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55-494: The reserve is a huge area of inaccessible swamp forest, with no roads. In 2006 and 2007 researchers from the US-based Wildlife Conservation Society investigated the region, finding evidence of an estimated population of 125,000 Western lowland gorillas . This was more than the current estimated total population of the species. The soil under this reserve contains major stores of peat which

110-854: A Mbuti (Congo pygmy) man. In the late nineteenth century William Temple Hornaday , then director of the New York Zoological Park (now the Bronx Zoo ), carried out a direct-mail survey of wildlife conditions through the United States and publicized the decline of birds and mammals in the organization's annual reports. He was a prolific writer who published The Extermination of the American Bison and Our Vanishing Wildlife: Its Extermination and Preservation, among many other texts. Our Vanishing Wildlife , in particular, revealed an association between species extinction and

165-477: A Lynchburg tobacco factory, and began to plan a return to Africa. In 1914, when World War I broke out, a return to the Congo became impossible as passenger ship traffic ended. Benga became depressed as his hopes for a return to his homeland faded. On March 20, 1916, at the age of 32 or 33, he built a ceremonial fire, chipped off the caps on his teeth, and shot himself in the heart with a borrowed pistol. Benga

220-673: A Lynchburg tobacco factory. He tried to return to Africa, but the outbreak of World War I in 1914 stopped all passenger ship travel. Benga developed depression and died by suicide in 1916. As a member of the Mbuti people, Ota Benga lived in equatorial forests near the Kasai River in what was then the Congo Free State . His people were attacked by the Force Publique , established by King Leopold II of Belgium as

275-441: A fake campfire, feeding meat to a lifeless child. Museum silence became a source of torment, a kind of noise; he needed birdsong, breezes, trees. The disaffected Benga attempted to find relief by exploiting his employers' presentation of him as a 'savage'. He tried to slip past the guards as a large crowd was leaving the premises; when asked on one occasion to seat a wealthy donor's wife, he pretended to misunderstand, instead hurling

330-518: A global program doing conservation work on the ground in more than 50 countries. The Wildlife Conservation Society was originally chartered by the state of New York on April 26, 1895. Then known as the New York Zoological (also reported as "Zoölogical") Society, the organization embraced a mandate to advance native wildlife conservation , promote the study of zoology , and create a first-class zoological park that would be free to

385-723: A high amount of biodiversity and is home to the world's largest and most elevated tropical islands. The program works both terrestrially and aquatically within the Bismarck Solomon Seas Ecoregion and the Bismarck Forest Corridor. It strives to combine community involvement and conservation rooted in science to resolve issues such as habitat loss, environmental degradation , overexploitation , and climate-change . 1934 (zoo) 1957 (Coney Island location) 1935 (zoo) Ota Benga Ota Benga ( c.  1883  – March 20, 1916)

440-473: A map of the world. This data is used to map wild areas, as well as natural resource distribution. Below are two examples of where WCS works around the world. WCS's global conservation approach is designed around landscapes and seascapes where "nature is strong: where ecological integrity is high." In 2001, in collaboration with the Madagascar Ministry of Environment and Forests, WCS launched

495-578: A militia to oppress the local people and communities, most of whom were used as forced laborers in the extraction and exploitation of Congo's massive supply of rubber . Benga's wife and two children were slaughtered; he survived because he was on a hunting expedition when the Force Publique attacked his village. He was later captured by slave traders from the enemy "Baschelel" ( Bashilele ) tribe. In 1904, American businessman and explorer Samuel Phillips Verner traveled to Africa, under contract from

550-554: A national campaign to reintroduce the almost extinct bison to government sponsored refuges. Hornaday, Theodore Roosevelt and others formed the American Bison Society in 1905. The Bronx Zoo sent 15 bison to Wichita Reserve in 1907 and additional bison in later years. The saving of this uniquely American symbol is one of the great success stories in the history of wildlife conservation. Hornaday campaigned for wildlife protection throughout his thirty years as director of

605-656: A program to create the 372,470 hectare Makira Forest Protected Area. In 2017, WCS partnered with carbon-reduction platform Cool Effect to allow users to fund ongoing carbon-reduction projects directly supporting the Makira Natural Park . The Wildlife Conservation Society's Melanesia Program focuses on conservation in the Melanesian region of Oceania. The program works specifically in Fiji , Papua New Guinea , Solomon Islands , and Vanuatu . Melanesia contains

