There's a new "ground pig" in town! A mammal you may know better as an aardvark, or anteater. You wouldn't think the burrowing, nocturnal creature would have the same aw-factor as, say, baby lion cubs... but somehow they're kind of adorable! The Wildlife Conservation Society’s new baby aardvark, nicknamed Hoover, was born in September but just debuted at the Bronx Zoo today. WCS's vice president says: more ›

The new Bronx River beaver (spotted this summer) has finally been given a name by the people of New York. The Wildlife Conservation Society's Bronx Zoo held an online voting contest, and the overwhelming winner was... Justin Beaver. more ›

Age ain't nothing but a number, at least for two harbor seals at the New York Aquarium. Coral, a 3-year-old seal, recently shacked up with Bernie, a 23-year-old seal who hasn't had contact with his kind in ages. Jon Dohlin, the aquarium's director, told the Daily News: "It was our opportunity to get him a companion of his own species. It was our hope they would show interest in each other. I think Bernie was taken aback by the whole thing and wanted to find out what was this strange animal that looked something like him... he was busy checking her out." more ›

The Wildlife Conservation Society’s New York Aquarium has just welcomed its newest addition: this baby sea lion! The pup was born to Clarice, and is the first to ever be born at the aquarium. She doesn't have a name yet, that will be on the auction block on September 22nd at the WCS's annual benefit dinner and auction—and if you can't afford that honor, the organization is always looking for any donations, lest they're forced to fire more animals! As for the new pup, Jon Dohlin, director of the New York Aquarium, says: “She is very sweet, and we are sure she will become an instant Coney Island celebrity and a favorite among our guests.” more ›

When the Bronx Zoo was trying to get their cheetahs in front of camera traps, an experimental test found that the animals were drawn to Calvin Klein's Obsession for Men, and now biologists tracking jaguars in the Guatemalan jungle have followed their lead. The Wildlife Conservation Society's (WCS) Jaguar Conservation Program uses hidden cameras as a primary source for observing and tracking jaguars, and rely on the cologne's complex scent to lure their subjects, according to Reuters. While there's no success rate given—though they plan to expand the use of the cologne in their studies—we're guessing it's similar to the Sex Panther scent by Odeon: "60% of the time, it works every time." more ›

The Bronx Zoo has a new baby mandrill named... Gertrude? (We would have gone with Barbara.) She made her debut over the weekend, and animal curator Pat Thomas told the Daily News, "She's inquisitive about just about everything. Everything is worth exploring and learning about at this stage. [However] she does stay nearby her mom." Don't expect to see Gertrude out exploring today, however—she won't be out in the rain. more ›

The Central Park Zoo has some new residents: Will, Robert, Lyle and Slappy! The four Texas-born King penguins have just arrived, and are acquainting themselves with the Chinstrap and Gentoo penguins who already call Central Park home. more ›

Forget the British and American versions of The Office, the Wildlife Conservation Society wants to show what an animal-run office is like. As a follow-up to their viral hit last year, featuring a porcupine getting laid off after budget cuts, they present: "A Beaver Took My Job." more ›

Feeling down about the deaths of J.D. Salinger and Howard Zinn? Cheer up with the Bronx Zoo bear cubs! Here they are today "tumbling, splashing, and wrestling their way through their new home at the zoos Big Bears exhibit." more ›

Last year a "coyote hybrid" was spotted in Queens, and now residents in Harlem have their own wily creature roaming the streets. CNN reports that Wednesday morning, around 9:30 a.m., some frightened locals called in a sighting to the NYPD. An emergency service unit was sent to track the animal down, and they cornered her in Trinity Cemetery on 155th and Broadway, where she was tranquilized. more ›

Last night we were informed by the Wildlife Conservation Society that there would be a major announcement made this evening at the New York Aquarium. While the official press conference isn't until 7:30 p.m. tonight (it will include Mayor Bloomberg, Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz, and Councilman Domenic M. Recchia, Jr.), the NY Times managed to loosen some lips and found out it has to do with their Sea Change (what the WCS has dubbed their renovation project). more ›

Forget about cash cows, the Wildlife Conservation Society has informed us that the New York Aquarium has just launched a program that will allow visitors to get up close and personal with their sea lions... for a price. more ›

Awww, the Wildlife Conservation Society has released the first photos of the new Bronx Zoo sea lion pup! Born to mom Clarice on June 23rd, you can see the little one (and the other sea lions) get fed at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. We have yet to hear back about the name or sex of this new pup, what do you think (s)he should be called? more ›

The Bronx Zoo wasn't joking around when they released a video of a porcupine being fired following some major budget cutbacks. The NY Post is now reporting that "the institution is closing four exhibits and shipping hundreds of creatures to zoos and aquariums around the country," including deer, bats, lemurs, antelopes, foxes and, yes, porcupines. Human lay-offs are also on the way. more ›

There's more bad news for New York's animals, and the humans that take care of them: The Daily News is reporting that Bronx Zoo and New York aquarium staffs are facing layoffs in light of the proposed budget cuts. "As many as 130 staffers could be laid off," they told the paper, who reiterates that "The Wildlife Conservation Society, which runs the facilities, is facing $15 million in government funding cuts from its $103 million annual budget this year, and the state will cut off all funding in 2010." The layoffs will hit everyone (and the porcupine was already let go), from administration to sales to groundskeeping—sending both union and non-union employees to the unemployment office. The news was delivered to staff yesterday by WCS President Steven Sanderson, who told the paper that, in the end, if they can't afford to keep the animals, "then we have to try to find a better place for them." more ›

Seems like just yesterday that the Central Park Zoo polar bears were opening Christmas gifts (video), but 2009 is proving to be a monetarily tough one for not just humans, but animals too. Last week Gov. Paterson's budget proposal was unveiled and included major cutbacks for zoos, aquariums, and even the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. So it shouldn't have come as too much of a shock to the Bronx Zoo porcupine when he was let go: more ›