Their name makes them sound tough, but Eastern hellbenders are in need of protection in New York State. The salamanders are facing population decline due to habitat destruction, disease, and pollution.

WCS-led study examines overlooked role fruit-eating crocodilians may play in forest regeneration Berries, legumes, nuts, and grains consumed by crocs and alligators New York, N.Y. — August 21, 2013 — It turns out that alligators do not live on meat alone. Neither do Nile crocodiles. A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that the American alligator and a dozen other crocodile species enjoy an occasional taste of fruit along with their normal meat-heavy diets of mammals, birds...

Bronx Zoo collaborates with New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and Buffalo Zoo to save one of the largest salamander species in the world WCS helps re-establish Eastern hellbenders to New York State Watch an underwater video of the release >>Bronx, N.Y. — August 21, 2013 — The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is working to save the Eastern hellbender, one of the world’s largest species of salamander, and has re-introduced 38 animals into streams in western Ne...

Rare Blakiston’s fish owls – and their favorite food – rely on giant old-growth trees for breeding and feeding New York, N.Y. — August 15, 2013 — A study spearheaded by the Wildlife Conservation Society and the University of Minnesota has shown that the world's largest owl – and one of the rarest – is also a key indicator of the health of some of the last great primary forests of Russia's Far East. The study found that Blakiston’s fish owl relies on old-growth forests along streams for...

A new study shows that Blakiston's fish owls are a clear indicator of the health of the forests, rivers, and salmon populations in Russia’s Far East.

Genetic testing used to verify suspected cause of disease and death Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo, Primorskaya State Agricultural Academy in Russia and colleagues  characterize new threat to endangered big cat New York, N.Y. – August 14, 2013 – The first-ever published study to genetically characterize canine distemper virus (CDV) in tigers confirms that CDV acts as both a direct and indirect cause of death in the endangered big cats in the Ru...

Scott Roberton, representative of WCS’s Vietnam Program, describes the country’s vast wildlife trade that is driving many species to extinction, as well as the progress being made to combat it.

New York, N.Y. – August 8, 2013 – The Wildlife Conservation Society will host the first-ever Sip for the Sea, a benefit for WCS’s New York Aquarium, at WCS’s Central Park Zoo on Thursday, Sept. 12, 2013. All proceeds go to support the aquarium as it recovers from Hurricane Sandy. The event will feature pairings of sustainable wines from The Hess Collection, a Napa Valley wine producer, with sustainable seafood and other special offerings. Twenty of NYC’s top restaurants will participate, includi...

With relentless fishing, dams, habitat loss, and pollution threatening their populations, American eels need our help. Dr. Merry Camhi, director of the New York Seascape Program at WCS’s New York Aquarium, and Dr. John Waldman, Professor of Biology at Queens College, describe these mysterious fishes and a unique window of opportunity to help save them.

Steve Zack, WCS's Coordinator of Bird Conservation, explains the ways in which oil and gas fracking efforts may reshape the American prairie, and the consequences for grassland birds and bison.