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660-573: A result of this the exhibition was ended. Except for a brief visit to Africa with Verner after the close of the St. Louis fair, Benga lived in the United States, mostly in Virginia , for the rest of his life. African-American newspapers around the nation published editorials strongly opposing Benga's treatment. Robert Stuart MacArthur , spokesman for a delegation of black churches, petitioned New York City Mayor George B. McClellan Jr. for his release from

715-422: Is depressed enough, without exhibiting one of us with the apes ... We think we are worthy of being considered human beings, with souls. Gordon thought the exhibit was hostile to Christianity and was effectively a promotion of Darwinism : The Darwinian theory is absolutely opposed to Christianity, and a public demonstration in its favor should not be permitted. A number of clergymen backed Gordon. In defense of

770-486: Is rich in carbon. This discovery makes conservation of the area even more crucial, as if disturbed the carbon could escape into the atmosphere exacerbating global warming . In light of this discovery, the Wildlife Conservation Society advocated expansion of the reserve. This Africa protected areas related article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This Republic of

825-598: Is too bad that there is not some society like the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children . We send our missionaries to Africa to Christianize the people, and then we bring one here to brutalize him." The zoo finally removed Benga from the grounds. Verner was unsuccessful in his continued search for employment, but he occasionally spoke to Benga. The two had agreed that it was in Benga's best interests to remain in

880-566: The Bakuba , including the son of King Ndombe, ruler of the Bakuba; and other related peoples. The group was taken to St. Louis, Missouri , in late June 1904 without Verner, as he had been taken ill with malaria . The Louisiana Purchase Exposition had already begun, and the Africans immediately became the center of attention. Benga was particularly popular, and his name was reported variously by

935-562: The Louisiana Purchase Exposition , to bring back an assortment of pygmies to be part of an exhibition. Verner came across Benga while en route to a Batwa pygmy village visited previously. He purchased Benga from the Bashilele slave traders, giving them a pound of salt and a bolt of cloth in exchange. Verner later claimed he had rescued Benga from cannibals. The two spent several weeks together before reaching

990-637: The Mannahatta Project /Welikia Project, and the Last of the Wild . The Manhatta Project is an initiative on the historical ecology of the New York area in 1609, prior to colonization. The project illustrates the fifty-five different ecosystems that existed in the region through digital reconstructions. The Last of the Wild is a dataset showing different areas' relative Human Footprint , overlaid onto

1045-685: The Queens Zoo in 1992 and the Prospect Park Zoo in 1993. From 1994 through 1996 Archie Carr III of WCS helped establish the Cockscomb Basin Wildlife Sanctuary in Belize , a reserve for endangered jaguars . Today, WCS is working in nearly fifty nations around the world on more than five hundred projects designed to help protect both wildlife and the habitats in which they live. These projects range from

1100-691: The 1960s and 1970s, the WCS took a leadership role in pioneering zoological exhibitions by seeking to recreate natural environments for the animals on display. Under the leadership of WCS director William G. Conway , the Bronx Zoo opened its World of Darkness for nocturnal species in 1969 and its World of Birds for avian displays in 1974. Eventually, New York City turned to WCS to renew and manage three city-run facilities in Manhattan, Brooklyn, and Queens. The redesigned Central Park Zoo opened in 1988, followed by

1155-468: The American Museum of Natural History. The city provided the land for the new zoo and some funding for buildings and annual operating costs. WCS raised most of the funds for construction and operations from private donors, and selected the scientific and administrative personnel. Hornaday's tenure was very significant for conservation, but he encountered controversy after the exhibiting Ota Benga ,

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1210-509: The Batwa village. The villagers did not trust the muzungu ("white man"). Verner was unable to recruit any villagers to join him for travel to the United States until Benga said that the muzungu had saved his life, and spoke of the bond that had grown between them and his own curiosity about the world Verner came from. Four Batwa, all male, ultimately decided to accompany them. Verner also recruited other Africans who were not pygmies: five men from

