Wildlife Conservation Society History

Originally chartered in April 1895, the Wildlife Conservation Society was originally conceived as the New York Zoological Society. The mandate of the society was to increase and provide better means of wildlife conservation. It was also intended for the society to study zoology and create a great park for the various animals that needed to be conserved. The name of this organization was changed to the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1993.

The Wildlife Conservation Society was founded by Andrew H. Green (known as the father of greater New York City) and Henry Fairfield Osborn. The formation of the society was also supported by Theodore Roosevelt and other renowned people of New York.

The New York Zoological Park (what we know as the Bronx Zoo now) was created in a manner that was similar to the other cultural iconic places in the city. The land for the zoo was provided by the city and the building costs were borne by the city too. Cost for the construction and operations were sourced from private donors.

Post the 1960's the Wildlife Conservation Society started the process of creating natural environments for the animals on display. The "World of Darkness" was the first one created by director William G. Conway for the nocturnal species in 1969. This was soon followed by "World of Birds" in 1974. With the professionalism that the Wildlife Conservation Society shows in managing the Bronx Zoo, the city turned to the organization to also manage the other facilities in Manhattan, Queens and Brooklyn.

The conservation work done by the society started when William Temple Hornaday conducted a direct survey to understand the wildlife situation in the country. It was concluded that the number of birds and animals in and around the city had declined drastically. This became the basis of the new laws that were formulated to protect wildlife in the United States.

A national campaign was also started by Hornaday to help the American Bison. The zoo sent about 15 bison to the Wichita Reserve in 1907. The Wildlife Conservation Society has since then worked continuously in saving a large number of animals that are facing issues across the world.

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