Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo
Nov21

Bouba the (Andean) bear joins the WCS Queen’s Zoo

The Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) is the only endemic bear on the continent of South America.  The IUCN lists the species as Vulnerable to risk of extinction, with habitat loss and hunting as drivers behind its dwindling numbers.  This elegant species is sometimes referred to as the spectacled bear due to occasional markings around the eyes that resemble glasses. The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Queens Zoo has welcomed an...

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Meet Max: the 285 lbs baby
Nov07

Meet Max: the 285 lbs baby

A 285 lbs baby Asian elephant (Elephas maximus), that is. Max was on his feet in just a few minutes and entertaining his keepers and elephant family with his independent and playful nature. Max is now three weeks old and zookeeper Stefan Groeneveld said: “[He] has come on so much in just three weeks and is already showing an independent streak. He’ll happily leave his mum’s side to go and play in the paddock with the rest of the...

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World’s largest (harmless) bat inspires Halloween-worthy tales in the Philippines
Oct31

World’s largest (harmless) bat inspires Halloween-worthy tales in the Philippines

By Simon Bradley and Tammy Mildenstein It’s Halloween time again, and around much of the world people are decorating with images of ghosts, vampires, witches, black cats, and, of course, bats. For the superstitious, there may be nothing scarier than the flying foxes of the Philippines, whose 2-meter wingspans make them the largest bats in the world! In keeping with a popular fear and mistrust of nocturnal animals, Philippine flying...

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A jungle day-trip: studying brazil nuts in the Peruvian Amazon
Oct30

A jungle day-trip: studying brazil nuts in the Peruvian Amazon

By Eleanor Warren-Thomas The day begins at around 5 a.m., when the sounds of motorbikes revving, dogs barking, wood being chopped and shouting men start to permeate the room. I haven’t needed to set my alarm for weeks. I am here to help run a project on Brazil nut harvesting from lowland rainforests in Madre de Dios, in the Peruvian Amazon. Brazil nut collection from these forests forms a huge part of many people’s livelihood in this...

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Indonesians working together to save Sumatran tigers
Oct29

Indonesians working together to save Sumatran tigers

Reader contribution by Matthew S. Luskin Indonesians are committed to ensuring the persistence of Sumatran tigers. The gamut of island-wide conservation efforts was discussed this week in Padang, West Sumatra, during the annual meeting of HarimauKita (harimau means “tiger” in Indonesian), which brought together a consortium of stakeholders for Sumatran tiger conservation. Members worked late into each night to coordinate and evaluate...

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Sunset on the Nile
Oct18

Sunset on the Nile

By Jemma Smith This stunning photograph is of the sun setting over the River Nile, which is said to be the longest river in the world with a staggering 6,670 km (4,160 miles) in length and discharges an average of 3.1 million litres of water per second into the Mediterranean Sea. It is long been disputed where the exact source of the river is, however, many believed it to be Lake Victoria in Tanzania. The River Nile travels through...

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Sparing a thought for maleo birds on World Egg Day
Oct10

Sparing a thought for maleo birds on World Egg Day

By Simon Bradley / Save Our Species IUCN Friday, October 11th is World Egg Day, when agribusiness promotes the consumption of eggs as a healthy source of protein. When it comes to one of Indonesia’s national icons however, the Endangered maleo bird (Macrocephalon maleo), conservationists such as the Alliance for Tompotika Conservation (AlTo) an SOS – Save Our Species grantee, are trying to discourage the practice of eating its...

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Goodbye, Gus: Central Park says goodbye to famous polar bear
Sep05

Goodbye, Gus: Central Park says goodbye to famous polar bear

Gus was visited by more than 20 million zoo goers in the 24 years he graced the waters of The Wildlife Conservation Society’s Central Park Zoo. Sadly, Gus, the adult male polar bear, passed away last week at the age of 27. “Gus was an icon at the Central Park Zoo and a great source of joy for our visitors and staff,” said Jim Breheny, WCS Executive Vice President of Zoos and Aquarium. “He was an important ambassador for his...

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Sneaky Snakes in Indonesia
Sep05

Sneaky Snakes in Indonesia

A shocking 449 species of reptiles call Sundaland home, of which 249 are endemic to the region. Indonesia has an extremely high level of biodiversity, which is most likely due to the great size and tropical archipelago make-up of the land. The Indonesian fauna is so vivid, that the colors of these snakes actually camouflage them into the background. Each of these snake’s coloring has evolved to blend in with where it tends to...

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Change on the roof of the world: new book explores climate change and the Tibetan Plateau
Aug30

Change on the roof of the world: new book explores climate change and the Tibetan Plateau

Excerpt from the new book Meltdown: China’s Environmental Crisis by Sean Gallagher Adapted By Caroline D’Angelo With soaring mountains and vast grasslands, the Tibetan Plateau covers approximately one quarter of China. The plateau’s glaciers hold the largest store of freshwater on earth outside the North and South Poles.  Though remote and sparsely populated, the plateau is of crucial importance to China and its downstream...

