Flushing, N.Y. – July 21, 2014 – ATTACHED PHOTO: A Roosevelt elk calf (Cervus canadensis roosevelti) born at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo has joined the rest of the herd on the zoo’s woodland habitat.

Born on June 10, the male calf brings the total number of elk in the herd to five. Roosevelt elk weigh approximately 25 pounds at birth. Adult bulls can weigh up to 1,100 pounds, while adult cows can reach 700 pounds.

Roosevelt elk are the largest sub-species of elk and one of the largest teresstrial animals in North America. They have distinct coats with a dark brown head and pale brown torso. They range from northern California to southern British Columbia.

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s North America Program is at work protecting the landscapes where elk roam and providing them with safe passage. Researchers are working to locate the corridors used by elk and moose during their seasonal migration in Idaho. Animals have been fitted with GPS collars and are being tracked by WCS field staff so that preferred highway crossing points can be identified and dangerous animal/vehicle collisions can be minimized—protecting both humans and wildlife.

CONTACT:
Barbara Russo – 718-265-3428; brusso@wcs.org
Max Pulsinelli – 718-220-5182; mpulsinelli@wcs.org

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.

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; www.facebook.com/TheWCS; www.youtube.com/user/WCSMedia Follow: @thewcs.

Special Note to the Media: If you would like to guide your readers or viewers to a Web link where they can make donations in support of helping save wildlife and wild places, please direct them to wcs.org.