Dr. Pat Thomas worked at the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) for 42 years before retiring in 2022. At the time of his retirement he was vice president & general curator for WCS and the associate director of the Bronx Zoo. Pat started with Bronx Zoo’s Mammal Department in 1979 and held a number of positions in that department, including curator of mammals. He was named general curator in 2007. A professional fellow in the Association of Zoos & Aquariums (AZA), Pat participated in numerous conservation programs, serving on both Species Survival Plan programs (SSPs) and Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs). He also was appointed to the AZA’s Animal Population Management and Safety committees. Pat traveled extensively for WCS, conducting various studies in Africa, Asia and South America. He took part in WCS reintroduction programs for black howler monkeys in Belize, and for Kihansi spray toads in Tanzania. Other research projects included assessing the efficacy of rabies vaccine in African wild dogs and developing techniques to non-invasively collect hair samples from big cats in Africa for genetic analysis. Most recently, he worked to establish a large breeding group of bison at the Bronx Zoo, and partnered with the Osage Nation to send Bronx-born bison to establish a viable herd on their native land in Oklahoma. In addition to his work at the zoo, Pat has served as an adjunct professor at Columbia University, Fordham University, and Manhattan College.
