January 16, 2014 Good afternoon. My name is Elizabeth Bennett. I am the Vice President for Species Conservation at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Thank you for the opportunity to speak before you today regarding the plight of African elephants due to demand for ivory, and the actions that New York State can take to improve their conservation status in the wild. My background is that I have spent 30 years working in wildlife conservation, from long-term field research on wildlife and h...

WCS applauds the Parliament’s wide-ranging wildlife crime resolution condemning illegal elephant killing and other illegal trafficking activities Resolution calls on E.U. Member States to introduce moratoria on all trade in ivory products until wild elephant populations are no longer threatened by illegal killing Brussels – 15 January, 2014 – The European Parliament took powerful action against illegal elephant killing through the passage of a groundbreaking resolution on wildlife trafficking th...

Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation Will Examine Effectiveness of New York Restrictions on Ivory Sales Hearing will take place Thursday, January 16, in Manhattan New York is the largest market for ivory in the U.S. 96 Elephants are killed every day by ivory poachers NEW YORK (January 14, 2013) – The New York State Assembly Standing Committee on Environmental Conservation announced a public hearing on ways to improve the effectiveness of the state’s laws and regulations prot...

Brussels – 13 January, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) issued the following statement on upcoming debate on wildlife trafficking in the European Parliament: “With debate on a landmark wildlife trafficking resolution beginning today, WCS looks to the European Parliament to make a powerful statement to the world that eliminating illegal hunting and the ivory trade is a priority,” said John Calvelli, WCS's Executive Vice President of Public Affairs. “As global citizens, we all ca...

Groundbreaking of 57,000-square-foot facility is part of the effort to transform the New York Aquarium and continue the rebirth of Coney Island Facility will house more than 100 species of marine wildlife including sharks, skates and rays A mong elected officials in attendance were: Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams; City Council Member Mark Treyger; Former City Council Member Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.; Council Member Vincent Gentile; Counc...

The groundbreaking of the facility is part of the effort to transform WCS's New York Aquarium and continue the rebirth of Coney Island.

Scientists Report on the State of World’s Largest Carnivores and the Critical Benefits they Provide NEW YORK (January 9, 2014) — A fascinating paper released today from a team of leading scientists, including Dr. Joel Berger of the Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Montana, reports on the current status of large carnivores and the ecological roles they play in regulating ecosystems worldwide, and finds that a world without these species is certainly scarier than a world with them....

Genetic study by American Museum of Natural History’s Sackler Institute for Comparative Genomics, Wildlife Conservation Society and University of Lisbon, Portugal finds clymene dolphin to be the product of hybridization between two other dolphin species First documented natural hybrid species among marine mammals NEW YORK (January 8, 2014)—A newly published study on the clymene dolphin, a small and sleek marine mammal living in the Atlantic Ocean, shows that this species arose through natural h...

Friday, January 10, 2014, 11 a.m., at the New York AquariumSeveral public officials and community leaders expected to attendEvent will emphasize the WCS New York Aquarium’s contribution to the economy, education and conservation in Coney Island, Brooklyn, and throughout New York CityNew York Aquarium divers will be in attendanceMedia: Please arrive by 10:30 a.m.Brooklyn, N.Y. – January 8, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium will celebrate the groundbreaking of Ocean Wond...

Dainty but tough, demoiselle cranes add a touch of elegance to the zoo’s rugged outdoorsBrooklyn, N.Y. – Jan. 8, 2014 – ATTACHED PHOTO: A demoiselle crane (Anthropoides virgo) takes in his surroundings at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo. The Prospect Park Zoo is now home to three demoiselle cranes, a migratory bird native to eastern Asia and northern Africa. French for “young lady,” demoiselle was the name given to these birds by Queen Marie Antoinette, who described the sp...