George B. Schaller
(born 1933)
Born in 1933, Dr. Schaller attended universities in Alaska and Wisconsin, earning his doctorate at the University of Wisconsin. Spending most of the past 50 years in the wilds of Asia, Africa, and South America, Dr. Schaller has studied and helped protect animals as diverse as the mountain gorilla, the giant panda, the tiger, the lion, and the wild sheep and goats of the Himalayas.
Schaller began his research career in the 1950s. While still a graduate student, he participated in the biological survey of a little known region in northwestern Alaska. This work led to the creation of the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge. In the late 1950s, he conducted the first scientific study of the mountain gorilla. His book, The Mountain Gorilla, published in 1963, was an instant classic. This research was followed by studies of tigers in India, lions in the Serengeti, and Giant Pandas in China, among others.
Over the years, George Schaller's studies have been the basis for his numerous
scientific and popular writings. He is the author of many books, including The
Year of the Gorilla, The Serengeti Lion (winner of the National Book
Award), The Last Panda, and Tibet's Hidden Wilderness. Among his
awards are the 1996 International Cosmos Prize (Japan) and the 1997 Tyler
Prize for Environmental Achievement.
For the past decade, Dr. Schaller has studied wildlife mainly in Mongolia,
Laos, and the Tibetan Plateau of China. Two of his most recent books are
Tibet's Hidden Wilderness and Wildlife of the Tibetan Steppe. His numerous
national and international awards for conservation include the International
Cosmos Prize (Japan) and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (USA).
George Schaller is
currently Vice-President of the Wildlife Conservation Society's Science
and Exploration Program and holder of the Ella Millbank Foshay Chair in
Wildlife Conservation. He is one
of the most knowledgeable and eloquent champions of conservation. His ability
to inspire others to take action has fostered a high degree of interest and
involvement among governments and the publicin the conservation of the world's
wildlife. A number of nature reserves in Brazil, Pakistan, Mongolia, and China
have been the result of his cooperative efforts with these countries.
Credits
The sources used for creating this biography are the Wildlife Conservation Society, The Tiger Foundation and Tyler Environmental Prize.
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