[Congressional Record Volume 169, Number 149 (Thursday, September 14, 2023)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E849]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




HONORING WORLD-RENOWN CONSERVATIONIST, THEO PAGEL WITH AMERICAN HUMANE/
 GLOBAL HUMANE'S KIESSLING INTERNATIONAL PRIZE FOR SPECIES CONSERVATION

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                         HON. GUS M. BILIRAKIS

                               of florida

                    in the house of representatives

                      Thursday, September 14, 2023

  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize heroic efforts 
on behalf of wildlife worldwide. American Humane, the first and most 
experienced national humane organization, which was created in 1877 to 
ensure the safety, welfare, and well-being of animals, has awarded 
Prof. Theo Pagel, CEO of the Cologne Zoo in Germany with the 2023 
Wolfgang Kiessling International Prize for Species Conservation. This 
award was created in honor of Wolfgang F. Kiessling, the founder of 
Loro Parque and global leader in conservation.
  Prof. Theo Pagel has dedicated his life to ensuring the survival of 
countless species, and inspiring and educating generations of people. 
As the CEO of the Cologne Zoo, the former president of the World 
Association of Zoos and Aquariums, and Chair of the Reverse the Red 
Committee of the International Union for Conservation of Nature, Pagel 
has led significant change for animals both in the wild and in zoos. He 
was inspired at an early age by his father, also an animal lover, and 
started a breeding program in 1988 to save the endangered Bali 
Starling--a program he coordinated for nearly 20 years.
  Pagel created sustainability strategies and guidelines for 
conservation education during his tenure as president of the World 
Association of Zoos and Aquariums. He approaches conservation through 
inspiring the public as well as leading high-level strategies on saving 
countless species from the very largest Asian Elephant to the smallest 
Asian songbird.
  He has led a global charge to push back the effects of what 
scientists call a ``Sixth Mass Extinction,'' with up to one million 
species at risk of disappearing forever.
  Mr. Speaker, wildlife conservationists put the world first, wildlife 
first, the future first. They don't seek a hero's reward, a medal, or a 
prize. But they surely deserve it. Mr. Speaker, I ask today that we 
recognize the impact Theo Pagel has had on saving species, honor his 
work and acknowledge American Humane's Kiessling Prize as a way to 
shine a light on the important work of saving species for future 
generations to love.

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