Poster presentation

Alan Rabinowitz is arguably one of the most successful wildlife preservationists in the world today. This success is due to his ability to turn many negative situations to positive ones, a skill he learned from overcoming adversity as a child. Since graduating from the University of Tennessee in the 1970’s with a PhD in wildlife ecology, he has done research projects around the world making many new scientific discoveries and bringing his conservation ideas to the areas in which he works. Some of his accomplishments include: the creation of the world’s first jaguar preserve in Belize, Central America, the establishment of a 1,472-square-mile national park in the country of Myanmar (Southeast Asia), the establishment of Taiwan’s largest nature preserve and the discovery of the world’s smallest deer in Myanmar called the leaf deer or leaf muntjac. He currently works for the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York City. He grew up in New York City with a severe speech impediment that made him a social outcast in school. But this only fostered his love for wildlife because his pets became his closest companions and they never made fun of his inability to speak well. Dealing with this and other difficulties in his youth, such as a father who wanted nothing but perfection from his only son, gave him the skills he needs to face the challenges of conservation work, and the passion and determination that makes him such a success.