswoman and philanthropist Bren Simon, and Sidney Taurel, chairman and chief executive officer of Eli Lilly and Company.
About the Jury
Indianapolis Prize Jury members will select the winner from among the six finalists. Members include Dr. William Conway, senior conservationist for the Wildlife Conservation Society; Dr. Tracy Dobson, professor of fisheries and wildlife services at the University of Michigan; Julie Packard, executive director and vice chairman of the Monterey Bay Aquarium; Dr. Stuart Pimm, the Doris Duke professor of conservation ecology in the environmental sciences and policy division of Duke University; Dr. Mark Stanley Price, chief executive of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust; Dr. Steven Paul, executive vice president for science and technology for Eli Lilly and Company and president of Lilly Research Laboratories; Paul Grayson, deputy director and senior vice president of conservation and science at the Indianapolis Zoo; and Myrta Pulliam, director of special projects, Indianapolis Star, past chair of the Board of Trustees, Indianapolis Zoological Society, Inc., and chair of the Indianapolis Prize.
To learn more about each of the finalists, how you can support their work, and the Indianapolis Prize, please visit indianapolisprize.org.
The Indianapolis Prize was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to inspire local and global communities to celebrate, protect, and preserve our natural world through conservation, education and research. This biennial award brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spend their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species.
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20070731/CLTU100AP Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Indianapolis Zoo
CONTACT: Linda Jackson, +1-317-631-6400, Linda.Jackson@borshoff.biz, forIndianapolis Zoo
Web site: http://indianapolisprize.org/http://www.indyzoo.com/content.aspx?cid=789http://www.pathwaystaging.com/2008_prize_PSA.html