Subscriber Benefit
As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowPatricia Chappelle Wright, a distinguished primatologist and professor of anthropology at Stony Brook University, has won the 2014 Indianapolis Prize for her efforts in animal conservation, the Indianapolis Zoological Society announced Tuesday.
Wright is known for her multi-decade study of social and family interactions of wild lemurs in Ranomafana National Park in Madagascar, which she helped establish in 1991.
Her work and personal story is featured in the IMAX and Warner Bros. 2014 documentary “Island of Lemurs: Madagascar,” which is narrated by Morgan Freeman.
The Indianapolis Zoological Society established the Indianapolis Prize in 2006 to honor the world's top animal conservationists. Wright is the first woman to receive the prize, which is given every two years.
Wright was cited by the society "for her heroic and selfless dedication to protecting the lemurs, ecosystems and people of Madagascar."
She will receive $250,000 and the Lilly Medal. Five other finalists for the award will receive $10,000 each. They will be honored Sept. 27 in at the Indianapolis Prize Gala.
Please enable JavaScript to view this content.