2008 Indianapolis Prize 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, Ph.D.: 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.
