WCS CEO Cristián Samper: “We need to protect the source,break the chain and stop demand.” Join the Global Pledge at WildlifePledge.org Washington, D.C. – December 4, 2012 – The Wildlife Conservation Society, in concert with the U.S. State Department, urged citizens around the world to pledge to help stop the illegal wildlife trade on Wildlife Conservation Day, December 4th. The pledge, found online at WildlifePledge.org, was conceived by ...

New estimate brings world population of mountain gorillas to 880 NEW YORK (December 3, 2012)—A 2011 census of mountain gorillas in Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park has confirmed that the great apes there have increased in number since the last count in 2006, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society, which provided support for the census. Recently released by the Uganda Minister for Tourism, Wildlife, and Antiquities and the Uganda Wildlife Authority, the new census reveal...

New York (December 3, 2012)  WCS President and CEO Dr. Cristián Samper issued the following statement for Wildlife Conservation Day:  The Connection Between Species Extinction, Organized Crime Illegal wildlife trafficking may prove to be the demise of many of our Earth’s species. Further, this activity – which is snuffing out the last populations of elephants, tigers and other animals -- finances organized crime and augments the sp...

A WCS camera trap snapped a photo of the rarely seen oncilla, and the BBC has recognized the photo via its annual Wildlife Photographer of the Year contest.

Photograph documents first record of an oncilla in Madidi National Park NEW YORK (November 29, 2012) — A photograph taken by Wildlife Conservation Society scientists of a little known Bolivian cat species called an oncilla has won a BBC Wildlife camera-trap photo competition. The photo, which won the New Discoveries category, documents the first-known occurrence of this extremely rare spotted cat in Madidi National Park. The Oncilla (Leopardus tigrinus) occurs across the Amazon and al...

Department of Wildlife and National Parks and WCS  spearhead effort to protect remaining elephants on peninsula Workshop to be held at the Institute of Biological Diversity, Krau Wildlife Reserve: November 29—December 1, 2012 NEW YORK (November 28, 2012)—Saving the Asian elephant in Malaysia will be the focus of an upcoming workshop at the Institute of Biological Diversity in Krau Wildlife Reserve, Malaysia (from November 29-December 1, 2012), accordi...

Alongside local government and action groups, we’ve undertaken restoration of the Bronx River. Once plagued by pollution, the New York waterway now shelters herring, egrets, muskrats, and snapping turtles. Take a virtual canoe trip down its banks and meet some of the local swimmers.

Turtle populations evaluated in New York City’s only freshwater riverSurvey and assessment is a collaboration with WCS, the Bronx River Alliance, New York Botanical Garden, and the NYC Parks DepartmentBronx River research is made possible by continued support from Congressman José E. Serrano and funding from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric AdministrationVideo available here: http://youtu.be/ewzcGNdBsAs Bronx, NY – Nov. 28, 2012 – Scientists from the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Z...

GABORONE, BOTSWANA (November 28, 2012) — The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) congratulates animal health and wildlife conservation experts from the Southern African Development Community (SADC) on their adoption of additional, environmentally-friendly ways to manage trade-sensitive animal diseases like foot and mouth (FMD), with an aim towards easing tensions at the livestock-wildlife interface. Given the importance of both the livestock and wildlife sectors to many countries...