1265-449: The Bronx Zoo, Benga was allowed to walk the grounds before and after he was exhibited in the zoo's Monkey House. Benga was placed in a cage with an orangutan , regarded as both an offense to his humanity and a promotion of social Darwinism . To enhance the primitive image and presumably protect himself if need be from the ape, he was given a functional bow and arrow. He used this instead to shoot at visitors who mocked him and partially as

1320-547: The Bronx Zoo. Beginning in 1906, Hornaday featured Ota Benga , a member of the Mbuti from the Congo , in a zoo exhibit. In July 2020, the Wildlife Conservation Society apologized. Madison Grant and Osborn worked together with John C. Merriam , another eugenics supporter, in 1918 to form the Save-The-Redwoods-League . Together, they succeeded in convincing legislators to preserve many redwoods by comparing

1375-673: The Bronx Zoo. In late 1906, the mayor released Benga to the custody of James H. Gordon, who supervised the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum in Brooklyn. In 1910, Gordon arranged for Benga to be cared for in Lynchburg, Virginia , where he paid for his clothes and to have his sharpened teeth capped . This would enable Benga to be more readily accepted in local society. Benga was tutored in English and began to work at

1430-561: The Congo location article is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Wildlife Conservation Society The Wildlife Conservation Society ( WCS ) is a global 501(c)(3) non-governmental organization headquartered at the Bronx Zoo in New York City , that states its mission as saving "wildlife and wild places across the globe". Founded in 1895 as the New York Zoological Society ( NYZS ),

1485-617: The First Illinois Regiment being called in to control the mob. Benga and the other Africans eventually performed in a warlike fashion, imitating Native Americans they saw at the Exhibition. The Apache leader Geronimo (featured as "The Human Tyger" – with special dispensation from the Department of War ) grew to admire Benga, and gave him one of his arrowheads . Benga accompanied Verner when he returned

1540-649: The Monkey House exhibit, and the zoo encouraged him to hang his hammock there, and to shoot his bow and arrow at a target. On the first day of the exhibit, September 8, 1906, visitors found Benga in the Monkey House. Soon, a sign on the exhibit read: The African Pygmy, "Ota Benga." Age, 23 years. Height, 4 feet 11 inches. Weight, 103 pounds. Brought from the Kasai River, Congo Free State, South Cen- tral Africa, by Dr. Samuel P. Verner. Ex- hibited each afternoon during September. Hornaday considered

1595-526: The United States despite the unwelcome spotlight at the zoo. Toward the end of 1906, Benga was released into Reverend Gordon's custody. Gordon placed Benga in the Howard Colored Orphan Asylum , a church-sponsored orphanage in Brooklyn that Gordon supervised. As the unwelcome press attention continued, in January 1910, Gordon arranged for Benga's relocation to Lynchburg, Virginia , where he lived with

1650-456: The animals at the zoo, and he eventually created an exhibition to feature Benga. At the zoo, Benga was allowed to roam the grounds, but there is no record that he was ever paid for his work. He became fond of an orangutan named Dohong, "the presiding genius of the Monkey House", who had been taught to perform tricks and imitate human behavior. The events leading to his "exhibition" alongside Dohong were gradual: Benga spent some of his time in

1705-572: The birds. Beebe's field work also resulted in the creation of the Society's Department of Tropical Research, which Beebe directed from 1922 until his retirement in 1948. From 1930 to 1934, off of the coast of Bermuda, Beebe conducted research in an undersea vessel called the bathysphere . The vessel made thirty-five dives in total, taking him half a mile deep and along the ocean floor. During the dives, Beebe made observations on bioluminescent fish, as well as identifying several new species. This expedition

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1760-453: The chair across the room, just missing the woman's head. Meanwhile, Verner was struggling financially and had made little progress in his negotiations with the museum. He soon found another home for Benga. At the suggestion of Bumpus, Verner took Benga to the Bronx Zoo in 1906. William Hornaday , director of the zoo, initially enlisted Benga to help maintain the animal habitats. However, Hornaday saw that people took more notice of Benga than

1815-636: The conservation of gorillas in Africa, tigers in Asia, and macaws in South America. In recent years, WCS has actively worked in conflict areas like Afghanistan, South Sudan, and Myanmar, where agreements on wildlife resources have contributed to peace and stability. More than 4 million people visit WCS's wildlife parks in New York City each year. WCS has backed numerous digital projects, including

