Madidi National Park, Bolivia, August 5, 2024 – A recent study in Madidi National Park showed that the diversity of amphibians found in this protected area exceeds the diversity reported for other megadiverse protected areas in the tropical Andes, such as Manu in Peru or Yasuní in Ecuador. This finding further suggests, according to a new paper published in Herpetology Notes, that Madidi may be the most diverse national protected area in the world. The study further inclu...

Brazzaville, Republic of Congo, August 5, 2024 – An innovative public-private collaboration, the Peripheral Ecosystem Management Project (PROGEPP), is celebrating 25 years of protecting gorillas, elephants, and other wildlife and for empowering local communities.  Established in 1999, PROGEPP is a unique collaboration between the Ministry of Forest Economy, Olam Agri’s Wood Business - Congolaise Industrielle de Bois (CIB), and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), which ai...

Nothing is wrong with Happy. Happy, one of the two Asian elephants at the Bronx Zoo is fine and doing well. Both Happy and Patty are in their early 50’s and, as we routinely report, in good health. Both elephants are given the choice and option of where they want to spend their day.  Happy has been choosing to not go out into the area visible from the monorail, so Patty is the elephant recently seen by guests. Happy is given the opportunity each day to use the exhibit area and when...

Bangkok, July 27, 2024 – There’s phenomenal news for the Endangered tiger: There’s been a 250 percent increase in tiger numbers in Thailand’s Western Forest Complex (WEFCOM) over a 15-year period from 2007 to 2023. Thailand’s remarkable success, increasing the number of tigers in WEFCOM from about 40 to more than 140, stands in stark contrast to the tiger’s fate elsewhere in Southeast Asia. Tigers disappeared from Java and Bali before the 21s...

BRONX, N.Y. — July 23, 2024 — Pumpkin Nights returns to kick off the Halloween season at the Bronx Zoo. On Thursday through Sunday nights from September 26th – October 27th, more than 5,000 animal-themed jack o'lanterns will illuminate a half-mile trail in the zoo to ring in the spooky season. This year, guests can expect more local food trucks, refreshments, outdoor games, photo ops, live pumpkin carvings, and more! Lighting up the Bronx Zoo after the sun sets, Pumpk...

PORT MORESBY, July 19, 2024—A new study of Papua New Guinea’s ocean begins this week, as scientists use cutting-edge technology to assess the water’s health and support the country’s conservation efforts. Gathering data from locally protected marine areas and previously unexplored marine ecosystems, the team of local and international scientists, including from WCS, is shedding light on one of the most biodiverse oceans on the planet.  "Papua New Guinea lies ...

BRONX, N.Y. – July 18, 2024 – Just in time for summer, a Matschie’s tree kangaroo (Dendrolagus matschiei) has made its first appearance at the Bronx Zoo. The joey, which was born at the end of December, recently emerged its head from its mother's pouch to make its public debut. This is the second of its species born at the Bronx Zoo and to this female since 2021. Like their kangaroo and wallaby marsupial cousins, the majority of a tree kangaroo joey’s physical deve...

BOLIVIA, July 17, 2024 – A group of coffee producers has filmed an extremely rare small carnivore, the Amazon weasel (Neogale africana), near their shade-grown plots as part of a citizen science monitoring program. This species has never previously been recorded in Bolivia. In a new article published in the Check List journal of biodiversity data, researchers highlight that this observation represents the southernmost and highest elevation location (1,400 meters abov...

BRAZZAVILLE, June 24, 2024 – As a result of a thorough process based on the Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) Standard, Nouabalé-Ndoki National Park, which has been under WCS management for over 30 years, has become the first site in the world to be recognized for its ecological integrity – a measure of the region's robust natural processes and resilience against disturbances. The KBA Standard, published by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), sets rigorous cri...

New York, June 21, 2024 – The Wildlife Conservation Society, along with American Forest Foundation, Conservation International, Environmental Defense Fund, Fauna & Flora, and The Nature Conservancy, signed a joint letter supporting the use of high-quality carbon credits in the abatement of scope 3 emissions under the Science Based Target initiative’s Net-Zero-Standard. The letter reads as follows:  To the attention of: Luiz Amaral, Chief Executive Officer, Scienc...