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Oh deer: world’s smallest deer born at Queen’s Zoo
Jul25

Oh deer: world’s smallest deer born at Queen’s Zoo

By Alexander Holmgren The first week of July marked one of the as the World’s cute as the worlds smallest deer was born in the Wildlife Conservation’s Society Queen’s Zoo. The doe, a member of the endangered Pudu species (Pudu puda) weighs approximately one pound at birth and will only grow up to be twenty pounds as an adult. The Pudu are one of nature’s most extraordinary creatures. The Pudu is the smallest deer species in existence...

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Rare ginger monkey born
Jul23

Rare ginger monkey born

By Lacey Avery The ZSL London Zoo is home to a newborn François langur (Trachypithecus francoisi), one of the world’s rarest monkeys. Baby Chúa, whose name means “princess” in Vietnamese, is bright orange and described as having a crown-like tuft sticking up on her head. While both parents are black in color, four-week old Chúa’s fiery tinted fur is characteristic of François langur babies and will transition to black in six months to...

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Penguins and people alike enjoy the sunset at Whipsnade Zoo
Jul17

Penguins and people alike enjoy the sunset at Whipsnade Zoo

By Brandon Allen The black-footed penguins at the Whipsnade Zoo have a truly enviable spot; perched at the top of the Chiltern Hills, they enjoy a mesmerizing sunset every evening.  This view is not unlike the stunning sunsets that black-footed penguins experience along the rocky shores of South Africa and Namibia, their natural habitat. Visitors were able to join the penguins in enjoying the sunset Saturday, June 29th at Whipsnade...

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Capturing Wildlife
Jul12

Capturing Wildlife

By Erika Skogg “You conserve what you know, you don’t conserve what you don’t know.” I thought of this biology quote as I photographed along side Fernando, one of the Humboldt Society’s Ornithologist, as he pulled a shimmering green hummingbird out of the mist net. Strung between skinny silver poles around eight feet tall, the black mesh nets hung through the forest trails. They stood parallel to the forest, winding 100 feet down the...

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Rare newts in Prospect Park Zoo may be extinct in the wild
Jul05

Rare newts in Prospect Park Zoo may be extinct in the wild

By Phyllis Sena The Prospect Park Zoo in Brooklyn, New York City, is now home to five critically endangered Kaiser’s spotted newts (Neurergus kaiseri). These black, white, and orange amphibians are found only in a five-square-mile region in Iran. Severe habitat loss and the illegal trade of these rare amphibians has driven the species to possibly be extinct in the wild, and they are officially ranked as critically endangered by the...

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A Chimpanzee Birthday Bash
Jul02

A Chimpanzee Birthday Bash

By Brandon Allen Koko the chimp celebrated her 40th birthday this month at the Whipsnade Zoo in Bedfordshire, England.  The zookeepers set out piñatas and wrapped treats, like tomatoes and yogurt, for the beloved chimpanzee.  These presents not only help Koko celebrate her birthday but also “keep her stimulated and encourage her to be inquisitive” according to Keeper Kathy Doherty.  Koko, the oldest chimp and resident of Whipsnade,...

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Five elephants collared in Bornean wildlife sanctuary
Jul01

Five elephants collared in Bornean wildlife sanctuary

By Brandon Allen A small group of students and volunteers in Malaysia successfully collared five Bornean elephants earlier this month in the Lower Kinabatagngan Wildlife Sanctuary.  This collaring mission was an effort led by Cardiff University PhD student Nurzhafarina Othman who is seeking to obtain data on the elephants that will support her research on the social behaviors of female Bornean elephants.  This recent collaring is of...

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Jaguars of Guatemala: elusive cats caught on film
Jun19

Jaguars of Guatemala: elusive cats caught on film

By Phyllis Sena The Wildlife Conservation Society captured a photograph of a male jaguar using a remote camera trap, a unique contraption that is activated by motion or heat that takes pictures of animals in the wild that are normally hard to locate because of their elusiveness. Since each jaguar has a unique pattern of spots, the WCS has integrated camera traps into their manual of methods in order to estimate jaguar population in...

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Meet the baby kipunji: first photo of little-known monkeys’ offspring
Jun12

Meet the baby kipunji: first photo of little-known monkeys’ offspring

By Brandon Allen A Kipunji (Rungwecebus kipunji) infant was just born in Tanzania this month, an important addition to the critically endangered monkey species. The Kipunji is the first new species of monkey to be discovered since 1923.  Originally scientists had assumed that this unique primate was a mangabey, an endangered population of Old World monkeys that live in African rainforests.  However, DNA tests revealed that the Kipunji...

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Beautiful leviathan: the leatherback sea turtle
May29

Beautiful leviathan: the leatherback sea turtle

By Phyllis Sena The gargantuan leatherback sea turtle (Dermochelys coriacea) is the largest of all sea turtles and according to the IUCN Red List, is also critically endangered with their population declining 90 percent in the past 20 years. This sea turtle got its name by having a soft, leathery textured carapace (top shell) instead of the common hard shell that other turtles have. This enormous species can weight up to 2,000 lbs....

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