George Schaller is a field biologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society in New York and spends most of his time in the field. He was born in 1933 and went to the universities of Alaska and Wisconsin.

Spending most of his time during the past fifty years in the wilds of Asia, Africa, and South America, he has studied and helped protect species as diverse as jaguar, lion, tiger, snow leopard, giant panda, mountain gorilla, Tibetan antelope, and wild sheep and goats of the Himalaya.

The winner of several awards, including the National Book award his studies have been the basis for his scientific and popular writings including 16 books, among them The Year of the Gorilla, The Serengeti Lion, Stones of Silence, The Deer and the Tiger, and The Last Panda.

His numerous national and international awards for conservation include the International Cosmos Prize (Japan) and the Tyler Prize for Environmental Achievement (USA).