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Tom Foose Award

This award recognizes Rhino Keeper Association members who have demonstrated a dedication to rhinoceros conservation through educational efforts resulting in the direct benefit of rhino conservation.  The recipient will receive up to $1,000 in scholarship to defer costs for travel, lodging, registration and meals not funded by the attendee’s institution in order to attend Rhino Keeper Workshops. Recipients will share their educational and conservation efforts at the Workshop. 

The IRKA will present the award to the recipient at the next Rhino Keeper Workshop. In addition, their contribution to the IRKA will be acknowledged at the Workshop, on the IRKA website, in The Crash, and in the annual membership meeting minutes.  Recipients will be required to provide an article to the Crash about their work and contributions to rhinoceros education and conservation

Criteria:

  • Any active member of the IRKA can be nominated for this award by a member of the IRKA or the board of directors. 

  • Nominee’s contributions to the IRKA will be objectively reviewed and evaluated based on the criteria and the recipient’s ability to attend the next workshop.

  • A majority vote of the Board and the Advisor to the Award will determine the recipient.

  • Receiving this award does not preclude the recipient from applying for additional Rhino Keeper Workshop scholarships.

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Award:

The IRKA will present the award to the recipient at the next Rhino Keeper Workshop. In addition, their contribution to the IRKA will be acknowledged at the Workshop, on the IRKA website, in The Crash, and in the annual membership meeting minutes.  Recipients will be required to provide an article to the Crash about their work and contributions to rhinoceros education and conservation.

Tom Foose

Dr. Tom Foose loved rhinoceros. He was the Director of the International Rhino Foundation and was instrumental in establishing Rhino Keeper Workshops. As the first Advisor to Board of the International Rhino Keeper Association (IRKA), he helped guide the original Steering Committee establishing the direction and focus of the organization: education. Tom believed if people across the world could work together to learn about, and then save rhinos, things could change. His enthusiasm made people stop and think about what they could do to help rhinos.  He inspired people to set aside their personal, national and institutional agendas to focus on preventing rhinoceros extinction. The founding members of the Board of Directors established the Tom Foose Memorial Scholarship to recognize his contribution to our organization and encourage others to step forward and make similar contributions. This scholarship is to recognize his irreplaceable guidance and tireless dedication to rhinoceros conservation.

Past recipients

2023- Stacy Strother

2019- Sean Ramsdell

2015- Roxanne Losey

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