Calabar, Nigeria, August 16, 2024 -- As Nigeria's elephant population approaches survival threshold, the federal government, supported by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the Elephant Protection Initiative, has adopted a ten-year plan to protect the country's remaining 400 pachyderms. While its elephant population has declined by 99%, Nigeria has become the main exit point for wildlife products from Africa, with nearly a quarter of the world's seized ivory shipped throug...

Queens, New York, August 15, 2024 – A southern pudu fawn, one of the smallest deer species in the world, is debuting at the Queens Zoo. Born on June 21at about 2 pounds, the fawn shares a habitat with its parents at the Queens Zoo’s Wild Side. The species, when fully grown, can weigh up to 15 to 20 pounds and stand 14-17 inches tall.  The Queens Zoo breeds southern pudu, listed as Near-Threatened by IUCN, as recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums Species...

CAMEROON, August 13, 2024—Ramping up protection efforts of Endangered Central African lions, a team of Cameroonian rangers and biologists from the Ministry of Forestry and Wildlife (MINFOF) and Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), has placed GPS collars on seven of the big cats in Cameroon’s Bouba Ndjidda National Park; this brings the number of collared lions to ten. The collaring is part of a long-term effort by the government of Cameroon and WCS to recover Bouba Ndjidda’s wi...

Bronx, NY, August 8, 2024 – A red-crowned crane chick, one of the largest and most threatened crane species in the world, is debuting at the Bronx Zoo.  The chick hatched on June 8th and can be found with its parents at the zoo’s Northern Ponds. The zoo now has three red-crowned cranes, also known as the Japanese crane or Manchurian crane.  The Bronx Zoo is breeding these birds as part of an AZA (Association of Zoos and Aquarium...

New York, NY, August 7, 2024 – A new study from WCS reveals that community capacity-building interventions, even those with only indirect environmental links, significantly improved perceptions of fisheries management and conservation in coastal fishing villages in East Africa. The most notable positive changes were observed among women, youth, and initially skeptical communities. This groundbreaking social change research shows that targeted educational and engagement efforts can ...

Madidi National Park, Bolivia, August 5, 2024 – A recent study in Madidi National Park showed that the diversity of amphibians found in this protected area exceeds the diversity reported for other megadiverse protected areas in the tropical Andes, such as Manu in Peru or Yasuní in Ecuador. This finding further suggests, according to a new paper published in Herpetology Notes, that Madidi may be the most diverse national protected area in the world. The study further inclu...

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, August 5, 2024 – An innovative public-private collaboration, the Peripheral Ecosystem Management Project (PROGEPP), is celebrating 25 years of protecting gorillas, elephants, and other wildlife and for empowering local communities.  Established in 1999, PROGEPP is a unique collaboration between the Ministry of Forest Economy, Olam Agri’s Wood Business - Congolaise Industrielle de Bois (CIB), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which ai...

Nothing is wrong with Happy. Happy, one of the two Asian elephants at the Bronx Zoo is fine and doing well. Both Happy and Patty are in their early 50’s and, as we routinely report, in good health. Both elephants are given the choice and option of where they want to spend their day.  Happy has been choosing to not go out into the area visible from the monorail, so Patty is the elephant recently seen by guests. Happy is given the opportunity each day to use the exhibit area and when...

Bangkok, July 27, 2024 – There’s phenomenal news for the Endangered tiger: There’s been a 250 percent increase in tiger numbers in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM) over a 15-year period from 2007 to 2023. Thailand’s remarkable success, increasing the number of tigers in WEFCOM from about 40 to more than 140, stands in stark contrast to the tiger’s fate elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Tigers disappeared from Java and Bali before the 21s...

BRONX, N.Y. — July 23, 2024 — Pumpkin Nights returns to kick off the Halloween season at the Bronx Zoo. On Thursday through Sunday nights from September 26th – October 27th, more than 5,000 animal-themed jack o'lanterns will illuminate a half-mile trail in the zoo to ring in the spooky season. This year, guests can expect more local food trucks, refreshments, outdoor games, photo ops, live pumpkin carvings, and more! Lighting up the Bronx Zoo after the sun sets, Pumpk...