1870-575: The decline of the white race in America. In 1897, Hornaday hired field researcher Andrew J. Stone to survey the condition of wildlife in the territory of Alaska. On the basis of these studies, Hornaday led the campaign for new laws to protect the wildlife there and the United States as a whole. In 1901, a small herd of American Bison were gathered in a 20-acre meadow just off what is now the Pelham Parkway roadway. Starting in 1905, Hornaday led

1925-468: The depiction of Benga as a lesser human, an editorial in The New York Times suggested: We do not quite understand all the emotion which others are expressing in the matter ... It is absurd to make moan over the imagined humiliation and degradation Benga is suffering. The pygmies ... are very low in the human scale, and the suggestion that Benga should be in a school instead of a cage ignores

1980-435: The exhibit a valuable spectacle for visitors; he was supported by Madison Grant , Secretary of the New York Zoological Society , who lobbied to put Ota Benga on display alongside apes at the Bronx Zoo. A decade later, Grant became prominent nationally as a racial anthropologist and eugenicist . African-American clergymen immediately protested to zoo officials about the exhibit. Said James H. Gordon, Our race, we think,

2035-583: The family of Gregory W. Hayes . So that he could more easily be part of local society, Gordon arranged for Benga's teeth to be capped and bought him American-style clothes. He received tutoring from Lynchburg poet Anne Spencer in order to improve his English, and began to attend elementary school at the Baptist Seminary in Lynchburg. Once he felt his English had improved sufficiently, Benga discontinued his formal education. He began working at

2090-468: The five cents he charges for showing them to visitors". When Verner arrived a month later, he realized the pygmies were more prisoners than performers. Their attempts to congregate peacefully in the forest on Sundays were thwarted by the crowds' fascination with them. McGee's attempts to present a "serious" scientific exhibit were also overturned. On July 28, 1904, the Africans performed to the crowd's preconceived notion that they were "savages", resulting in

2145-617: The global conservation organization is, as of April 2, 2024, led by Interim President and CEO Robb Menzi. WCS manages four New York City wildlife parks in addition to the Bronx Zoo: the Central Park Zoo , New York Aquarium , Prospect Park Zoo and Queens Zoo . Together these parks receive 4 million visitors per year. All of the New York City facilities are accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). WCS has

2200-834: The grandson of Samuel Phillips Verner, together with Author Harvey Blume wrote a book on Benga, entitled Ota Benga: The Pygmy in the Zoo (1992). During his research for the book, Bradford visited the American Museum of Natural History , which holds a life mask and body cast of Ota Benga. The display is still labeled "Pygmy", rather than indicating Benga's name, despite objections beginning a century ago from Verner and repeated by others. Publication of Bradford's book in 1992 inspired widespread interest in Ota Benga's story and stimulated creation of many other works, both fictional and non-fiction, such as: Similarities have been observed between

2255-627: The high probability that school would be a place ... from which he could draw no advantage whatever. The idea that men are all much alike except as they have had or lacked opportunities for getting an education out of books is now far out of date. After the controversy, Benga was allowed to roam the grounds of the zoo. In response to the situation, as well as verbal and physical prods from the crowds, he became more mischievous and somewhat violent. Around this time, an article in The New York Times quoted Robert Stuart MacArthur as saying, "It

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2310-583: The late 1950s, WCS began a series of wildlife surveys and projects in Kenya, Tanganyika (now Tanzania), Uganda, Ethiopia , Sudan, Burma, and the Malay peninsula. In 1959, it sponsored George Schaller 's seminal study of mountain gorillas in Congo. Following that expedition, Schaller went on to become recognized as one of the world's preeminent field biologist, studying wildlife throughout Africa, Asia, and South America. Conservation activities continued to expand under

2365-501: The leadership of William G. Conway , who became director of the Bronx Zoo in 1962 and President of WCS in 1992. Active as a field biologist in Patagonia, Conway promoted a new vision of zoos as conservation organizations, which cooperated in breeding endangered species. He also designed new types of zoo exhibits aimed at teaching visitors about habitats that support wildlife, and encouraged the expansion of WCS's field programs. During

2420-604: The nation's wildlife and the nation's white population. Other notable figures involved in the Society's creation include George Bird Grinnell , founder of the Audubon Society and editor of Forest and Stream Magazine and members of the Boone and Crockett Club . The Bronx Zoo (formerly the New York Zoological Park) was designed along the lines of other cultural institutions in New York City, such as

