Wildlife Conservation Society
wildlife conservation society, United States
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) is a global 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization, headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City, with a mission to save "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoölogical Society (NYZS), the global conservation organization is, as of July 1, 2025, led by President and CEO Adam Falk. WCS manages four New York City wildlife parks in addition to the Bronx Zoo: the Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, and Queens Zoo. Together, these parks receive 4 million visitors per year. All these facilities are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). WCS has a global program doing conservation work on the ground in more than 50 countries.
History
Founding
The Wildlife Conservation Society was originally chartered by the government of the State of New York, on April 26, 1895. Then known as the New York Zoölogical Society, the organization embraced a mandate to advance native wildlife conservation, promote the study of zoology, and create a first-class zoological park that would be free to the public; its name was changed to the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1993. Andrew H. Green was the first president of the society but was replaced by Levi P Morton after Green resigned due to declining health. Henry Fairfield Osborn, who was the curator of the American Museum of Natural History and the founder of the American Eugenics Society, was Morton's successor.
“Wildlife Conservation Society” enters the record as wildlife conservation society, United States. Crown Archives preserves that source wording while asking what Wildlife, Conservation and Society can confirm, complicate or overturn.
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The record creator and administrative purpose are central evidence, because official documentation reflects both action and institutional priorities. The source revision retrieved here is dated Apr 27, 2026. The linked authority identifier is Q2118246. The Library of Congress control number is n97016289. 3 of 4 selected statements include explicit references; 2 carry qualifiers and 1 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 1895, 2025 and 1993.
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This entry incorporates text from “Wildlife Conservation Society” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.