Alan Rabinowitz
Encyclopedia
Alan Robert Rabinowitz (b. December 31, 1953) is an American zoologist, conservationist, and field biologist and the CEO of Panthera
, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 37 wild cat species. Called the "Indiana Jones
of Wildlife Protection" by Time
, Rabinowitz has studied jaguar
s, clouded leopard
s, Asiatic leopards, tiger
s, Sumatran rhinos, bear
s, leopard cat
s, raccoon
s, and civet
s. Today, Rabinowitz’s work focuses on conserving the world’s largest, most imperiled cats—tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards—and their habitats.
Today, Rabinowitz frequently shares this childhood story in interviews, lectures, books and other publications to explain how he became interested in wildlife conservation.
In 2008, the video of Dr. Rabinowitz telling this story on The Colbert Report went viral, largely because it nearly brought the show's host, Stephen Colbert, to tears. Today, Rabinowitz serves as a spokesperson for The Stuttering Foundation.
in Westminster, Maryland
. Rabinowitz later attended the University of Tennessee
, receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology
in 1978 and 1981, respectively.
Prior to co-founding Panthera
with the organization's Chairman, Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan
, in 2006, Rabinowitz served as the Executive Director of the Science and Exploration Division for the Wildlife Conservation Society
, where he worked for nearly 30 years.
While working in Myanmar
's Hukaung Valley
in 1997, Rabinowitz discovered four new species of mammals, including the most primitive deer species in the world, Muntiacus putaoensis, or the leaf deer
. Rabinowitz's work in Myanmar led to the creation of five new protected wildlife areas, including the country's first marine park, Lampi Island National Park; Myanmar's first and largest Himalayan national park, Hkakaborazi National Park; the country's largest wildlife sanctuary, Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary; the world's largest tiger reserve and one of the largest protected areas in the world, Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve, and Hponkhan Razi National Park, an area which connects Hukaung Valley and Hkakabo Razi for a contiguous protected area of more than 5,000 square miles, called the Northern Forest Complex.
Rabinowitz also established the world's first jaguar
sanctuary — the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve
— in Belize
and the Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve, Taiwan
's largest protected area and last piece of intact lowland forest. In Thailand
, he conducted the first field research on Indochinese tigers, Asiatic leopards, and Asian leopard cats, leading to the designation of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary
as a UNESCO
world biosphere reserve.
One of Dr. Rabinoqitz's greatest achievements was the conceptualization and implementation of the Jaguar Corridor, a series of biological and genetic corridors for jaguars across their entire range from Mexico to Argentina. Dr. Rabinowitz also initiated Panthera's Tiger Corridor Initiative, an effort to identify and protect the world's last remaining large interconnected tiger landscapes, with a primary focus on the remote and rugged Indo-Himalayan region of Asia.
Rabinowitz's project to establish a chain of protected tiger habitat across the southern Himalaya was the focus of the BBC Natural History Unit
's 2010 documentary series Lost Land of the Tiger
. An expedition team spent a month investigating the status of big cats in Bhutan
, leading to the discovery of tigers living at much higher altitudes than previously realized.
Today, Rabinowitz serves as the CEO of Panthera
, where he oversees the organization's range-wide conservation programs focused on tigers, lion
s, jaguars, and snow leopard
s and additional projects devoted to the protection of cougars, cheetah
s, and leopards.
2004: Our Time Theatre Company Award
2004: Lowell Thomas Award – New York Explorer’s Club
2005: George Rabb Conservation Award – Chicago Zoological Society
2005: Flying Elephant Foundation Award
2006: Kaplan Big Cat Lifetime Achievement Award
2008: International Wildlife Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
2010: Cincinnati Zoo Wildlife Conservation Award
2011: Jackson Hole Lifetime Achievement Award in Conservation
Panthera Corporation
Panthera Corporation is a charity organization devoted to preserving big cats and their ecosystems around the globe. Founded in 2006, Panthera focuses its efforts on conservation of the world’s largest, most imperiled cats—tigers, lions, jaguars and snow leopards—while also developing conservation...
, a nonprofit conservation organization devoted to protecting the world's 37 wild cat species. Called the "Indiana Jones
Indiana Jones
Colonel Henry Walton "Indiana" Jones, Jr., Ph.D. is a fictional character and the protagonist of the Indiana Jones franchise. George Lucas and Steven Spielberg created the character in homage to the action heroes of 1930s film serials...
of Wildlife Protection" by Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
, Rabinowitz has studied jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
s, clouded leopard
Clouded Leopard
The clouded leopard is a felid found from the Himalayan foothills through mainland Southeast Asia into China, and has been classified as vulnerable in 2008 by IUCN...
s, Asiatic leopards, tiger
Tiger
The tiger is the largest cat species, reaching a total body length of up to and weighing up to . Their most recognizable feature is a pattern of dark vertical stripes on reddish-orange fur with lighter underparts...
