WCS Annual Report 2012 - Wildlife Conservation Society

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wildlife conservation society Annual Report 2012
[ above ] Orphaned Pacific
walrus Mitik immediately
won the hearts of New
Yorkers after his arrival at
our aquarium this fall.
.14-ounce Spix’s disk-winged bat. The harpy
eagle, one of the world’s most robust winged
predators, preys upon sloths and monkeys inside
the bountiful park, also home to 60 species
of hummingbird.
What accounts for the region’s unparalleled
biodiversity? Varying altitudes, says WCS’s
Madidi Landscape Program Director, Dr. Robert
Wallace. With Madidi’s almost 20,000-foot
altitudinal range, no other protected area captures
the diversity of South American habitats.
Although the new compendium emphasizes
Bolivia’s fertile terrain, much of the park remains
unexplored. While there is much more to discover,
this much we know with certainty: in addition
to the cloud forests’ biodiversity and watershed
importance, they represent one of Latin America’s
most staggeringly beautiful landscapes.
Helping Marine Mammals Like
Mitik Adapt to Melting Sea Ice
The October arrival of Mitik, a 15-week-old,
234-pound orphaned Pacific walrus, at WCS’s
New York Aquarium in Coney Island, Brooklyn,
caused great excitement. Only two weeks later
Mitik – who came to us after being rescued off
the coast of Barrow, Alaska – faced the second
crisis of his young life when Hurricane Sandy
flooded the New York Aquarium. Dedicated staff
remained with the walrus pup throughout the
storm, providing him with round-the-clock care.
Since then, the aquarium’s latest resident has
been readily adjusting to his new home. We
hope to be able to present him to the public
with our two other Pacific walruses at our Sea
Cliffs exhibit later this year, but Mitik’s case is an
opportunity to share the conservation challenges
that are resulting in more orphaned marine
mammals today. While polar bears get much
of the attention regarding the effects of warmer
temperatures on Arctic sea ice, other iconic
species are likewise feeling the heat.
The Pacific walrus rests on floating platforms
of ice between dives to the sea bottom for food.
As the summer ice disappears, floes increasingly
occur only over deep waters of the Arctic basin,
far from land. It has now become difficult, and
in some cases impossible, for walruses – particularly
females and their calves during summer
– to use sea ice as a resting platform between
diving forays. As a result, strandings of the kind
experienced by vulnerable calves like Mitik
have become more common.
Protective measures for Arctic marine wildlife
must be put in place as the effects of climate
change become more pronounced. At recent
workshops held in Alaska, groups like the Eskimo
Walrus Commission engaged with agencies
such as the U.S. Coast Guard and the Marine
Mammal Commission to discuss new pressures
facing marine mammals. In the meantime,
Mitik and his fellow walruses at our aquarium
are ambassadors for their brethren in the wild.
addressing Complex challenges
with new leadership
While 2012 was a year of transition at WCS,
our mission remained as focused and committed
as ever. Steve Sanderson’s wonderfully productive
tenure at WCS gave way to new leadership
with the arrival of Cristián Samper from the
Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum
of Natural History. With training as a tropical
biologist, Cristián brings with him a deep
knowledge of species and natural processes,
as well as a passion for global conservation
through effective science, principled advocacy,
and engagement with our dedicated partners
in government, philanthropy, and civil society.
All of those tools will be essential as we
endeavor to meet the growing challenges of the
illegal wildlife trade, global climate change, and
balancing human needs and development with
the conservation of the natural world and its
often-vulnerable inhabitants. If time and history
provide the great unfolding narrative, we – like
the zookeeper’s son in this year’s best picture
Oscar nominee “Life of Pi” – prefer the version
with the animals.