WCS Annual Report 2012 - Wildlife Conservation Society

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Two of three Amur tiger cubs born at WCS’s Bronx Zoo in 2012.
wcs story harnessing the power of our zoos/aquarium and field conservation / 1 IN 2012, WE CONTINUED TO USE OUR ZOO- AND AQUARIUM-BASED HUSBANDRY EXPERTISE TO PROTECT A VARIETY OF SPECIES, FROM INDONESIA’S RARE MALEO BIRD TO TANZANIA’S KIHANSI SPRAY TOAD — RETURNED TO ITS FORMER HABITAT AFTER GOING EXTINCT IN THE WILD. IN MOZAMBIQUE WE WORKED TO ESTABLISH A NEW RESERVE TO ADDRESS THE ONGOING CRISIS OF ELEPHANT POACHING, WHILE IN ARcTIC ALASKA OUR DATA HELPED TO STRIKE THE RIGHT BALANCE BETWEEN WILDLIFE PROTECTION AND ENERGY DEVELOPMENT. THESE AND OTHER STORIES DOCU- MENTED HERE CAPTURE AN ORGANIZATION EVER STRIVING TO FULFILL ITS MISSION TO PROTECT WILDLIFE AND WILD PLACES. Combining Zoo and Field Expertise to Save Species The reintroduction of some 2,000 spray toads to Tanzania’s Kihansi Gorge marked a major milestone for this tiny species. The repatriation effort was the result of a 12-year partnership between WCS’s Bronx Zoo, the Toledo Zoo, the government of Tanzania, and the World Bank after the toads’ misty habitat adjacent to a waterfall was disrupted by the construction of a new hydroelectric dam. The toads were bred at the Bronx and Toledo Zoos while their habitat was restored with an artificial misting system. In October, representatives of organizations partnering in the Kihansi project gathered with local village members to release the toads back into their native landscape. The exact time for this historical event: 2 P.M., October 30, 2012. Three maleo chicks hatched at the Bronx Zoo after a roughly two-month-long incubation period. Adult maleos can be seen in the zoo’s World of Birds – the only place these unusual birds can be found outside of their native home of Sulawesi, an island in Indonesia. Maleos are members of the megapode family, almost half of whose species are threatened with extinction. Maleo numbers in the wild have declined drastically due to human egg collection and predation by invasive species. Knowledge gained at the Bronx Zoo regarding maleo incubation and chick survival has been used by WCS field staff in Sulawesi to hatch and head start chicks before returning them to the wild. WCS’s work to produce pure bison calves resulted from a recognition that the vast majority of present-day bison have traces of domestic cattle genes. The genes entered bison populations early in the 1900s as a result of interbreeding efforts when western ranchers tried to create a hardier breed of cattle. Unfortunately, the interbreeding resulted in bison that lack some of the very qualities that helped the species to survive for thousands of years in the harsh climate of North America’s Western prairies. In the fall of 2011, WCS arranged for a group of female bison to be implanted with genetically pure bison embryos. The result was the first-ever genetically pure bison calf produced by embryo transfer. Saving the World’s Most Endangered Turtles and Tortoises In 2012, WCS announced a new strategy to take direct responsibility for the continued survival of some of the world’s most endangered tortoises and freshwater turtles. WCS will breed several species in captivity with the goal of returning them to the wild. WCS captive collections will further serve as assurance colonies in the event that populations in the wild go extinct. Such colonies are designed to preserve the genetic variation of wild populations. More than half of the world’s approximately 330 species of freshwater turtles and tortoises are threatened with extinction due to both legal and illegal exploitation, as well as habitat loss. 11 wcs story
Page 1 and 2: Wildlife Conservation Society ANNUA
Page 3 and 4: annual report 2012 The Wildlife Con
Page 5 and 6: 36 46 64 Chapter 3 Government & Pol
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Page 9 and 10: dear friends, A tiny animal experie
Page 11: 26-27 million Estimated number of s
Page 15 and 16: Despite this grim outlook one South
Page 17 and 18: While the beaver’s image remained
Page 19 and 20: with enforcement agencies, includin
Page 21 and 22: New overpasses provide safe passage
Page 23 and 24: As South Sudan observed its first y
Page 25 and 26: design - judging programs on their
Page 27 and 28: April) corresponds to a period of l
Page 29 and 30: Maleo egg hatching The Bronx Zoo is
Page 31 and 32: financial report 2 The last decade
Page 33 and 34: Consolidated Balance Sheets June 30
Page 35 and 36: $225,000 $180,000 Operating Revenue
Page 37 and 38: Since March 2011, the Myanmar gover
Page 39 and 40: government & policy report / 3 WCS
Page 41 and 42: from the European Program for Biodi
Page 43 and 44: Radio’s Marketplace; E&E News; KI
Page 45 and 46: embassies around the world, laying
Page 47 and 48: Children believe they can save the
Page 49 and 50: Belize depends on its marine biodiv
Page 51 and 52: WCS Conservation Partners / 5 With
Page 53 and 54: Last spring the Bronx Zoo welcomed
Page 55 and 56: Defensores de la Naturaleza Delawar
Page 57 and 58: Hunchun City Government Hunchun For
Page 59 and 60: Ministry of Science, Argentina Mini
Page 61 and 62: Save the Environment of Afghanistan
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The cownose ray, like this one at t
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Whenever possible, we try to conduc
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Joseph Nappi, Keri Nugent, Ken Huth
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John Tralongo, Zoological Park Main
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AFRICA Eni, Bernard Fosso, Roger Ce
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Zalmai Moheb, Sweeta [ left ] To co
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Ruben Cueva, Gloria Figueroa, MARIN
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[ left ] Students in Bokalum, on th
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Kelly Keenan Aylward, Director of W
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Paper Printed on Opus. Cover: 20% p
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WCS Annual Report 2012 - Wildlife Conservation Society

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