Craig Packer
| Craig Packer | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1950 (age 66–67) Fort Worth, Texas, U.S. |
| Nationality | American |
| Fields | Biology, Ecology, Zoology |
| Institutions | IUCN, Lion Researcher Center, National Geographic, Savannahs Forever Tanzania |
| Alma mater |
Stanford University (B.S., 1972) University of Sussex (Ph.D., 1977) |
| Doctoral students | Peyton West |
| Known for | study of lions, study of animal pathology, conservation, authorship |
| Notable awards |
Guggenheim Fellowship (1990) John Burroughs Medal (1995) Distinguished McKnight University Professorship (1997) American Academy of Arts and Sciences (2003) |
| Spouse | Susan James (m. 1999) |
Craig Packer (born 1950, Fort Worth, Texas) is an American biologist, zoologist, and ecologist chiefly known for his research on lions in Serengeti National Park. He is the founder and director of both the Lion Research Center and Whole Village Project, as well as the co-founder of Savannahs Forever Tanzania. In addition to these titles, Packer has worked as a professor in the University of Minnesota's department of Ecology, Evoltuion, and Behavior since 1983. Since his graduation from Stanford University in 1972, Packer has become a very active researcher and scientist, having published over 100 scientific articles and authored two books. For one of these books - Into Africa - Packer was awarded the John Burroughs Medal in 1995. He has received various honors and awards in recognition for his work as a biologist. Packer has been ordained with a Guggenheim Fellowship in 1990, a Distinguished McKnight University Professorship in 1997, and he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 2003. He is a regular contributor to National Geographic and the IUCN.
Packer was born in Fort Worth, Texas in 1950. He attended his local Eastern Hills High School in 1964 and graduated in 1968. Growing up, Packer was originally interested in being a doctor or an engineer, and originally sought medical school after graduating from high school. However, these fields did not support his desire to work out in the field and to travel to exotic places. Furthermore, Packer was fascinated by evolution and animal ethology. He ultimately abandoned his place in Stanford University’s School of Medicine to work as a field assistant for Jane Goodall in Gombe National Park, Tanzania to study olive baboons. He eventually graduated Stanford in 1972 with a bachelor’s degree in Human Biology. He later attended the University of Sussex to complete his doctoral research on baboons, graduating with a Ph.D. in Behavioral Ecology in 1977. After a subsequent study on Japanese macaques in Hakusan National Park, Packer returned to Tanzania in 1978 as the head of the Serengeti lion project. His interest in lions derives from their unique behavior as social carnivorans, and it is a passion he continues to exercise as director of the Lion Research Center.
...
Wikipedia