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News

(September 23, 2026) Reverses long-held assumption that origin was in Asia, Africa or North America  WCS Scientists contributed to landmark study  Read the Study Download Photos A landmark study, the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken, finds that bats most likely originated in Europe around 65 million years ago, before spreading across the world. The work also reveals that echolocation, like flight, evolved near the dawn of bat evolution, and lays the groundwork for rese...

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(September 15, 2026) Nature Comment Calls for Closing Legal Loopholes in $2.5 Billion Global Reptile and Amphibian Pet Trade Global pet trade threatens wildlife in source countries and can spread pathogens and invasive species around the world [Above photo: Endemic to Colombia, Lehmann’s poison frog (Oophaga lehmanni) is rated as Critically Endangered on the Red List of threatened species maintained by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The frog is included]...

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(May 01, 2023) HA NOI, Viet Nam (April 26, 2023) – A new study led by the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) identified a viral hotspot in Viet Nam where bat roosting sites, bat guano harvesting, and pig farms are all in close proximity. The findings of this collaborative One Health study, described in the latest issue of the journal Viruses, have important implications for public health and wildlife conservation.  The authors say that the collection of guano – commonly used as a ferti...

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(February 16, 2023) “The characteristic of the influenza virus is that it has three ways of changing: it can mutate, adapt to the host or recombine with other viruses. It is already known that sea lions are affected by this virus and also dolphins. The risk lies in how much direct contact there is between these [different] species,” Paulo Colchao, a veterinarian specializing in wildlife health at WCS, explained to OJO Publico in: Peru Is The Country With The Most Animals Affected By Bird ...

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(February 01, 2023) The IUCN Panorama Solutions in Focus publication on Wildlife Health and Zoonotic Disease Risk Reduction aims to enhance Green Recovery from the COVID-19 crisis by providing case studies and guidance on positive lessons and approaches to integrated wildlife and human health approaches. The solutions provide a platform for dialogue, capacity development, and exchange for practitioners, legislators, and decision-makers at local, national, and global levels.  WCS provided...

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