Brooklyn, N.Y. – Aug. 28, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society photographed a humpback whale feeding yesterday less than six miles from New York City. Waters off New York City and the greater New York Bight serve as a feeding ground, nursery, and migratory corridor for many species of marine life including whales, dolphins, sharks, fish, and sea birds. WCS’s New York Seascape program works to restore healthy populations of these species and protect New York marine waters, which are vital to...

New York (August 28, 2014)—A new study reports that an expansion of marine protected areas is needed to protect fish species that perform key ecological functions. According to investigators from the Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations, previous efforts at protecting fish have focused on saving the largest numbers of species, often at the expense of those species that provide key and difficult-to-replace ecological functions. Many vital ecological functions of ocean ecology a...

Fewer than 1,000 critically endangered Siamese crocodiles remain in the wild NEW YORK (August 28, 2014) – The Wildlife Conservation Society announced today the successful release of 17 juvenile critically endangered Siamese crocodiles into a protected wetland in Lao PDR. The one-to-two-year-old crocodiles, which range between 50-100 cm (20-39 inches) in length, were raised in facilities managed by local communities working with WCS to protect the endangered reptiles and their habitat. The juven...

Registration is open for the first fully supported week-long tour in the region; created to benefit the Adirondack Park Saranac Lake, NY – August 26, 2014 – The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) today announced Cycle Adirondacks, a week-long, road bike tour through the Adirondack Park featuring daily routes that will allow riders to be immersed in the forests, lakes, streams and abundant wildlife habitat of the famed Adirondack region. Local WCS wildlife experts will be on hand all week to pr...

According to Brendan Mackey, Director the Climate Change Response Program at Griffith University Australia, and James Watson, WCS Global Climate Change Program Director, "it’s now or never if the world’s surviving primary forests are to be saved."

Depending on where one lives, the ability to coexist with wildlife varies drastically. David Wilkie, WCS Director of Conservation Support, discusses the different challenges he experiences in Boston, MA, compared to his friend, Kauteli, who lives in the Congo.

New York (August 19, 2014) – The following statement was issued by John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs and Director of the 96 Elephants Campaign: “Today’s landmark study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, authored by 96 Elephants partner Save the Elephants and other groups, confirms the widespread slaughter of elephants throughout Africa driven by ivory poaching. These tragic numbers underscore the urgency of banning the ivory trade. Recent WCS res...

New global research reveals extreme vulnerability of primary forests Authors say just 22 percent of primary forests are located in protected areas, which is the equivalent of only five percent of original primary forest Analysis provides clear policy recommendations to protect primary forests Paper URL:http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/conl.12120/full August 18, 2014: An international team of conservationist scientists and practitioners has published new research showing the precarious...

Authors find that Giant South American river turtles have a repertoire of vocalizations for different behavioral situations, including caring for young New York (August 14, 2014)— Turtles are well known for their longevity and protective shells, but it turns out these reptiles use sound to stick together and care for young, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society and other organizations. Scientists working in the Brazilian Amazon have found that Giant South American river turtles actuall...

New Pronghorn Management Guides share latest science, inform issues impacting species BOZEMAN (August 13, 2014) – Biologists from the U.S., Mexico, and Canada have collaborated for the first time to produce recommendations to protect and manage North America’s fastest land mammal – the pronghorn. Pronghorn are endemic to North America and numbered an estimated 35 million in the early 19th century. Today, about 700,000 remain and more than half of those live in Wyoming. The guides provide the l...