Contact:

Barbara Russo – 917-494-5493; brusso@wcs.org

Mary Dixon – 347-840-1242; mdixon@wcs.org

Presented by Con Edison

7th Annual WCS Run for the Wild

5K and Family Fun Run at WCS’s Bronx Zoo

5K Run and Walk a 5K to Save Gorillas and Other Wildlife

The Winners:

Christopher Stewart from the Bronx: (16:18)

Sayo Yamagata from Brooklyn (17:58)

Top Fundraiser:

Todd and Emma Goergen from Greenwich, CT, $24,500

 

Bronx, N.Y. – April 25, 2015 – More than 5,000 ran, jogged, and walked through the WCS Bronx Zoo in support of gorilla and wildlife conservation at the seventh annual WCS Run for the Wild.

The top three women and top three men finishers were:

Women:

Sayo Yamagata from Brooklyn, NY (17:58)

Paige Callahan from Annapolis, MD (18:08)

Kirstin Burdett from Weehawken, NJ (20:08)

Men:

Christopher Stewart from the Bronx, NY (16:18)

Toby Zitsman from New Rochelle, NY (16:20)

William Capune from New York City (17:33)

Since its inception in 2009, more than 35,000 people have participated in the annual WCS Run for the Wild.

Each year, WCS’s Run for the Wild is dedicated to saving a different species. Past years have supported WCS’s work to save gorillas, tigers, lions, penguins, elephants and other wildlife.

This year’s top fundraisers were Todd and Emma Goergen from Greenwich, CT, who raised more than $24,500 for conservation. Second in the fundraising race was Katie Dolan from Rhode Island who raised more than $5,300.

“Each and every participant, supporter, and donor is helping WCS make real progress in the fight to save wildlife and wild places,” said John Calvelli, WCS Executive Vice President of Public Affairs.

Western lowland gorillas are designated as Critically Endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Their natural range spans tropical and subtropical forests in equatorial Africa. WCS works throughout Central Africa to protect gorillas from habitat loss and illegal hunting.

WCS Run for the Wild participants were able to visit the Bronx Zoo’s western lowland gorillas including two new babies. The Bronx Zoo’s Congo Gorilla Forest opened in 1999 on a 6.5-acre footprint in the southwest corner of the zoo.

The exhibit is an immersive walkthrough that gives zoo-goers the feeling of being in a Central African rainforest where they can see examples of African biodiversity. 

Congo Gorilla Forest is in its own race today through tomorrow at noon– in a race for the best zoo exhibit in the country. All New Yorkers need to vote here for the Bronx Zoo Gorilla Forest to ensure New York wins:

 http://bit.ly/1EVhD5o

 Species in Congo Gorilla Forest include mandrills, okapis, many species of birds and invertebrates, and of course the western lowland gorillas. Congo Gorilla Forest has won many awards for its design, animal habitats, and horticulture. It is also among the world’s first zoo exhibits where admission fees go directly to field conservation efforts in Africa. Since it opened, more than $12.5 million has gone to support WCS’s Global Conservation Programs.

 

2015 also marks the 120th anniversary of WCS’s founding. Those 120 years of conservation are being marked by a city-wide social media safari and the grand prize winner can win a trip to Belize to see WCS’s conservation work in action. From now through Sept.7, participants can register at NYisWild and embark on the city-wide adventure by tagging qualifying photos of the 120 ways NY is wild with the corresponding number and the hashtag #NYisWild (example: visited with a family of gorillas @BronxZoo #NYis Wild #76 of 120.)

 

WCS Run for the Wild is made possible by these generous sponsors and corporate partners:

 

Presented by:                 Con Edison

 

Featured Sponsor:         Montefiore Medical Center

  

Supporting Sponsors:    Empire BlueCross BlueShield; Monroe College

 

Media Partners:             ABC-7; Z-100

 

Promotional Partners:  The Belmont Business Improvement District;

                                         Residence Inn Marriott - The Bronx at Metro Center Atrium

 

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is open daily from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. weekdays, 5:30 p.m. weekends from April to October; 10:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m November to March. Adult admission is $16.95, children (3-12 years old) $11.95, children under 3 are free, seniors (65+) are $14.95. Parking is $14 for cars and $16 for buses. The Bronx Zoo is conveniently located off the Bronx River Parkway at Exit 6; by train via the #2 or #5 or by bus via the #9, #12, #19, #22, MetroNorth, or BxM11 Express Bus service (from Manhattan that stops just outside the gate.) To plan your trip, visit bronxzoo.com or call 718-367-1010.

 

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

 

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