Alan Rabinowitz facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alan Rabinowitz
Rabinowitz at the PopTech 2010
Born	Alan Robert Rabinowitz (1953-12-31)December 31, 1953 Brooklyn, New York City, New York, U.S.
Died	August 5, 2018(2018-08-05) (aged 64) Manhattan, New York City, New York, U.S.
Alma mater	Western Maryland College University of Tennessee
Known for	Wildlife conservation Jaguar Corridor concept
Awards	International Wildlife Film Festival Lifetime Achievement Award (2008)
Scientific career
Institutions	Bronx Zoo Panthera Corporation

Alan Robert Rabinowitz (born December 31, 1953 – died August 5, 2018) was an American scientist who studied animals. He was a leader at Panthera Corporation, a group that works to protect all 40 types of wild cats around the world. Time magazine called him the "Indiana Jones of Wildlife Protection." He studied many animals, including jaguars, clouded leopards, tigers, and Sumatran rhinos.

Early Life and Animal Connection

Alan Rabinowitz was born in Brooklyn, New York. When he was young, he had a severe stutter. This made it hard for him to talk with other kids and his teachers. Because of this, he became very interested in wildlife. He felt he could communicate with animals better than with people.

Rabinowitz often shared stories about how his childhood experiences led him to care about protecting animals. A video of him telling his story on The Colbert Report became very popular. He also spoke for the Stuttering Foundation.

In 1974, Alan earned his first college degree in biology and chemistry. He then went on to get his master's and Ph.D. degrees in ecology from the University of Tennessee.

Protecting Wild Animals

Before he helped start the Panthera Corporation in 2006, Rabinowitz worked for almost 30 years at the Wildlife Conservation Society. There, he led their science and exploration team.

Discoveries in Myanmar

In 1997, while working in Myanmar's Hukaung Valley, he found four new types of mammals. One of these was the leaf deer, which is a very old type of deer. His work in Myanmar helped create five new protected areas. These included Myanmar's first marine park, Lampi Island Marine National Park. He also helped create the country's first and largest Himalayan national park, Hkakaborazi National Park.

His efforts also led to the Hukaung Valley Wildlife Sanctuary, the world's largest tiger reserve. This sanctuary is one of the biggest protected areas anywhere. He also helped connect this area to another sanctuary, creating a huge protected forest over 5,000 square miles.

Saving Big Cats

Rabinowitz set up the world's first jaguar sanctuary in Belize. It is called the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary. He also helped create Taiwan's largest protected area, the Tawu Mountain Nature Reserve. In Thailand, he was the first to study Indochinese tigers and Indochinese leopards in the wild. This research helped make the Huai Kha Khaeng Wildlife Sanctuary a UNESCO world biosphere reserve.

One of his biggest achievements was creating the Jaguar Corridor. This is a series of safe paths for jaguars to travel across their whole range, from Mexico to Argentina. He also started the Tiger Corridor Initiative. This project aims to find and protect the last large areas where tigers live, especially in the Indo-Himalayan region.

A BBC Natural History Unit documentary series, Lost Land of the Tiger (2010), showed his project to create a chain of tiger habitats in the southern Himalaya. A team explored Bhutan and found tigers living much higher in the mountains than people thought.

In 2017, Rabinowitz became the chief scientist at Panthera. He oversaw programs to protect tigers, lions, jaguars, and snow leopards. He also worked on projects for cougars, cheetahs, and leopards.

Later Life

Alan Rabinowitz was diagnosed with a type of cancer called Chronic lymphocytic leukemia in 2001. He passed away on August 5, 2018, due to his cancer. A conservation magazine called Conjour said he left behind an amazing "legacy of inspirational big cat conservation."

Awards

Alan Rabinowitz received many awards for his work:

• 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
• 2016: Roy Chapman Andrews Society Distinguished Explorer Award

Books

Alan Rabinowitz wrote several books about his adventures and his work:

See also

In Spanish: Alan Rabinowitz para niños