New York, N.Y. - Heather Gordon, a zookeeper at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo, has always had a passion for wildlife. A lover of all animals, she's in charge of caring for such exotic animals as polar bears, Japanese snow monkeys and sea lions. But her job has taken a wild turn, and now she’s taken the lead in caring for one of the most critically endangered species in the world. As the Central Park Zoo gears up to open the new Allison Maher Stern Snow Leopard exhibit n...

New report says farms are a detriment to conservation efforts & enforcement NEW YORK (May 21, 2009)—Commercial wildlife farms in Southeast Asia—where rare snakes, turtles, crocodiles, monkeys, and other species are bred and raised in captivity for the purpose of producing meat and wildlife products—do not alleviate the exploitation of populations in the wild. In fact, wildlife farms make the problem worse, according to a recent joint study by the Wildlife Conservation Society and Vi...

WCS finds Vietnam’s commercial wildlife farms are hurting, not helping wildlife. A new report says the farms are a detriment to conservation efforts and enforcement.

WCS Testifies Before Congress on Bills to Save Icons of the Wild Including the Issuance of New U.S. Postal Stamp NEW YORK (MAY 5, 2009) The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Executive Vice President of Conservation and Science Dr. John Robinson testified today before the House Natural Resources Subcommittee on Insular Affairs, Oceans, and Wildlife, in favor of a new postage stamp that would help some of the world’s most beloved – but endangered – wildlife. H.R. 1454, the Multinational Species Con...

Nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins are alive and swimming in Bangladesh, according to new WCS research. Prior to this study, the largest known populations of Irrawaddy dolphins numbered in the low hundreds or less.

Nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins are alive and swimming in Bangladesh NEW YORK (April 1, 2009) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today the discovery of a huge population of rare dolphins in South Asia—but warns that the population is threatened by climate change and fishing nets. Using rigorous scientific techniques, WCS researchers estimate that nearly 6,000 Irrawaddy dolphins, which are related to orcas or killer whales, were found living in freshwater regions of Bangladesh’...

NEW YORK (March 18, 2009)—After nearly dying from eating a poisoned animal carcass, a critically endangered white-rumped vulture was nursed back to health by wildlife veterinarians and conservationists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and Angkor Centre for Conservation of Biodiversity (ACCB) and returned to the skies of Cambodia. The story is a small victory in a region where vultures of several species in Asia have become endangered due to a variety of causes. “Vulture ...

Agreement marks unique partnership among the World Bank, Global Environment Facility, and the Conservation Community to conserve big cats throughout their range NEW YORK (February 26, 2009) The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), together with the World Bank and Global Environment Facility (GEF), announced today a commitment of $2.8 million toward tiger conservation across its range. WCS will lead a new project, Tiger Futures, in partnership with other conservation organizations with long-term ...

Photographic confirmation of fleet-footed big cats a first for that country NEW YORK (February 23, 2009)—A Wildlife Conservation Society-supported survey of the Sahara has captured the first camera-trap photographs of the critically endangered Saharan cheetah in Algeria. The survey was conducted by researchers from the Zoological Society of London (ZSL), the Office du Parc National de l’Ahaggar (OPNA), and the Université de Béjaïa, with support from WCS and Panthera. The photographs were taken a...

The Wildlife Conservation Society, ARC Centre of Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and other groups say the health of coral reef fish is directly linked to local economies. Wealthy and least developed regions have the healthiest fish populations, while those in the middle are suffering.