International Snow Leopard Trust founder dies

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http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/333195_obitfreeman26.html

Wednesday, September 26, 2007

Last updated 7:47 a.m. PT

 

Helen Freeman, 1932-2007: 'Jane Goodall' of snow leopards

 

By CASEY MCNERTHNEY <caseymcnerthney

P-I REPORTER

 

From the moment Helen Freeman saw two snow leopards at Woodland Park Zoo,

they captivated her, family members recall.

 

She would stand near them for hours at a time, observing behaviors that she

would become an expert at interpreting.

[image: Freeman] Freeman

 

In 1981, she founded the International Snow Leopard Trust, the largest

organization working to preserve the endangered animal in its Central Asian

habitat.

 

Freeman sometimes traveled to Asia alone, balancing her persistence and

maternal grace in trying to persuade government officials to protect the

endangered species.

 

After she died of lung disease Thursday, colleagues praised her as " the Jane

Goodall of snow leopards. " Freeman was 75.

 

" Helen inspired so many people to help her cause that the Snow Leopard Trust

continues to grow stronger and accomplish goals Helen envisioned almost 30

years ago, " trust Executive Director Brad Rutherford said.

 

Born Helen Maniotas, Freeman was the only child of Greek immigrants who

owned the London Cafe in Everett. After graduating from Washington State

University, she met Stanley Freeman through friends in the Coast Guard.

 

The couple marked their 49th wedding anniversary this year.

 

" She could bring a smile to your face whenever you were talking to her, "

Stanley Freeman said of his wife. They have two sons, Doug and Harry.

 

Freeman became a volunteer docent at Woodland Park Zoo and later enrolled at

the University of Washington, where she earned a degree in animal behavior.

 

Freeman used that training when studying Nicholas and Alexandra, the Zoo's

snow leopards, which had been obtained in 1972 from the Soviet Union.

 

" The more I learned, the more I saw them, the more interesting they were to

me, " she told the Seattle P-I in 2001.

 

In the early 1970s, snow leopards didn't breed well in zoos. Freeman helped

build a successful breeding program over a decade, and Nicholas and

Alexandra had 29 cubs through 2001.

 

" I think it's important that we preserve diversity, " Freeman told the P-I in

1982. " I don't think every animal that we look at should be domesticated. We

evolved to share with every other creature on this planet. "

 

Freeman traveled to Asia and Europe and around the U.S., meeting with

government officials and conservationists. In 1984, she was named chairwoman

of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association's Snow Leopard Species Survival

Plan.

 

Among many awards, Freeman received the Alumni Achievement Award from

Washington State University and the Evergreen Award in 1998 from the Fish

and Wildlife Service.

 

But just as important are the memories Doug Freeman has of her spending time

listening to his friends.

 

" She made it part of her day to get to know them and learn things about

their life, " said her son, a veterinarian. " I have several friends still

tell me she helped guide them to become who they are today.

 

" She was a strong woman determined to succeed, and she always saw the good

in people. "

 

Freeman also is survived by five grandchildren, who loved to hang on the

handlebars of her motorized scooter, family members said. A celebration of

her life is scheduled for Oct. 13 at East Shore Unitarian Church in

Bellevue.