Indianapolis Zoo Nominates Turkish Biologist for Prize

Çağan Şekercioğlu is among 27 nominees for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize, a biennial award for wildlife conservation.

Updated on Nov. 5, 2026 in Wildlife

Wide landscape of a shallow wetland with reed beds and still water beneath a pale sky, with a green wildlife corridor crossing a highland plain toward distant mountains. — Biologist Çağan Şekercioğlu is among 27 nominees for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize, recognizing nearly 25 years of wildlife protection work in eastern Türkiye. AI Illustration. Upload story photo >

The Indianapolis Zoo has nominated biologist Çağan Şekercioğlu for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize, one of 27 nominees. The nomination recognizes his nearly 25 years of wildlife protection work in eastern Türkiye.

Why it matters

The nomination puts a conservation effort in eastern Türkiye, including wetland and wildlife corridor protection, in front of an Indianapolis audience. It also highlights Şekercioğlu's call for conservation measures to be pursued alongside climate action.

Şekercioğlu's team has protected approximately 283 square kilometers of forest and established Türkiye's first wildlife corridor for large carnivores. His team has also documented 318 bird species at the Aras River Bird Paradise in Iğdır since 2005.

The players

Çağan Şekercioğlu

A biologist and founder of the KuzeyDoğa Association who has led conservation work in Türkiye and holds faculty positions at Koç University and the University of Utah.

Indianapolis Zoo

A Indianapolis zoo that established the Indianapolis Prize in 2004 to recognize conservation achievements worldwide.

The details

Şekercioğlu, a biologist and founder of the KuzeyDoğa Association, works with Koç University in Türkiye and the University of Utah. The Indianapolis Zoo highlighted his team's efforts to protect wetlands and wildlife corridors in eastern Anatolia.

2004: Indianapolis Zoo establishes the Indianapolis Prize.
2005: Şekercioğlu discovers the Aras River Bird Paradise in Iğdır.
November 5, 2026: Nomination for the 2027 Indianapolis Prize is announced.
September 25, 2027: Prize winner is announced at a ceremony.

Roadmap

The Indianapolis Prize, established by the Indianapolis Zoo in 2004, is a biennial award that recognizes wildlife conservation leaders. This nomination extends that recognition to conservation work in eastern Türkiye, where Şekercioğlu's team protected wildlife corridors for large carnivores.

For Indianapolis residents, the nomination links the city's zoo to conservation work happening thousands of miles away. Readers interested in wildlife protection can follow the prize's progress as the winner is announced in 2027.

The takeaway

Conservation recognition often follows decades of quiet fieldwork, and this nomination reflects nearly 25 years of protecting wetlands and wildlife corridors in eastern Türkiye. Local readers can keep an eye on the 2027 ceremony as a marker of how international conservation efforts gain visibility.