Big cats and wild places conjured at Holderness science center

August 07. 2014

Me-ow! 

A tiger levels an appraising gaze toward the camera while stretched out on a branch. (Photo courtesy of Nick Garbutt)

Alan Rabinowitz, a pioneer in wildlife conservation, will visit the Squam Lakes Natural Science Center on Route 113 in Holderness on Saturday to shares some tales about protecting the world’s big cat specials and last wild places.

Rabinowitz, the chief executive officer of Panthera, will give his presentation at the center’s annual Summer Celebration at 6 p.m.

Dubbed “The Indiana Jones of Wildlife Conservation” by Time Magazine, Rabinowitz has traveled the globe to study jaguars, clouded leopards, Asiatic leopards, tigers, Sumatran rhinos, bears, leopard cats, raccoons and civets.

His work in Belize resulted in the world’s first jaguar sanctuary, while his efforts in Taiwan led to the establishment of this country’s largest protected area and last piece of intact lowland forest. Likewise, his work in Thailand generated the first field research on Indochinese tigers, Asiatic leopards and leopard cats in what was to become the region’s first World Heritage Site, while his efforts in Myanmar led to the creation of five new protected areas, including a tiger reserve in the Hukaung Valley.

Focused on preserving wild habitats and securing homes on a large scale for some of the world’s most endangered mammals, Rabinowitz particularly zeroes in on top predators that affect large-scale ecosystems. For example, he spearheaded the creation and implementation of the Jaguar Corridor, a series of biological and genetic corridors for jaguars across a range from Mexico to Argentina. Similarly, he launched Panthera’s Tiger Corridor Initiative, an effort to identify and protect the world’s last remaining large, interconnected tiger landscapes, in particular, the remote and rugged Indo-Himalayan region of Asia.

He is the author of “An Indomitable Beast: The Remarkable Journey of the Jaguar” and “A Boy and a Jaguar.”

The Summer Celebration will open with a cash bar and appetizers followed by an auction of science- and nature-related items. A business meeting will precede the event at 5 p.m. Tickets for the Summer Celebration are $75. A program for children featuring crafts, stories, activities and food is $10. For information, visit www.nhnature.org or call 968-7194.

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