Urban Wildlife Alliance

Big news for octopuses in New York. 🐙
The NYS Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee voted 21–9 to pass A.8043B, a bill that would ban industrial octopus farming in our state, the first major milestone in protecting these intelligent, sensitive animals from cruel factory farming conditions.

But the work isn't done. The bill now moves to the Assembly Rules Committee, and we need to keep the momentum going. If your Assembly Member voted yes, give them a call to say thank you. If they voted no, let them know you're disappointed. Every voice matters at this stage.

Thank you to Committee Chair Deborah Glick, Assembly Member Tony Simone, and everyone who showed up for this. We're one step closer. 🤍

Do you remember the East River Park squirrels?
We sure do.

Last September, all trees were removed in East River Park as part of a large infrastructure project. In the process, dozens of squirrels were left stranded inside the construction zone without access to food, water, or shelter.

It took public concern, advocacy, and community action before steps were taken to help them.

This spring, we are partnering with NYU’s Wild Animal Welfare WILD Lab to take a closer look at what happened. Together with our amazing STEM interns from CUNY, we will review the planning process and the Environmental Impact Study behind the project.

We will be asking important questions:
▪️How were wildlife impacts assessed?
▪️What was overlooked?
▪️And how can future projects better protect the animals who share our city?

This case study is part of a larger effort to ensure that wildlife is not treated as an afterthought in urban planning, but as living beings whose welfare matters.

What happened in East River Park should not happen again.

We would love to hear from you. What do you remember about that time, and what would you like to see in the future?

They’re almost ready to see the world.

Lisa, Bart, and Maggie are about to reach a big milestone… they will be opening their eyes any day now.

When these three little ones first arrived, they were so small, fragile and had a bit of the sniffles. But now, they’ve more than doubled their weight and are thriving. Every day, they get stronger and more active.

And frankly, their milestone is ours as well. Their progress means we can finally stop the middle-of-the-night feedings and get a little more sleep. 😄

We’re so grateful to be part of their journey and can’t wait to share the moment when they open their eyes with you.

Thank you for being here with us 🤍

Today is World Sparrow Day, and it exists because of one man who refused to let a small bird disappear quietly.

Growing up in Nashik, India, Mohammed Dilawar remembered sparrows everywhere. By the early 2000s, they were nearly gone from the city: no data, no research, no public concern. Just a slow, silent vanishing that most people hadn't even noticed.
But he did.

Dilawar founded Nature Forever Society, launched an Adopt a Nest Box program to give sparrows a place to live in modern cities that had been built without them in mind, and pushed for an international day of recognition. On March 20, 2010, the first World Sparrow Day was celebrated. Today, it's observed in 50 countries.

It started with one person paying attention and taking action.

Happy World Sparrow Day. 🐦

Photo courtesy: Nature Forever Society

This is one of those moments where our voices here in New York really matter. 🤍

We’re part of the Octopus Coalition, and we’ve seen firsthand that speaking up can create real change. This bill to prevent octopus farming has already made it through an important step and is now heading to the next committee.

Octopuses are incredibly intelligent and sensitive animals, and keeping them in industrial farming conditions causes real harm.

If you have a few minutes today, please take a moment to read the post from Voters For Animal Rights and consider making a call. They’ve included everything you need, including a simple script.

It’s a small action, but it truly can make a difference.

🐙 Your voice is needed NOW, New York!

Your calls WORKED and helped make sure that the bill to prevent industrialoctopus farming from starting here in New York State, (A. 8043 B), passed out of the New York State Assembly Committee on Environmental Conservation Committee. Now it’s at its next stop in the process, the Assembly Codes Committee, and we need your calls again.

🚨 This is a challenging committee, so we need all tentacles to help! 🚨

If your Assembly Member is on the Codes Committee, call them TODAY and politely urge them to move the bill out of committee. (You can find your Assembly Member at https://nyassembly.gov/)

💬 Use this script:

“Hi, my name is _______ and I’m a constituent and supporter of Voters For Animal Rights. I’m asking you to support A.8043 B to prohibit octopus farming. Keeping octopuses in small, enclosed spaces causes severe psychological harm. Please protect them by bringing it up for a vote in the Codes Committee.”

📋 Codes Committee Members:

Jeffrey Dinowitz (Chair)
George Alvarez
Joe Angelino
Alex Bores
Vivian E. Cook
Catalina Cruz
Brian Cunningham
Andrew Hevesi
Charles D. Lavine
John K. Mikulin
Andrew M. Molitor
Angelo J. Morinello
Michael Reilly
Karines Reyes
Gabriella A. Romero
Linda B. Rosenthal
Rebecca A. Seawright
Michael Tannousis
Al Taylor
Clyde Vanel
Latrice M. Walker
David I. Weprin

💜 Commercial octopus farming is cruel. It does not belong in New York.

⏰ Act now—your call can stop the cruelty before it even starts!

What if the city doesn’t feel “unnatural” to wildlife at all?

When we look at these two images, we might see a contrast.
A pigeon nesting on a rocky cliff, and another nesting under a bridge in the middle of a city.

To us, these feel like two very different worlds.
But for a pigeon, they are one and the same.

Pigeons, also known as rock doves, naturally nest along cliffs and in rocky crevices. The structures we build, bridges, buildings, ledges, unintentionally recreate those same conditions. What looks like an artificial environment to us provides familiar shelter and safety for them.

The city is not foreign to wildlife. It is part of their habitat.
They are not out of place here. They have adapted, found their footing, and made a home alongside us.

Seeing the city through their eyes can change how we understand the animals we live with every day. It invites us to move from seeing them as intruders to recognizing them as neighbors.

Next time you’re out, pause for a moment and look a little closer. Who are you sharing your space with?

Every year, injured birds are found across New York City. A pigeon hit by a car, a fledgling that fell from a nest, a warbler that collided with a window.

In many of these moments, help arrives because someone cares enough to take action and reach out.

For years, the Injured Bird Response Team has been coordinated by NYC Bird Alliance. Through their dedication and the commitment of an incredible network of volunteers, countless birds have received the care they needed to survive.

We are deeply grateful for the tremendous work they have done and for the strong foundation they created for wildlife rescue in our city.

Moving forward, Urban Wildlife Alliance will coordinate the Injured Bird Response Team and continue this life-saving work for NYC’s birds.

For now, the program focuses on injured birds. But our hope is that, over time, we can expand these response efforts to help all wildlife in need across our city. So when you find an injured bird, please email [email protected] for help.

To everyone who has been part of this program over the years, thank you. Your compassion has saved countless lives.

And to NYC Bird Alliance, thank you for building something so remarkable and impactful. 🤍

Three tiny Manhattan babies have arrived. 🐿️

A squirrel nest came down in Riverside Park, leaving three baby squirrels on the ground with no mother in sight. What happened to mom, we may never know.

Fortunately, a kindhearted person stopped, looked carefully at the situation, and trusted their instincts. Realizing the babies were in trouble, they gently picked them up and contacted the Wild Bird Fund for help.

Now these three little ones, Lisa, Bart, and Maggie, are safe and warm with us.

Over the next 10-11 weeks, we will provide them with everything they need until they are grown up and strong enough to return to the wild.

Wildlife rescues often begin in moments like this. Someone notices and decides to help.

We are very grateful to the person who stepped in for these three little ones. 🤍