2475-626: The organization. Guests were allowed to bring their own cameras into the Bronx Zoo. Beginning with the African Plains exhibit in 1941, animals were grouped by continents and ecosystems, rather than genetic orders and families. After World War II, under the leadership of Osborn, the organization extended its programs in field biology and conservation. In 1946, WCS helped found the Jackson Hole Wildlife Park, which later became part of Grand Teton National Park in 1962. In

2530-465: The other Africans to the Congo. He briefly lived amongst the Batwa while continuing to accompany Verner on his African adventures. He married a Batwa woman who later died of snakebite, but little is known of this second marriage. Not feeling that he belonged with the Batwa, Benga chose to return with Verner to the United States. Verner eventually arranged for Benga to stay in a spare room at the American Museum of Natural History in New York City while he

2585-410: The press as Artiba , Autobank , Ota Bang , and Otabenga . He had an amiable personality, and visitors were eager to see his teeth that had been filed to sharp points in his early youth as ritual decoration. The Africans learned to charge for photographs and performances. One newspaper account promoted Benga as "the only genuine African cannibal in America", and claimed that "[his teeth were] worth

2640-555: The public. Its name was changed to the Wildlife Conservation Society in 1993. Andrew H. Green was the first president of the society but was replaced by Levi P Morton after Green resigned due to declining health. Henry Fairfield Osborn , who was the curator of the American Museum of Natural History and the founder of the American Eugenics Society , was Morton's successor. Madison Grant , popular eugenicist and author of The Passing of The Great Race , acted as

2695-477: The society's secretary and the chairman of the executive committee. William Temple Hornaday operated as the founding Director and General Curator of the park itself. Together, these leaders wrote hundreds of works promoting preservationist values. According to environmental historian Miles A. Powell, their writings and arguments were foundational for conservation but partially motivated by racial discrimination, hyper masculinity, and an association between protecting

2750-419: The trees to a race in danger. Local communities sometimes saw the attitudes of Grant, Osborn, and Hornaday as being elitist compared to those of poorer citizens and nonwhite citizens. William Beebe , the first curator of birds at the Bronx Zoo, began a program of field research soon after the Bronx Zoo opened. His research on wild pheasants took him to Asia from 1908 to 1911 and resulted in a series of books on

2805-458: Was a Mbuti ( Congo pygmy ) man, known for being featured in an exhibit at the 1904 Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis, Missouri , and as a human zoo exhibit in 1906 at the Bronx Zoo . Benga had been purchased from native African slave traders by the explorer Samuel Phillips Verner , a businessman searching for African people for the exhibition, who took him to the United States. While at

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2860-555: Was buried in an unmarked grave in the black section of the Old City Cemetery , near his benefactor, Gregory Hayes . At some point, the remains of both men went missing. Local oral history indicates that Hayes and Benga were eventually moved from the Old Cemetery to White Rock Hill Cemetery, a burial ground that later fell into disrepair. Benga received a historic marker in Lynchburg in 2017. Phillips Verner Bradford,

2915-399: Was given a Southern-style linen suit to wear when he entertained. He became homesick for his own culture. In 1992 the writers Bradford and Blume imagined his feelings: What at first held his attention now made him want to flee. It was maddening to be inside – to be swallowed whole – so long. He had an image of himself, stuffed, behind glass, but somehow still alive, crouching over

2970-690: Was significant, as it was the first time humans observed the bottom of the deep sea and its creatures in their natural habitat. The bathysphere is currently displayed at the New York Aquarium . During the World War II era, Henry Fairfield Osborn, Jr was elected president of the NYZS and Laurance Rockefeller was elected as executive committee chairman. A best-selling writer on conservation and son of WCS founder Henry Fairfield Osborn , Osborn embraced changes that represented new thinking within

3025-405: Was tending to other business. Verner negotiated with the curator Henry Bumpus over the presentation of his acquisitions from Africa and potential employment. While Bumpus was put off by Verner's request of what he thought was the prohibitively high salary of $ 175 a month and was not impressed by the man's credentials, he was interested in Benga. Benga initially enjoyed his time at the museum, where he

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