Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Programs Director, Nick Marx, Nominated for 2014 Indianapolis Prize
New York, NY (PRWEB) August 28, 2013 -- Nick Marx, Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Programs Director – along with thirty-eight other conservationists who have dedicated their lives to saving the Earth’s endangered species – has been nominated to receive the biennial Indianapolis Prize, the world’s leading award for animal conservation. The winner of the Prize will receive an unrestricted $250,000 cash award and the Lilly Medal. Five other finalists will each receive $10,000. The Prize Jury will determine the winner, who will be announced in mid-2014 and honored at the next Indianapolis Prize Gala presented by Cummins Inc., to be held Sept. 27, 2014, in Indianapolis.
“The current nominees are exceptional and they represent many of the most significant wildlife conservationists working in the field today,” said Michael Crowther, president and CEO of the Indianapolis Zoo, which initiated the Indianapolis Prize as part of its core mission. “Increasingly more species are at risk of extinction, and these heroes deserve our recognition and support for their expertise, accomplishments, and tireless efforts protecting them. We encourage people around the world to celebrate the nominees’ important work and to join them in advancing animal conservation.”
Since joining Wildlife Alliance a decade ago, Marx has revolutionized the rescue, care, and rehabilitation of wild animals in Southeast Asia. He has risked his life many times, coordinating the rescues of rogue elephants, releasing poisonous snakes, facing tigers head on, and saving a critically wounded baby elephant by spending two weeks nursing it around the clock in the thick of the forest. Known for his pioneering hands-on approach to big cats, Marx has spent 40 years in wildlife and habitat conservation, specializing in rehabilitation and care, in India, South Africa, and, currently, Cambodia, often giving his own time and financial resources to the cause.
With his tireless determination and coordinating efforts with Wildlife Alliance’s Wildlife Rapid Rescue Team – the only on-the-ground wildlife anti-trafficking enforcement unit in Southeast Asia – more than 56,000 animals have been saved from certain destruction since 2001, the illegal wildlife trade has been disrupted by more than 75 percent, and Phnom Tamao Wildlife Rescue Center has become one of the region’s foremost wildlife rescue centers, housing more than 1,200 rescued animals including many endangered species.
A dedicated lifelong conservationist, Nick Marx is not just a person with a passion for all things wild; he is someone who has and will put everything on the line to ensure the survival of the animals he loves. It is due solely to Nick’s dedication, supervision, and fighting spirit that Cambodia’s wildlife has a more secure future; that greater attention is paid to wildlife laws; that the illegal wildlife trade is being attacked on all sides; and that the animals rescued by Nick and his team have their best shot at long and happy future.
About Wildlife Alliance:
Wildlife Alliance was founded by Suwanna Gauntlett to offer direct protection to forests and wildlife through cutting edge conservation programs. The organization provides technical assistance and critical thinking to governments and strives for stakeholder consensus in achieving solutions to multiple environmental threats, including animal trafficking, economic land concessions for agro-industrial plantations and mining, and community encroachment on forestland. Wildlife Alliance is the leader in direct action in the Southeast Asian tropical belt.
About The Indianapolis Prize:
The Indianapolis Prize was initiated by the Indianapolis Zoo as a significant component of its mission to empower people and communities, both locally and globally, to advance animal conservation. This biennial award brings the world’s attention to the cause of animal conservation and the brave, talented and dedicated men and women who spent their lives saving the Earth’s endangered animal species. The Indianapolis Prize has received support from the Eli Lilly and Company Foundation since its inception in 2006.
Chloe Lala-Katz, Wildlife Alliance, http://www.wildlifealliance.org, +1 (646) 569-5860, [email protected]
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