Indianapolis Prize Winner Announced
Jones is credited with saving a number of species including the echo parakeet.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe Indianapolis Zoological Society has awarded the 2016 Indianapolis Prize to Carl Jones of the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation. Jones is credited with leading the recoveries of more than a dozen endangered species in the Republic of Mauritius.
Jones most famously saved the Mauritius kestrel from the brink of extinction. Once known was the rarest bird on the planet, the kestrel’s population went from four in 1979 to nearly 400 in one decade, thanks to Jones’ work.
"Like his mentor, Gerald Durrell, Carl has a talent for breaking the mold," said Simon Stuart, chair of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, in February when Jones was named a finalist. "If we are to prevent widespread species extinctions in the coming years, the world desperately needs more people like Carl – talented, charismatic and visionary, with a stubborn determination not to give in."
Jones is the chief scientist for the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust and scientific director for the Mauritian Wildlife Foundation, which he helped establish. Jones also helped the Mauritian government establish the country’s first national park, Black River Gorges.
Jones will be awarded the Lilly Medal and a $250,000 cash prize.