About
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) saves wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. Headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York, WCS harnesses the power of four zoos and an aquarium in New York City together with a global field conservation program that it describes as the world's largest and longest-running, partnering with Indigenous Peoples, local communities, governments, and other NGOs.
Mission and vision
WCS's mission is to save wildlife and wild places worldwide through science, conservation action, education, and inspiring people to value nature. Its vision is a world where wildlife thrives in healthy lands and seas, valued by societies that embrace and benefit from the diversity and integrity of life on earth.
What they do
- Urban wildlife parks — WCS operates the Bronx Zoo, Central Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, and the New York Aquarium, which inspire millions of visitors to understand, care about, and advocate for nature.
- Global conservation program — field conservation work across wildlife, places, and communities, including marine conservation; WCS states its zoos, aquarium, and field programs are deeply interconnected, each strengthening and informing the other.
- Science — WCS scientists publish research regularly; recent examples include contributions to the largest combined bat genome and fossil study ever undertaken and genetic research on the Arabian Sea humpback whale.
- Advocacy — campaigns such as the effort to have the Hudson Canyon, off New York, designated a National Marine Sanctuary.
History
WCS was formed in 1895, per its IRS Form 990 (fiscal year 2025), and the IRS lists its tax-exempt ruling as dating to 1939. The organization is based at 2300 Southern Boulevard in the Bronx, New York. Its president and CEO is Adam Falk.
Financials
According to IRS Form 990 data for the fiscal year ending June 2025 (via ProPublica Nonprofit Explorer and the Form 990 posted on WCS's website), WCS reported total revenue of 400,861,377 dollars, total expenses of 456,032,967 dollars, and net assets of 869,407,423 dollars. Contributions accounted for about 73.5 percent of total revenue, with program services contributing about 14.7 percent. WCS publishes its IRS 990 filings and consolidated audited financial statements, including supplementary information on expenditures of federal awards, on its website.
