Our staff photographer Julie Larsen Maher recently snapped this great shot of a humpback whale off the NY coast, but such a sighting is not as rare as you may think.

Brooklyn, N.Y. – Aug. 28, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society photographed a humpback whale feeding yesterday less than six miles from New York City. Waters off New York City and the greater New York Bight serve as a feeding ground, nursery, and migratory corridor for many species of marine life including whales, dolphins, sharks, fish, and sea birds. WCS’s New York Seascape program works to restore healthy populations of these species and protect New York marine waters, which are vital to...

New York (August 28, 2014)—A new study reports that an expansion of marine protected areas is needed to protect fish species that perform key ecological functions. According to investigators from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations, previous efforts at protecting fish have focused on saving the largest numbers of species, often at the expense of those species that provide key and difficult-to-replace ecological functions. Many vital ecological functions of ocean ecology a...

Fewer than 1,000 critically endangered Siamese crocodiles remain in the wild NEW YORK (August 28, 2014) – The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today the successful release of 17 juvenile critically endangered Siamese crocodiles into a protected wetland in Lao PDR. The one-to-two-year-old crocodiles, which range between 50-100 cm (20-39 inches) in length, were raised in facilities managed by local communities working with WCS to protect the endangered reptiles and their habitat. The juven...

Discovery Guides answer visitor questions and help with special events and activities for the public Project TRUE is an urban environmental education program that gives students hands-on experience in urban ecology Applications and information available at wcs.org/volunteer Brooklyn, N.Y. – Aug. 27, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Prospect Park Zoo is accepting applications for its Teen Discovery Guide and Project TRUE programs.Discovery Guides work on the zoo’s trail and inside exh...

Registration is open for the first fully supported week-long tour in the region; created to benefit the Adirondack Park Saranac Lake, NY – August 26, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) today announced Cycle Adirondacks, a week-long, road bike tour through the Adirondack Park featuring daily routes that will allow riders to be immersed in the forests, lakes, streams and abundant wildlife habitat of the famed Adirondack region. Local WCS wildlife experts will be on hand all week to pr...

According to Brendan Mackey, Director the Climate Change Response Program at Griffith University Australia, and James Watson, WCS Global Climate Change Program Director, "it’s now or never if the world’s surviving primary forests are to be saved."

Through his conservation work, Steve Zack, WCS Coordinator of Bird Conservation, has learned quite a bit about the Southern Ocean and the seabirds that call it home. Since he began his work in 1990, these species and the environment they live in have come under significant threats.

Over the course of several research trips abroad, molecular biologist Dr. Tracie Seimon has mastered the art of packing up her mobile laboratory. This time, she's packing for a trip to Myanmar to check up on Burmese star tortoises.

Depending on where one lives, the ability to coexist with wildlife varies drastically. David Wilkie, WCS Director of Conservation Support, discusses the different challenges he experiences in Boston, MA, compared to his friend, Kauteli, who lives in the Congo.