Flushing, N.Y. – Aug. 20, 2012 – The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo staff has chosen a photo of the zoo’s majestic American bald eagle to win its recent online photo contest held in collaboration with AT&T and the NYC Department of Parks and Recreation. The photo, taken by Anthony Fronc of Brooklyn, is called “American Icon.” 

The contest helped kick off the new AT&T Wi-Fi service that is now available at the zoo. Visitors were encouraged to take photos of their favorite Queens Zoo animals and submit them for a chance to win a family membership to WCS wildlife parks. 

“We want to thank everyone who participated in the contest. We received many beautiful photos of our animals, including our new domestic longhorn calf and North American pronghorn fawns,” said Scott Silver, Director and Animal Curator of the Queens Zoo. “We are very happy to partner with AT&T and the New York City Parks Department on the Wi-Fi initiative, which will help us further our goal of connecting people to wildlife.”

"AT&T congratulates Anthony Fronc for submitting the winning photo to the Queens Zoo," said Marissa Shorenstein, President, AT&T New York. "Our goal in providing free AT&T Wi-Fi is to help zoo visitors have a richer, more interactive experience and it's encouraging that so many people have already taken advantage of the service." 

“American Icon” was chosen because it provides an up-close look at an animal many people wouldn’t usually see. The photo will appear on the zoo’s website: www.queenszoo.com and other social media pages. 

The Wi-Fi initiative is part of a five-year joint effort between AT&T and the City of New York to provide free Wi-Fi service at 26 locations in 20 New York City parks across all five boroughs. Since the initiative launched last June, parks visitors have made more than 2.7 million total connections, averaging 10,000 connections a day across the five boroughs.

The Wildlife Conservation Society saves wildlife and wild places worldwide. We do so through science, global conservation, education and the management of the world’s largest system of urban wildlife parks, led by the flagship Bronx Zoo. Together these activities change attitudes towards nature and help people imagine wildlife and humans living in harmony. WCS is committed to this mission because it is essential to the integrity of life on Earth.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo – Open every day of the year. Admission is $8 for adults, $6 for seniors 65 and older, $5 for kids 3-12, free for children under 3. Zoo hours are 10am to 5pm weekdays, and 10am – 5:30pm weekends, April through October, and 10am – 4:30pm daily, November through April. The Queens Zoo is located at 53-51 111th Street in Flushing Meadow’s Corona Park in Queens. For further information, call 718-271-1500 or visit www.queenszoo.com.