{"id":353,"date":"2024-10-23T15:59:41","date_gmt":"2024-10-23T15:59:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/e-mailguide.com\/?p=353"},"modified":"2025-01-03T10:56:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-03T10:56:38","slug":"helen-freeman-the-jane-goodall-of-snow-leopards","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/e-mailguide.com\/index.php\/2024\/10\/23\/helen-freeman-the-jane-goodall-of-snow-leopards\/","title":{"rendered":"Helen Freeman: The \u201cJane Goodall\u201d of Snow Leopards"},"content":{"rendered":"

Conjuring the Spirit of the Himalaya Ghost Cat<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\u201cLove at first sight,\u201d is how conservationist Helen Freeman described meeting a pair of Earth\u2019s rarest creatures one fateful day in 1972. Nicholas and Alexandra had made the long journey from Russia (then known as the Soviet Union), to be raised and studied at Woodland Park Zoo<\/a> in Seattle, Washington. Their silvery white fur, marbled by dark rosettes, looked like bare trees in a snow storm.\u00a0Their piercing eyes met Helen\u2019s, and with unbridled compassion, she embraced the cubs as her own. The siblings were a big cat species so obscure, local communities had consigned their kind to the name, \u2018Ghost of the Mountains.\u2019 But Helen Freeman was determined to save them, and their snow leopard<\/a> kin, from vanishing from their Himalayan home.<\/p>\n

Freeman was volunteering for the zoo\u2019s veterinary staff when she fell in love. The position was an unusual calling for a woman trained in business administration and born into a family of Greek immigrant caf\u00e9-owners. However, Freeman was drawn to animals and was curious to learn more about their behavior\u2014a yearning that ultimately led her back to the University of Washington to earn a second degree.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"A<\/p>\n

The countless hours spent observing Nicholas and Alexandra developed into a multinational research project, launching a series of successful captive-breeding programs. In 1979, Freeman was promoted to the zoo\u2019s Curator of Education and tasked with increasing public awareness about the threats snow leopards faced. She taught visitors about the importance of protecting endangered felines and preserving their natural habitat<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Though Freeman filled this role until 1986, she wanted to do more for the species. She believed the most effective way to save snow leopards from extinction would be to inspire the local communities in Asia who lived among them. So, with cultural identity and grassroots efforts at the heart of her mission, Freeman founded the Snow Leopard Trust<\/a> in 1981. At the time of Freeman\u2019s passing<\/a> in September of 2007, the Trust employed a diversity of staff throughout China, India, Mongolia, Pakistan and the Kyrgyz Republic.<\/p>\n

\n
\n

 <\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n
<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

A post shared by Snow Leopard Trust (@snowleopardtrust)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n