s, Sumatran rhinos, bear
Bear
Bears are mammals of the family Ursidae. Bears are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans, with the pinnipeds being their closest living relatives. Although there are only eight living species of bear, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Northern...
s, leopard cat
Leopard Cat
The leopard cat is a small wild cat of South and East Asia. Since 2002 it has been listed as Least Concern by IUCN as it is widely distributed but threatened by habitat loss and hunting in parts of its range...
s, raccoon
Raccoon
Procyon is a genus of nocturnal mammals, comprising three species commonly known as raccoons, in the family Procyonidae. The most familiar species, the common raccoon , is often known simply as "the" raccoon, as the two other raccoon species in the genus are native only to the tropics and are...
s, and civet
Civet
The family Viverridae is made up of around 30 species of medium-sized mammal, including all of the genets, the binturong, most of the civets, and the two African linsangs....
s. Today, Rabinowitz’s work focuses on conserving the world’s largest, most imperiled cats—tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards—and their habitats.
Early Life
Rabinowitz grew up in Brooklyn, New York. In grade school, he was placed in a special education class due to a severe stutter; which often caused his body to twist and spasm when attempting to speak. Unable to communicate with his peers and teachers, Rabinowitz became interested in wildlife, to which, to which he could speak. At this point, Rabinowitz made a promise to animals that if he ever found his voice, he would use it to speak in their defense.Today, Rabinowitz frequently shares this childhood story in interviews, lectures, books and other publications to explain how he became interested in wildlife conservation.
In 2008, the video of Dr. Rabinowitz telling this story on The Colbert Report went viral, largely because it nearly brought the show's host, Stephen Colbert, to tears. Today, Rabinowitz serves as a spokesperson for The Stuttering Foundation.
Conservation Career
In 1974, Rabinowitz received his Bachelor's degree in biology and chemistry from McDaniel CollegeMcDaniel College
McDaniel College is a private four-year liberal arts college in Westminster, Maryland, located 30 miles northwest of Baltimore. The college also has a satellite campus located in Budapest, Hungary. Until July 2002, it was known as Western Maryland College...
in Westminster, Maryland
Westminster, Maryland
Westminster is a city in northern Maryland, United States. It is the seat of Carroll County. The city's population was 18,590 at the 2010 census. Westminster is an outlying community within the Baltimore-Towson, MD MSA, which is part of a greater Washington-Baltimore-Northern Virginia, DC-MD-VA-WV...
. Rabinowitz later attended the University of Tennessee
University of Tennessee
The University of Tennessee is a public land-grant university headquartered at Knoxville, Tennessee, United States...
, receiving his M.S. and Ph.D. in ecology
Ecology
Ecology is the scientific study of the relations that living organisms have with respect to each other and their natural environment. Variables of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount , number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems...
in 1978 and 1981, respectively.
Prior to co-founding Panthera
Panthera
Panthera is a genus of the family Felidae , which contains four well-known living species: the tiger, the lion, the jaguar, and the leopard. The genus comprises about half of the Pantherinae subfamily, the big cats...
with the organization's Chairman, Dr. Thomas S. Kaplan
Thomas Kaplan
Thomas S. Kaplan is an American entrepreneur, natural resources investor, philanthropist and art collector. He is the Founder and Principal of Tigris Group and the Chairman and Chief Investment Officer of The Electrum Group LLC, a New York City-based investment, advisory and asset management firm...
, in 2006, Rabinowitz served as the Executive Director of the Science and Exploration Division for the Wildlife Conservation Society
Wildlife Conservation Society
The Wildlife Conservation Society based at the Bronx Zoo was founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society and currently manages some of wild places around the world, with over 500 field conservation projects in 60 countries, and 200 scientists on staff...
, where he worked for nearly 30 years.
While working in Myanmar
Myanmar
Burma , officially the Republic of the Union of Myanmar , is a country in Southeast Asia. Burma is bordered by China on the northeast, Laos on the east, Thailand on the southeast, Bangladesh on the west, India on the northwest, the Bay of Bengal to the southwest, and the Andaman Sea on the south....
's Hukaung Valley
Hukawng Valley
The Hukawng Valley is an isolated valley in Burma, roughly in area. It is located in Tanaing Township in the Myitkyina District of Kachin State in the northernmost part of the country.-Rivers:...
in 1997, Rabinowitz discovered four new species of mammals, including the most primitive deer species in the world, Muntiacus putaoensis, or the leaf deer
Leaf muntjac
The leaf muntjac, leaf deer or Putao muntjac is a small species of muntjac. It was discovered in 1997 by biologist Alan Rabinowitz during his field study in the isolated Naungmung Township in Myanmar...
. Rabinowitz's work in Myanmar led to the creation of five new protected wildlife areas, including the country's first marine park, Lampi Island National Park; Myanmar's first and largest Himalayan national park, Hkakaborazi National Park; the country's largest wildlife sanctuary, Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary; the world's largest tiger reserve and one of the largest protected areas in the world, Hukaung Valley Tiger Reserve, and Hponkhan Razi National Park, an area which connects Hukaung Valley and Hkakabo Razi for a contiguous protected area of more than 5,000 square miles, called the Northern Forest Complex.
