Helen Freeman, 75, Founder Of Snow Leopard Trust
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Helen Elaine Freeman, known to many as “the Jane Goodall of snow leopards” for her advocacy on behalf of the increasingly rare central Asian big cats, died September 20 at 75.
Freeman founded the International Snow Leopard Trust in 1981 after becoming fascinated with two of the creatures at the Woodland Park Zoo.
She traveled to Asia, Europe and around the United States to drum up support for protecting the endangered species, and the trust she founded is the largest organization working to preserve snow leopards in their native habitat.
Scientists believe about 3,500 to 7,000 snow leopards, which typically stand about two feet high and weigh 60 to 120 pounds, are scattered across rugged and remote terrain in 12 nations, including Pakistan, Afghanistan, India, China, Russia, Mongolia and Uzbekistan.
Freeman was born Helen Maniotas, only child of Greek immigrants who owned a café outside Seattle. Her interest in snow leopards began while she was in high school, working as a volunteer docent at a local zoo.
She earned a degree in animal behavior at the University of Washington, then helped design a program that overcame problems for zoos in getting snow leopards to breed in captivity.
She later worked with Nicholas and Alexandra, the Woodland Zoo’s snow leopards obtained from the Soviet Union in 1972.
Nicholas and Alexandra had 29 cubs through 2001.
Freeman traveled to Asia and Europe and around the U.S., meeting with government officials and conservationists. The Snow Leopard trust has been a leader in forming cooperative ventures with local communities to save wildlife.