Helen Freeman Video | Interviews

Helen Elaine Freeman (March 10, 1932 – September 20, 2007) was an American conservationist and endangered species advocate, who specialized in saving snow leopards. She was best known for founding the Snow Leopard Trust. Her preservation work earned her the nickname, the "'Jane Goodall' of Snow Leopards." She was born Helen Maniotas in Everett, Washington, on March 10, 1932. She was the only child of Greek immigrants. Freeman graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington State University in 1954. She later obtained a second degree in Animal Behavior from... MORE

Helen Elaine Freeman (March 10, 1932 – September 20, 2007) was an American conservationist and endangered species advocate, who specialized in saving snow leopards. She was best known for founding the Snow Leopard Trust. Her preservation work earned her the nickname, the "'Jane Goodall' of Snow Leopards." She was born Helen Maniotas in Everett, Washington, on March 10, 1932. She was the only child of Greek immigrants. Freeman graduated with a bachelor's degree in Business Administration from Washington State University in 1954. She later obtained a second degree in Animal Behavior from the University of Washington in 1973. She met her husband, Stanley Freeman, through mutual friends at the United States Coast Guard. The couple were married for 49 years. Freeman's interest in Snow Leopards began while she was a volunteer docent at the Woodland Park Zoo in Seattle. The zoo acquired two Snow Leopards, named Nicholas and Alexandra, from the Soviet Union in 1972. Freeman eventually became the curator of education at the Woodland Park Zoo. She held that position when she founded the Snow Leopard Trust in 1981. The original purpose of the trust was to help zoos keep Snow Leopards, which LESS