FOR EMBARGOED RELEASE (January 10, 2012 at 5:00 pm Eastern Time) NEW YORK – January 10, 2012 – An article released today in PLoS ONE entitled, Zoonotic Viruses Associated with Illegally Imported Wildlife Products, from a collaborative study led by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), identified evidence of retroviruses and herpesviruses in illegally imported wildlife products confiscated at several U.S. international airports, including John F. Kennedy International...

A study finds evidence that bushmeat (including these straw-colored fruit bats) illegally imported into the country by air can contain and spread pathogens from wildlife to humans, and establishes the importance of tracking diseases associated with the illegal wildlife trade at U.S. ports.

A WCS marine project to reduce bycatch in Kenya and Curacao through a low-cost, low-tech fish trap design takes the top honor in a contest sponsored by Rare, in partnership with National Geographic.

Honor Awarded by Rare in Partnership with National GeographicWCS's "Bycatch Escape Gaps for Fish Traps" Takes Top Honor NEW YORK, (January 10, 2012) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society has won top honors from Rare, in partnership with National Geographic, for an innovative marine program operated in Curacao and Kenya. WCS won the grand prize in the contest called "Solution Search: Turning the Tide for Coastal Fisheries."The Wildlife Conservation Society’s winning solution is entitled “...

Spectacularly colored Matilda’s horned viper is discovered by WCS and Museo delle Scienze of Trento, Italy New snake is restricted to remote forest in southwest Tanzania NEW YORK (January 9, 2012) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced the discovery of a spectacularly colored snake from a remote area of Tanzania in East Africa. The striking black-and-yellow snake is called Matilda’s horned viper. It measures 2.1 feet (60 centimeters) and has horn-lik...

WCS and the Museo delle Scienze of Trento, Italy discover a spectacularly colored new snake. Named Matilda’s horned viper, the snake is restricted to remote forest in southwest Tanzania.

In winter 2011, WCS Conservation Scientist Steve Zack traveled to Cuba to represent WCS’s ongoing conservation projects on that vibrant island nation. A first-time visitor to the Caribbean and a passionate ornithologist, the birds that he saw there—in every hue, of every size, and in amazing multitudes—inspired this audio slideshow.

Authorities confiscate more than 20 protected birds bound for illegal wildlife market NEW YORK (January 4, 2012) —A smuggler using a public bus to transport a veritable aviary of rare birds for the illegal pet trade was recently arrested by Indonesian authorities, according to the Wildlife Conservation Society. The arrest was carried out by the Natural Resources Conservation Agency (BKSDA) in Lampung, Sumatra, Indonesia on December 11, 2011, and resulted in the confiscation of mo...

Indonesian authorities arrest a bird smuggler traveling through the island of Sumatra by bus, saving more than 20 rare birds—including the palm cockatoo—from becoming victims of the illegal wildlife trade.

Flushing, N.Y. – January 4, 2011 – A piece of the American southwest comes north as the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo welcomes a pair of majestic Texas longhorn cattle. The Queens Zoo recently added an 8-month-old, 150-pound male calf and his mother, a 7-year old, 800-pound cow. These animals were brought to the zoo, which is dedicated to wildlife of North and South America, because they are signature of the American southwest region. “As a zoo of the Americas, it is particularly ...