Wildlife rescues, groundbreaking science and unforgettable zoo moments were in the news
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New York, Dec. 23, 2025 — The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Communications Team today released its 12 favorite stories and photos of 2025, highlighting moments that inspired wonder, advanced science, and demonstrated tangible progress for wildlife and wild places around the world.
Spanning WCS’s global conservation program and WCS’s zoos and aquarium in NYC, these stories and images highlight species making comebacks, innovative animal care, powerful images from remote rainforests, and scientific discoveries. There were many more stories to highlight but we kept the list at 12. See our breaking news from 2025 HERE.
A King Vulture Chick at the Bronx Zoo A king vulture chick was hand-raised at the Bronx Zoo using a specialized puppet technique developed more than 40 years ago to prevent imprinting on humans. Read more HERE. Signs of Lion Recovery in Northern Central African Republic WCS camera traps captured the first image of an adult female lion in northeastern CAR in six years. Weeks later, video footage revealed three cubs—clear evidence that lions may be reclaiming this vital landscape. Read more HERE. Queens Zoo Breeds New England Cottontails to Help Prevent Their Extinction The Queens Zoo bred and transferred 15 endangered New England cottontail rabbits for release into forests in Maine and Massachusetts, contributing to a broader recovery to prevent their extinction. Read more HERE. Exploring the Hidden World of Hudson Canyon A US NOAA expedition revealed stunning coral gardens nearly half a mile deep in Hudson Canyon—the largest submarine canyon on the U.S. Atlantic coast. WCS has nominated the canyon as a National Marine Sanctuary to protect its rich biodiversity and support the local economy. Read more HERE. Artificial Waterholes Offer Lifeline for Wildlife in Guatemala As climate-driven drought intensifies, artificial waterholes monitored by WCS and partners has helped wildlife survive in Guatemala’s Maya Biosphere Reserve—benefiting species ranging from birds to jaguars. Read more HERE. New York Aquarium Rescues Coral Seized by US Fish and Wildlife Service Live stony corals seized by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service while being transported illegally into the U.S. are now being rehabilitated through the New York Aquarium’s advanced coral propagation program. Read more HERE. A Bright Orange Silvered Langur Baby Debuts at the Bronx Zoo A silvered langur infant with a striking orange coat delighted visitors early in the year. The Bronx Zoo is home to one of the largest breeding groups of this species in North America. Read more Here. Extraordinary Camera-Trap Photography from the Congo A major photography project in Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park captured rarely seen rainforest species in unprecedented detail, offering a powerful glimpse into one of Earth’s most biodiverse ecosystems. Read more HERE. World of Darkness Reopens at the Bronx Zoo WCS celebrated the reopening of the iconic World of Darkness exhibit, featuring 21 habitats and 25 nocturnal species that reveal how animals survive and thrive in low-light environments. Read more HERE. Gorillas, Truffles, and a Breakthrough in Indigenous-Led Science New research revealed that gorillas in Congo’s Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park scratch the forest floor not for insects but to forage for deer truffles. The study was led by Gaston Abea, the first Indigenous person from Ndoki to lead a peer-reviewed scientific paper. Read more HERE.
Sharks and Rays Get Historic Trade Protections At the 20th meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES CoP20), the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) welcomed a series of landmark decisions that will strengthen trade regulations for threatened species—including many heavily targeted by the global pet trade—while also warning that several decisions could jeopardize hard-won conservation gains. WCS delegates from across the globe brought decades of scientific and policy expertise to Samarkand, working to ensure that Party decisions were grounded in rigorous, evidence-based conservation science. Among the most significant conservation outcomes, Parties adopted historic protections for more than 70 species of sharks and rays, including the uplisting of oceanic whitetip sharks, whale sharks, and all manta and devil rays to Appendix I—effectively prohibiting their international commercial trade. Read more HERE Conservation Efforts Have Prevented Further Decline in Tiger Populations The first IUCN Green Status of Species assessment for the tiger (Panthera tigris) found that the world’s largest cat is Critically Depleted after a century of population decline, but also shows that conservation has prevented even greater losses and provides hope for recovery of tigers across their range. Conservation has played a decisive role in preventing even greater collapse in tiger numbers, potentially putting the species onto the slow road to recovery. Read more HERE.
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