Weaver Wins Wildlife Ambassador Award
(photo courtesy Indianapolis Zoological Society)
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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 named Oscar-nominated actress Sigourney Weaver the recipient of the 2016 Jane Alexander Global Wildlife Ambassador Award. Weaver is the honorary chair of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International.
The organization, which also awards the Indianapolis Prize, says the award is given to those "who have been powerful, effective, credible, and consistent voices for wildlife conservation." Weaver played Fossey in the 1988 film "Gorillas in the Mist," which she says inspired her to become a conservationist.
"Playing Dian brought me into her world and the world of gorillas and made it abundantly clear to me just how much of a difference one individual can make," said Weaver. "Our children deserve to inherit a world of wildlife. And if countries and politicians can join forces to save the great apes and their habitats, then there is hope that gorillas will be around for generations to come."
Weaver joins fellow actors Josh Duhamel, Alfre Woodard, and Sam Waterston, among others as a recipient of the award. She will receive it at the Indianapolis Prize Gala on October 15 in Indianapolis.
"Sigourney Weaver is a wonderfully effective conservationist," said Michael Crowther, chief executive officer of the Indianapolis Zoological Society. "She is both a force of nature and a force for nature. She commits herself to thoroughly understanding issues, and then is hugely effective at influencing others to take action and create change."
In May, the Indianapolis Zoological Society announced conservationist Carl Jones will receive the 2016 Indianapolis Prize. He will join Weaver at the October ceremony to receive the Lilly Medal and a $250,000 cash prize.