WCS Archives 💚

Archives of the Wildlife Conservation Society, founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society. We're wcsarchives at IG & at bsky.

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

Do you think the #polarvortex arrived just to celebrate #PenguinAwarenessDay?! Brrrr. Take a tip from these Adelie penguins filmed in Antarctica for a 1957 research project supported by @TheWCS and @NSF . If you can't beat the cold weather, best to enjoy it together!
#archives

[WCS @TheWCS]

Today, our bison conservation efforts continue, including partnering with Indigenous groups to ensure the species’ ecological restoration.

Full history: https://t.co/Pdna52HtZN

[WCS @TheWCS]

Today marks the 120th anniversary of the founding of the American Bison Society (ABS)—a conservation milestone that began at WCS’s @BronxZoo in 1905 and represented ambitious effort to save the species.

[WCS @TheWCS]

Within just ten years, the ABS helped establish several small bison herds across the United States, with some herds founded using animals from the Bronx Zoo. These early efforts laid the groundwork for the species’ remarkable recovery.

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

We’ve supplied artwork by the Department of Tropical Research made during their voyage to #HudsonCanyon. For a closer look, see https://t.co/37A3aliiac
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#archives #OceanConservation

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

We’re excited to announce our collaboration with The Art of Fauna, a cozy puzzle app that scrambles animal illustrations into tiles (like this one) that you can re-assemble into picture perfection while learning more about the species!
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#archives #puzzlegame #gamedev

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

That story will get fresh attention in 2026, when the @noguchimuseum opens Noguchi’s New York, an exhibition that explores—among many other stories—Noguchi’s connection to the Great Apes House. We look forward to seeing it!
#archives #museum

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

The Congo Gorilla Forest at the @bronxzoo is an immersive, participatory exhibit that is home today to the zoo’s gorillas and other animals. Congo represents an evolutionary step in zoo design that follows on an exhibit that opened 75 years ago this month...
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#archives

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

...The Great Apes House. Although that exhibit is long gone, its story is still unfolding in surprising ways. Here’s a fun fact we recently learned: during its planning, WCS President Fairfield Osborn discussed the project with famed sculptor Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988).
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

Shown are a 1906 postcard image of the aviary and its surroundings and a 1924 photo of a male argus pheasant taking in the view.
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

We couldn't let this month end without a winged salute to 120 years of the Pheasant Aviary at the @bronxzoo. The unique wood-framed, Tudor style building opened in September 1905, relieving some of the overcrowding at the Aquatic Bird House and Ostrich House.
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#archives

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

The building and enclosures went through a renovation in 1968. A new restoration effort took place earlier this year, and included better accessibility for keepers and artificial flowing streams for birds.
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#archives

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

It’ll take some time before this collection is fully processed and digitized, but we couldn’t wait to show off some of these stunning images with you.
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

#dyk? Alongside preserving and sharing historical
@TheWCS records, the WCS #Archives also collects today’s materials to save for future generations.
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

We’re especially excited about a recent addition from WCS’s Exhibits and Graphic Arts Department: a treasure trove of design drafts and graphics for the @centralparkzoo, @prospectparkzoo, @thequeenszoo, and the @nyaquarium.
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#archives

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

This was a Black-owned company started by civil engineer Frederick W. Eversley, Jr. in 1963. When the nocturnal animal exhibition opened, the firm was about to hit its business peak in the #newyork metro area.
#archives
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

On this #ThrowbackThursday, the WCS #Archives looks back at the June 12, 1969 opening of the @bronxzoo’s World of Darkness.
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

The cover art evokes a spooky mystery, while the news releases inside come with quotes and context from Director William Conway and the PR firm for architect Morris Ketchum. Another highlight is the short biography of the construction firm of F.W. Eversley & Co.
#archives
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[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

Shown here: "Seahorses," "Astronesthes pursuing Myctophym coccoi by night," by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van. All from Arcturus Expedition illustrations IV, 1925, WCS #Archives Collection 1039

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

100 years ago today, @TheWCS's Department of Tropical Research began their study of the Hudson Canyon as part of the Arcturus Expedition. They were awestruck by the diversity and beauty of the species they found just 100 miles off the coast of New York City.
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#newyorkcity

[WCS Archives 💚 @arkivist]

Post 1: Staff examining specimens during an earlier part of the expedition. From “The Arcturus Expeditionary Ship of the NYZS,” 1925, WCS Archives Collection 5011.
Shown here: "Starfishes from Di, Station 113," "Giant green-eyed lantern fish," by Helen Damrosch Tee-Van.
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