Chick on exhibit with parents in zoo’s Temperate Territory

Bronx, NY – May 7, 2014 – This white-naped crane chick (Grus vipio) is the first of its kind successfully hatched at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo.

The chick hatched on April 11 and is on exhibit with its parents. This is the second chick produced by this pair; the first was hatched at the Bronx Zoo in 2011.

The Wildlife Conservation Society breeds white-naped cranes and other species as part of the Species Survival Plan, a cooperative breeding program designed to enhance the genetic viability of animal populations in zoos and aquariums accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

White-naped cranes are a migratory species native to East Asia including China, Russia, Japan, North and South Korea, and Mongolia. They are classified as “Vulnerable” by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), with the wild population estimated to be between 5,500 and 6,500 individuals. The species is at risk because of loss of its wetland habitats to agriculture.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Mongolia Program has identified this species as a conservation priority, and has conducted censuses of it in high elevation wetlands of Mongolia and nearby countries. WCS has worked with conservation partners and governments across its range to help conserve this iconic species.

The Wildlife Conservation Society works to protect wildlife around the globe and has conservation programs in Asia working to save wildlife within the range of the white-naped crane.

CONTACT:
Max Pulsinelli - 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org
Steve Fairchild – 718-220-5189; sfairchild@wcs.org
The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo - Open every day of the year. General Admission is $12 for adults, $9 for senior citizens, $7 for children 3 to 12, and free for children younger than 3. Total Experience Admission is $18.00 for adults, $15.00 for senior citizens, and $13.00 for children 3 to 12. 4-D theater admission is $4.00 for members and $7.00 for non-members. Zoo hours are 10am to 5:30 pm, April through October, and 10am – 4:30pm daily, November through April. Tickets are sold until one half-hour before closing. The zoo is located at Fifth Avenue and 64th Street. For further information, please call 212-439-6500 or visit www.centralparkzoo.com

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)
MISSION: WCS saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. VISION: WCS envisions a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth. To achieve our mission, WCS, based at the Bronx Zoo, harnesses the power of its Global Conservation Program in more than 60 nations and in all the world’s oceans and its five wildlife parks in New York City, visited by 4 million people annually. WCS combines its expertise in the field, zoos, and aquarium to achieve its conservation mission. Visit: www.wcs.org; facebook.com/TheWCS; youtube.com/user/WCSMedia; follow: @theWCS.