WCS and partner organizations have issued a new report emphasizing paramount threats to wildlife in Southern Africa. Illegal hunting, the bushmeat trade, and unselective snaring are compromising already-fragile species.

Lions, cheetah, leopard, and wild dog particularly vulnerable Southern African Development Community (SADC) member states take first steps to tackle looming conservation crisis View the report>> JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (October 25, 2012) – A recent report says illegal hunting of wildlife in South African Development Community (SADC) states can lead to the eradication of many species across extensive areas a...

Hatching of bird species is a significant husbandry success Fewer than 40 crested couas live in U.S. zoos Bronx, NY – Oct. 22, 2012 – ATTACHED PHOTO: A rare crested coua chick is hand-reared in an off-exhibit area at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo. The chick displays the markings on the inside of its mouth as it prepares to receive food from its caretaker. These markings are unique for each individual chick and fade as the bird matures. The marki...

Saturday & Sunday, Oct. 13 -14 Brooklyn, N.Y. – Oct. 12, 2012- The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium is hosting a full line-up of educational activities to celebrate African Penguin Awareness Weekend on Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 13 and 14. The goal of the weekend is to help raise awareness about the African black-footed penguin, an endangered species native to the southern tip of Africa. Activities include: Touch Station – Visitors will see and feel penguin b...

Elephant poaching is rising at an alarming rate, and it's now reached an all-time high since the 1989 global ivory ban. In an article for the New York Daily News, John Robinson, WCS's executive vice president for conservation and science, discusses potential solutions for reducing global poaching. 

SMART Technology Unveiled at World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Korea Strategic Tool Designed to Identify Poaching Hotspots JEJU, REPUBLIC OF KOREA (SEPT. 11, 2012) – A free high-tech tool to combat the wildlife poaching crisis was offered to grassroots rangers by a consortium of conservation organizations at the World Conservation Congress. SMART, the Spatial Monitoring and Reporting Tool, is designed to help park and community rangers fight illegal wildlife trade by identifying p...

WCS President and CEO, Dr. Cristián Samper, delivered the following keynote speech during the 2012 IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, South Korea. His speech may be read below.Martha's Legacy:The past, present and future of species, ecosystems and human livelihoods"On September 1, 1914, nearly 100 years ago, the last passenger pigeon passed away in a cage in the Cincinnati Zoo after many years in captivity. Her name was Martha. She was the last of her kind and with her, this extraordinary...

View the video on Youtube Bronx, NY – Aug. 22, 2012 –Two male southern white rhinoceroses are making their debut at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo. The two rhinos are three-and-a-half-year-old brothers and weigh about 4000 pounds. They are not fully grown and could weigh over 7,000 pounds as adult bulls. They each consume about 50 pounds of hay and herbivore pellets a day. They were brought to the Bronx Zoo from The Wilds (Cumberland, Ohio) where they were...

The government of Madagascar has officially created Makira Natural Park, the nation’s largest protected area and a haven for lemurs. Having vied for this safeguard for more than a decade, WCS applauds this watershed moment in the country’s history.

Wildlife Conservation Society commends Madagascar for creation of Makira Natural Park  New park contains 20 lemur species NEW YORK (August 17, 2012)—The Wildlife Conservation Society applauds the government of Madagascar for recently creating Makira Natural Park, now the island nation’s largest protected area and home to the highest diversity of lemur species on the planet. Makira Natural Park represents an important milestone toward ac...