Rabinowitz also established the world's first jaguar
Jaguar
The jaguar is a big cat, a feline in the Panthera genus, and is the only Panthera species found in the Americas. The jaguar is the third-largest feline after the tiger and the lion, and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The jaguar's present range extends from Southern United States and Mexico...
sanctuary — the Cockscomb Basin Jaguar Preserve
Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary
The Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary is a nature reserve in south-central Belize established to protect the forests, fauna and watersheds of an approximately 400 square kilometre area of the eastern slopes of the Maya Mountains...
— in Belize
Belize
Belize is a constitutional monarchy and the northernmost country in Central America. Belize has a diverse society, comprising many cultures and languages. Even though Kriol and Spanish are spoken among the population, Belize is the only country in Central America where English is the official...
and the Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve, Taiwan
Taiwan
Taiwan , also known, especially in the past, as Formosa , is the largest island of the same-named island group of East Asia in the western Pacific Ocean and located off the southeastern coast of mainland China. The island forms over 99% of the current territory of the Republic of China following...
's largest protected area and last piece of intact lowland forest. In Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
, he conducted the first field research on Indochinese tigers, Asiatic leopards, and Asian leopard cats, leading to the designation of the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary
Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary is a protected area in Thailand. It is located in the Provinces Kanchanaburi, Tak and Uthai Thani. It was declared a World Heritage Site Site by the United Nations in 1991, together with the adjoining Thungyai Naresuan Wildlife Sanctuary...
as a UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
world biosphere reserve.
One of Dr. Rabinoqitz's greatest achievements was the conceptualization and implementation of the Jaguar Corridor, a series of biological and genetic corridors for jaguars across their entire range from Mexico to Argentina. Dr. Rabinowitz also initiated Panthera's Tiger Corridor Initiative, an effort to identify and protect the world's last remaining large interconnected tiger landscapes, with a primary focus on the remote and rugged Indo-Himalayan region of Asia.
Rabinowitz's project to establish a chain of protected tiger habitat across the southern Himalaya was the focus of the BBC Natural History Unit
BBC Natural History Unit
The BBC Natural History Unit is a department of the BBC dedicated to making television and radio programmes with a natural history or wildlife theme, especially nature documentaries...
's 2010 documentary series Lost Land of the Tiger
Lost Land of the Tiger
Lost Land of the Tiger is a three-part nature documentary series produced by the BBC Natural History Unit which follows a scientific expedition to the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan. The expedition team is made up of specialist zoologists, explorers and the BBC crew...
. An expedition team spent a month investigating the status of big cats in Bhutan
Bhutan
Bhutan , officially the Kingdom of Bhutan, is a landlocked state in South Asia, located at the eastern end of the Himalayas and bordered to the south, east and west by the Republic of India and to the north by the People's Republic of China...
, leading to the discovery of tigers living at much higher altitudes than previously realized.
Today, Rabinowitz serves as the CEO of Panthera
Panthera Corporation
Panthera Corporation is a charity organization devoted to preserving big cats and their ecosystems around the globe. Founded in 2006, Panthera focuses its efforts on conservation of the world’s largest, most imperiled cats—tigers, lions, jaguars and snow leopards—while also developing conservation...
, where he oversees the organization's range-wide conservation programs focused on tigers, lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
s, jaguars, and snow leopard
Snow Leopard
The snow leopard is a moderately large cat native to the mountain ranges of South Asia and Central Asia...
s and additional projects devoted to the protection of cougars, cheetah
Cheetah
The cheetah is a large-sized feline inhabiting most of Africa and parts of the Middle East. The cheetah is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx, most notable for modifications in the species' paws...
s, and leopards.
Awards
As a distinguished leader within the conservation field, Rabinowitz has received numerous wildlife awards, including:2004: Our Time Theatre Company Award
2004: Lowell Thomas Award – New York Explorer’s Club
2005: George Rabb Conservation Award – Chicago Zoological Society
2005: Flying Elephant Foundation Award
2006: Kaplan Big Cat Lifetime Achievement Award
2008: International Wildlife Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award
2010: Cincinnati Zoo Wildlife Conservation Award
2011: Jackson Hole Lifetime Achievement Award in Conservation
Books
| Year | Title |
|---|---|
| 1986/2000 | Jaguar: One Man’s Struggle to Establish the First Jaguar Preserve. |
| 1991/2002 | Chasing the Dragon’s Tail: The Struggle to Save Thailand’s Wild Cats. |
| 2001 | Beyond the Last Village: A Journey of Discovery in Asia’s Forbidden Wilderness. |
| 2005 | People and Wildlife: Conflict or Coexistence? |
| 2008 | Life in the Valley of Death: The Fight to Save Tigers in a Land of Guns, Gold, and Greed. |