Kids Go Wild: About WCS

The Wildlife Conservation Society, headquartered at the world famous Bronx Zoo, is one of the largest international conservation organizations in the world.

In addition to operating 5 wildlife parks in the New York City metropolitan area, WCS has over 300 research and conservation projects in 52 countries. The goal of these projects is to save wild animals and the wild lands they live in. Our scientists work with governments, corporations and communities to protect wildlife around the globe.

The Bronx Zoo is home to more than 4,000 animals, including some of the world's most endangered species. Important conservation breeding programs and research in animal health and wildlife science are conducted by Zoo staff. With 265 wooded acres devoted to spacious naturalistic habitats, it is the largest metropolitan wildlife conservation park in the United States -- and the perfect place for family visits. You can take a virtual tour of our newest naturalistic exhibit... Congo Gorilla Forest! You can find out more about the Bronx Zoo at http://www.bronxzoo.com.

The Bronx Zoo, founded in 1899, has been a leader in wildlife conservation education since it opened The Bronx Zoo is more than a zoo. As leaders in conservation and education, the Bronx Zoo offers a variety of courses... for adults, families, just about everybody. The Bronx Zoo's Education Department also produces a full life sciences curriculum that is used in all 50 states as well as overseas.

Situated on 14 acres by the sea in Coney Island, Brooklyn, the New York Aquarium is home to thousands of fish and a multitude of marine creatures, including beluga whales, sharks, walruses and dolphins. The New York Aquarium is the longest operating facility of its kind in the country, and continues to be a leader in aquatic science and conservation-related research. Find out more about the New York Aquarium at http://www.nyaquarium.com.

Trek through a tropical rain forest, or cool down with the penguins in the middle of Manhattan (now you can watch the penguins online!). Discover the whole world of wildlife at the Central Park Wildlife Center. You can find out more about Central Park Wildlife Center at http://www.centralparkzoo.com.

A visit to the Queens Wildlife Center in Flushing Meadows Park takes you on an American wildlife adventure. You will see spectacled bears; come face-to-face with a mountain lion; stroll through the open aviary; and discover majestic Roosevelt elk, American bison and more. You can find out more about the Queens Wildlife Center at http://www.queenszoo.com.

Tunnel through a prairie dog town. Master the language of baboons. Create animal art, using meerkats as your models. The new Prospect Park Wildlife Center invites children to use all their senses and discover an incredible world of wildlife. Find out more about the Prospect Park Zoo at http://www.prospectparkzoo.com.

The Wildlife Conservation Society has regional and thematic programs on 4 continents. In North America, one project helps predators and prey. During this century, two of North America's top predators, the grizzly bear and wolf, have vanished from 99.9 percent of their original ranges in the contiguous United States.

In Latin America, WCS works extensively in Amazonian Brazil which boasts one of the most extraordinary, yet least studied ecosystems in the world -- the seasonally flooded forest known as the varzea. For nearly six months of the year, water from the mighty Amazon River inundates an area greater in size than the state of Florida. Rare uakari monkeys and umbrella birds forage in the canopy, while pink river dolphins, caimans, and Amazonian manatees swim among submerged trees. Researchers have catalogued more than 200 species of fish, nearly 300 species of birds, and an exceptional diversity of trees in this unique ecosystem.

In Asia, WCS works in the thick, wet forests just south of the extinct Crater Mountain Volcano in Papua New Guinea. The Pawaiian and Gimi people subsist by harvesting rain forest products and cultivating small agricultural plots hewn from the mountainside. Here the Crater Mountain Wildlife Management Area, provides a home for diverse flora and fauna. Using a unique model for integrating cultural needs and conservation initiatives, WCS researchers work with local communities, landowners and educators to protect this spectacular and unique environment.

In Africa, from the lush lowland forests of the Congo Basin to the mountains of Rwanda, the Wildlife Conservation Society has pioneered research and conservation action on behalf of gorillas for four decades. Today, WCS remains the only organization working with all three gorilla subspecies -- mountain gorillas, Grauer's gorillas, and western lowland gorillas -- throughout the African forests.

Thematic programs such as our Field Veterinary program span all of the areas in which WCS conducts research and conservation projects. While scientists, conservationists and overseas government officials pursue their goal of conservation for the future, wildlife populations are struggling with pressures imposed on them today. The Field Veterinary Program augments ongoing conservation efforts by dealing with current health problems as well as providing the information essential to effective conservation planning.

WCS Travel with the Experts program lets you and your family travel around the globe to see wildlife and wild places with one of our experts. Your WCS guide will show you, firsthand, how WCS is working to save wildlife throughout the world. You'll be traveling in the company of experts from an organization with 100 years of experience in sustaining wildlife, teaching ecology and inspiring care for nature.

If you would like to find out more about the Wildlife Conservation Society, our wildlife parks, news or our conservation projects worldwide you can visit http://www.wcs.org.