Short desc: Fewer prey animals, more poachers, and extreme weather events have caused tiger numbers to plummet in the Russian Far East.

Dr. Peter Clyne is an Assistant Director in the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Asia Program, specializing in conservation in the southern part of the continent. We talked to him about his interest in conservation and what he considers to be the most important issues in conservation today.

A year after WCS researchers discovered a motherlode of gorillas in a swampy forest in the Republic of Congo, the population is coming under increasing threat.

Poaching, reductions in prey, and unusual weather all cited as factorsBetter law enforcement, habitat improvements, and improved protected areas needed to reverse decline NEW YORK (November 24, 2009) -- The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) announced today a report revealing that the last remaining population of Siberian tigers has likely declined significantly due to the rising tide of poaching and habitat loss. WCS says the report will help inform Russian officials ...

In the essay, “Where the Wild Things Were: How Conservation Efforts Are Faltering,” currently appearing in Foreign Affairs, Dr. Steven Sanderson, President and CEO of the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), asserts the world’s political institutions have failed the planet but “realism cannot turn into defeatism.”Sanderson, who published an essay with a similarly dire assertion in 2002, concludes these seven years later: “There have been landmark foreign policy acts in the past that managed to s...

NEW YORK (November 23, 2009)—A new study by the Wildlife Conservation Society says that western lowland gorillas living in a large swamp in the Republic of Congo—part of the “mother lode” of more than 125,000 gorillas discovered last year—are becoming increasingly threatened by growing humans activity in the region. The study recommends protection of the swamp forests adjacent to the southwest border of Lac Télé Community Reserve after recent surveys confirmed that high densities of the great ...

Ice Carving Demos and Competition, Clydesdale Wagon Rides, Live Reindeer Exhibit, and Presents to the Animals are Among this Year’s Holiday Activities   Calendar Listing - December 2009 Bronx, NY –– The winter holiday season is always a magical time in New York City and this year the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Bronx Zoo is the place to be.  Every weekend in December and the full week between Christmas Day and New Year’s Day will be packed with family activities al...

New York, N.Y. – Get in the spirit of giving at the Central Park, Prospect Park, and Queens Zoos, as animals receive holiday presents in a wild way. Visit the zoos this December to watch animals such as polar bears, baboons, and pumas tear into their very own Christmas presents on the weekends of December 5-6, 12-13, and 19-20 (also December 26-27 at the Prospect Park Zoo). Each zoo will put visitors into the spirit of the season while giving beautifully wrapped presents of delectable delicacies...

A photo of a puma at the Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo. The weather has been beautiful this week, and the trees and plants at the zoo have turned their bright autumn colors.   Photo credit: Julie Larsen Maher of the WCS.

New York, NY, Nov. 4, 2009– The Central Park Zoo is pleased to announce the arrival of four adorable mini Nubian goats. Ace, the only male, along with Angel, Monique and Spirit, now live in the zoo’s Tisch Children’s Zoo alongside pygmy goats and the zoo’s famous full-sized Nubian, Newman. All hail from upstate New York. Mini Nubians are a cross between Nigerian dwarf and full-sized Nubian goats. The minis look very similar to the larger breed, with long floppy ears and coats that can be many di...