A series of drone images taken by researchers from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) and partners may show the world’s most endangered turtle, Swinhoe’s softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei). The images were captured during aerial surveys on Dong Mo Lake some 30 miles west of Ha Noi. There are only three known individuals remaining of this giant freshwater turtle, which can weigh over 200 pounds. The images show a large round shape just under the surface of Dong Mo Lake. Ac...

A new study in the journal Frontiers in Public Health led by scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) confirms that pangolins confiscated from the illegal wildlife trade in Viet Nam host SARS-CoV-2 related coronaviruses.

The Ha Noi Department of Agriculture and Rural Development, in collaboration with the Asian Turtle Program (ATP) of Indo-Myanmar Conservation (IMC) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) have made dramatic progress to possibly prevent the extinction of Swinhoe’s softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei) also known as the Yangtze giant softshell turtle or or Hoan Kiem turtle. 

On July 23^rd 2020 the Vietnamese Government released Prime Minister’s Directive No. 29 on urgent solutions to manage wildlife. This has been largely reported in the global media as a widespread ban on wildlife trade in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The Wildlife Conservation Society welcomes the Prime Minister’s Directive and the renewed attention it will bring to combating illegal trade and consumption of wildlife. However, there are a number of points that have been mis-reported in the global media and areas we think require greater attention to reduce the risks of future zoonotic pathogen outbreaks

A new study found that animals sampled in the wildlife-trade supply chain bound for human consumption had high proportions of coronaviruses, and that the proportion of positives significantly increases as animals travel from traders, to large markets, to restaurants.

To prevent future major viral outbreaks such as the COVID-19 outbreak, impacting human health, well-being, economies, and security on a global scale, WCS recommends stopping all commercial trade in wildlife for human consumption (particularly of birds and mammals) and closing all such markets.

WCS issues a statement concerning important steps the Government of Viet Nam is taking to prevent future outbreaks of zoonotic pathogens like COVID-19.

April 7, 2016 – Frontline enforcement officers from key provinces, ports and border posts in Laos, China and Viet Nam completed an inter-agency field mission this week to share experiences, approaches and update the situation on wildlife smuggling networks along the major Indo-Burma trade route. 

   (NEW YORK- May 25, 2015) – The Turtle Survival Alliance (TSA), San Diego Zoo Global and WCS’s Bronx Zoo announced today that working in conjunction with Changsha Zoo, Suzhou Zoo and the China Zoo Association, a female Yangtze giant softshell turtle (Rafetus swinhoei)—potentially the last female of her species—has been artificially inseminated. The procedure, which brought together top scientists from China, Australia and the United States, provides a ray of h...

The Indonesian National Police’s Criminal Investigation Division (BARESKRIM MABES POLRI), the Government of Indonesia, and the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Wildlife Crimes Unit (WCU) today announced the seizure of a shipment of pangolins headed to China and valued at approximately 1.8 million US dollars (USD).