When local fishers in Kia Island opened a protected coral reef to fishing for a short-term community fundraising effort, the effects of the harvest bore long-term consequences for the reef's health.

NEW YORK (March 23, 2012)—A protected coral reef in Fiji briefly opened for an intensive five-week fishing season was largely depleted of its fish populations and has been slow to recover, according to a study by the Wildlife Conservation Society.In the first study of its kind, conservationists with WCS’s Marine Program examined the environmental impact of an intensive fishing event—conducted by three villages in 2008 to pay for both school and church fees and provincial levies—on a formerly pro...

Addition of bats to the exhibit demonstrates their important role in the ecosystem Known as “flying foxes,” Indian fruit bats are among the largest species of bat in the world To help protect them in the wild, WCS Works across the range of Indian fruit bats in Cambodia and Malaysia NEW YORK – March 22, 2012 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo has added high-flyers to JungleWorld – 21 giant Indian fruit bats. Indian fruit bats are commonly known as greater Indian flying foxes because...

Giraffe calf to join herd in Bronx Zoo’s African Plains Bronx, NY – March 22, 2012 – A female Baringo giraffe calf born this month at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo stays close to her mother in the Carter Giraffe Building. The calf will be making its debut in the zoo’s African Plains in about one week. The calf was approximately 6 feet tall and over 100 pounds at birth. As an adult, she could eventually grow to 16 feet and weigh 2,600 pounds. Giraffes are native to grasslands,...

Rep. Betty McCollum (D-MN) Recognized as “Champion of the Forests” World Forestry Day Commemorates the Importance and Benefits of Forests WASHINGTON (March 22, 2012) – Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Executive Vice President of Public Affairs John F. Calvelli advocated for greater protection of the world’s forests by funding the U.S. Forest Service Office of International Programs (FSIP) during testimony before the House Interior Appropriations Subcommittee. In a celebration of World Fores...

Sen. Baucus (D-MT) Leads Effort to Promote Measures that Will Increase Highway Safety and Enhance Wildlife Connectivity WASHINGTON (March 21, 2012) – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) applauded the Senate passage of the “Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century” (MAP-21) bill, the national transportation bill that includes provisions to protect wildlife and drivers on America’s highways. Sen. Max Baucus (D-MT) led the effort to include language within MAP-21 that enables state and fe...

Scientists and government officials from across the world come to India’s Nagarahole National Park to learn how tiger champion and WCS Senior Scientist Ullas Karanth has reversed the tide for this big cat on the brink.

MONDULKURI PROVINCE, CAMBODIA (March, 20, 2012) A vulnerable ethic minority village inside Cambodia’s remote Seima Protection Forest today became one of the first in Cambodia to receive a collective land title, which will help villagers fend off threats to their land and culture while also strengthening conservation goals.The Senior Minister for Land Management, Urban Planning and Construction, H.E. Im Chhun Lim, visited the ethnically Bunong village of Andoung Kraloeng village to mark this hist...

Largest study of tropical coral reef fisheries ever conducted shows how government, local fishers, and organizations can protect livelihoods and fish NEW YORK (March 19, 2012)—A study by the Wildlife Conservation Society, ARC Centre for Excellence for Coral Reef Studies, and other groups on more than 40 coral reefs in the Indian and Pacific Oceans indicates that “co-management”—a collaborative arrangement between local communities, conservation groups, and governments—provides a solution t...

Brooklyn, N.Y. – March 19, 2012 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium has added beautiful weedy scorpion fish to its collection of exotic marine animals in the Explore the Shore exhibit.Scorpion fish are a colorful species native to the Indo-Pacific. Seen here in bright orange, scorpion fish can be found in a wide range of colors, including green, lavender, blue, and many more.The scorpion fish is one of the most venomous fish. It uses its venomous dorsal spines to protect agai...