George Schaller Presentation October 1, 2008

George Schaller, the world’s pre-eminent field biologist and recipient of the 2008 Indianapolis Prize, will share stories of animal conservation. The event is free and open to the public, but you must RSVP.

Schaller, senior conservationist at the Wildlife Conservation Society and vice president of the Panthera Foundation, will speak about his visit back to the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska after 50 years away. In 1956, Schaller assisted conservationists with research that helped create the refuge. Schaller will also discuss his current research on the Tibetan Plateau, his story of establishing the 175,000-square-mile Chang Tang Reserve, which helped save the threatened chiru (Tibetan antelope) and his life-changing experience studying mountain gorillas that helped shatter myths about the species.

Schaller’s appearance is part of the 2008 Indianapolis Prize lecture series. Schaller was awarded the Indianapolis Prize—a $100,000 prize—for his numerous successes, including the development of 15 wildlife reserves around the world, including the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, the Chang Tang Wildlife Reserve in Tibet, and an international peace park in the four corners of Pakistan, Afghanistan, China, and Tajikistan, where war has harmed wildlife conservation efforts. Schaller spends most of his time in the field, as he has for the past 50 years, in the wilds of Asia, Africa, and South America, where he has studied and helped protect animals as diverse as mountain gorillas, giant pandas, snow leopards, tigers, lions, and the wild sheep and goats of the Himalayas.

Official Website: http://nationalzoo.si.edu/ActivitiesAndEvents/Celebrations/Schaller.cfm