The following statement was issued by John F. Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President for Public Affairs:“The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) applauds New York State Governor Cuomo for signing into law a bill that will block any offshore drilling activity off of New York’s coastline, a region that supports a diversity of marine life as well as vital livelihoods for the state’s coastal communities.   “We commend New York State Assemblyman Steve Englebright and Sen...

Dr. Susan Lieberman, Vice President of International Policy for WCS said: “Yesterday, the CITES Secretariat announced the postponement of the 18th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP18) scheduled to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka May 23 to June 3, due to the recent horrific terrorist attacks and security issues in the country. All of us at WCS are heartbroken for the victims and their families, and the people of Sri Lanka, and we support this decision to postpone this im...

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s (WCS) Climate Adaptation Fund, in collaboration with the Climate Resilience Fund (CRF), has released a new report providing practical guidance to foundation and public agency funders, and natural resource managers for reducing their investment risk in the era of climate change. The report was launched this week at the 2019 National Adaptation Forum in Madison, Wisconsin. According to the 2018 National Climate Assessment, a legally-mandated synthesis of ...

Experts from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) reacted to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service’s recently released recovery plan for the jaguar. 

The 2019 WCS Run for the Wild marks the 11th anniversary of the Bronx Zoo’s 5K event dedicated to saving wildlife and wild places.  The annual 5K race and family fun run/walk are scheduled for Saturday, April 27.  Runners, walkers, and wildlife supporters are invited to participate.

Scientists report the first cases of foot disease for endangered huemul deer in Chilean Patagonia in a study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of California, Davis’ One Health Institute, with partnering institutions in Chile and the United States. 

The New York Public Library’s Dorothy and Lewis B. Cullman Center for Scholars and Writers has selected WCS Senior Conservation Ecologist Eric Sanderson as a member of its 21st class of Fellows.

On Earth Day 2019, aquariums across the United States are leading by example in the fight against one of the threats facing ocean and freshwater animals – plastic pollution. The 20 aquariums that make up the Aquarium Conservation Partnership (ACP) are committing to three business practices that bring their facilities closer to eliminating all single-use plastic materials.  Collectively more than 600 businesses and 160,000 individuals nationwide joined the aquariums by making business and lifestyle changes that reduce consumption of single-use plastic.

WCS mourns the passing of Professor Don J. Melnick, an internationally renowned teacher and scientist who died April 18, 2019. Dr. Melnick worked closely with many of us at the Wildlife Conservation Society as he created the Center for Environmental Research and Conservation at Columbia University, a consortium including WCS, the American Museum of Natural History, the New York Botanical Garden, and the Wildlife Trust (now EcoHealth Alliance). 

Steadfast efforts continue to prevent the extinction of the Giant Yangtze Soft Shell Turtle (Rafetus swinhoei), even with the news that the last known female of the species died on Saturday, April 13, 2019.