• Groundbreaking for The LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center and the Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health

  • Both facilities are part of the C.V. Starr Science Campus at the Bronx Zoo

Wednesday, October 6th, 10 a.m ., Media Arrival: 9:30 a.m.

Bronx, NY – Tuesday, Oct. 5, 2010 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is breaking ground on the LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center and a Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health – two facilities that will help WCS continue its long tradition of connecting people to nature and ensuring exemplary care for animals.

The LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center will be a 10,000 square-foot, state-of-the-art building that will house the zoo’s tractable animal collection. These animals are used in education classes and tours to give course participants and special guests personalized and intimate encounters with wildlife. 

The Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health will be a technologically advanced animal holding facility specifically designed to meet exacting environmental needs of the animals. It will be used to initially house and care for animal acquisitions and other animals in the collection in need of specialized care. 

Who:     

Dr. Steve Sanderson , WCS President and CEO
John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs
Dr. Robert Cook, WCS Executive Vice President and General Director of Living Institutions
Jim Breheny, WCS Sr. Vice President of Living Institutions and Bronx Zoo Director
Susan Chin, WCS Vice President of Planning and Design, Chief Architect
NY State Senator Ruth Hassell-Thompson
NY State Senator Jeff Klein
NY City Council Majority Leader Joel Rivera
NY City Councilwoman Annabel Palma
John and Mary LaMattina

What: 
Groundbreaking ceremony
LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center and Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health

Where:    
WCS’s Bronx Zoo
2300 Southern Blvd, Bronx, NY                                          

When:            
Wednesday, October 6, 2010, 10:00 a.m.

WCS is grateful for the generous support of those who made these projects possible:

LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center
John and Mary LaMattina
The Bodman Foundation
New York State Senate
New York City Council
The Starr Foundation

Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health
New York State Senate
The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor of the City of New York
New York City Council
The Starr Foundation

The LaMattina Wildlife Ambassador Center and the Special Care Unit of the Global Center for Wildlife Health are part of the C.V. Starr Science Campus, made possible through the support of The Starr Foundation and the City of New York.

Special media note:  Members of the media who wish to attend, please RSVP to Max Pulsinelli at mpulsinelli@wcs.org or 718-220-5182. Media should arrive at 9:30 a.m.

Contact:
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Steve Fairchild – 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.org

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony.  WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.