Artist's Statement: WCS Living Institutions

Photo by Hans Walters

I have had the opportunity to photograph extensively at WCS' five Living Institutions: the Bronx Zoo, the New York Aquarium, the Central Park Zoo, the Prospect Park Zoo, and the Queens Zoo. I am always amazed to find visitors who are enamored with a particular species, most often the lowland gorillas or the large cats, but other animals as well. These people are repeat visitors to WCS Living Institutions and they have come to know not only the names of each animal, but also a host of the animal's behaviors and habits. They know them so well that I can reliably ask them to tell me how that individual animal is likely to behave.

The Wildlife Conservation Society's system of urban zoos is unrivaled in the zoological community. The WCS Living Institutions bring together curatorial and keeper excellence in animal care and husbandry, scientific leadership in veterinary medicine and animal enrichment, superior exhibit design and horticulture, and topflight guest services. In addition to comprising the largest system of urban wildlife parks in the world, WCS' Living Institutions are part of an extensive global conservation organization, one that carries out WCS' mission - to save wildlife and wild places - at its headquarters in New York and in the field every day.

For me, the ability of a zoo animal to make a profound impression on millions of zoo visitors every year is the essence of WCS' Living Institutions. At WCS' Living Institutions, the animals act as ambassadors for their wildlife counterparts, helping make the crucial link between zoo animals and animals in the wild. WCS' Living Institutions capture the imagination of visitors and inspire them to care about, and to take action to protect wild species and landscapes throughout the world.

For more information on WCS' Living Institutions see www.wcs.org