As a climate solutions advocate, Dr. Ayana Elizabeth Johnson is often asked “What are some small things people can do to reduce climate change that don’t require sacrifices?” But the truth is electric cars and solar panels won’t be enough. Climate success will require us to change our relationship with the natural world. We must not view nature as resources to manage, but as kin. In this final episode of the season, we’ll explore solutions to our climate emergency via a conversation with close f...
Oct 10, 2023•41 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast In a city that loves celebrities, one mountain lion became the mascot for conservation efforts that eventually led to the creation of California’s first wildlife corridor. But one wildlife corridor, even if it’s the largest in the world, isn’t enough. Some populations of mountain lions in Southern California are struggling to survive — threatened by habitat loss caused by urban developments, lack of genetic diversity, and vehicle collisions. As wildlife conservationists are working to save these...
Oct 03, 2023•47 min•Transcript available on Metacast In 2016, Hurricane Earl devastated Belize, causing over $100 million worth of damage and displacing thousands of Belizeans across the country. But humans were not the only victims of the storm. Deep in the mangroves, an infant manatee was separated from her mother and washed onto the mainland. She was so tiny when Jamal Galves found her, with her umbilical cord still attached. He named her Hope. After 7 years in rehabilitation, Hope the Manatee is soon to be released back into the wild. But as d...
Sep 26, 2023•44 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Long before the infamous Central Park incident went viral (where a white woman called the cops on him during a birdwatching outing), Christian Cooper had been obsessed with birds. It was a love nurtured through his involvement in The Audubon Society, an environmental organization dedicated to bird conservation. But recently, Christian’s dedication to and love for this organization has been put to the test. We’ll hear how growing up as a closeted queer person in the 80s, a career contributing to ...
Sep 19, 2023•40 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast When Samuel Ramsey was a child, he was afraid of bugs. But a trip to the library with his mother changed everything and led him to become a bee entomologist. He grew up gay in a non-affirming religious community, he was the only Black entomologist in his Doctoral program, and today he’s both a Christian AND a scientist in a world that often asks him to choose between his faith and his practice. But Dr. Buggs (his media nickname) recently made a breakthrough discovery in the fight against one of ...
Sep 12, 2023•52 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast In a remote part of the Amazon rainforest in Peru, there’s a river with water so hot, it actually boils. In fact, it's so extreme and so remote that for a long time people thought the river was a myth. Dr. Rosa Vásquez Espinoza risked life and limb journeying to this boiling river, called Shanay-Timpishka or La Bomba, to explore some of the smallest microorganisms on Earth. Why?? Because the untapped microbes that live in that extreme environment could save our planet! There are more microbes on...
Sep 05, 2023•37 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Welcome back to Going Wild, a podcast about the human drama behind saving animals. This season, on top of stories about animals, we’re going to take a journey through the entire ecological web — from the tiniest of life forms to apex predators. We’ll be guided by one central question: How can we, humans, look at our relationship to nature differently? Rae will speak to scientists, activists, and adventurers as they find all the different ways the natural world is interconnected. Explore the hidd...
Aug 22, 2023•2 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Hi everyone! We’re still a little ways away from the next season of Going Wild, but today we're sharing an episode of a great new podcast called The Class of 1989. In this episode, Len and Vincent talk about the representation of Black women in the films of 1989 — and how Black women directors would help transform the film world throughout the 1990s and into the present.
Apr 18, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast It's been a challenging couple of years during the pandemic but we are starting to travel again. Host Lale Arikoglu determines that she needs to challenge herself and goes hiking in Chilean Patagonia in a misty, rainy, and isolated landscape. Closer to home she’s trying to stay upright on a surfboard at New York’s Rockaway beach even though she’s skittish in waves and talks to author Dorthe Nors about moving from Copenhagen to live along the wild North Sea coast of Denmark, a place known as ‘Col...
Jan 10, 2023•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week we're sharing a riveting episode from NHPR's show, Outside/In. Take a listen and let us know what you think! A debate about evolutionary “success.” Who should wear the crown of GSOAT (greatest species of all time), and are humans even in the running? Humans have had an impressive run thus far; we’ve explored most of the planet (the parts that aren’t underwater anyway), landed on the moon, created art and music, and made some pretty entertaining Tik-Toks. But we’ve survived on the plane...
Dec 20, 2022•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast This week, we're sharing an episode from our friends at the Wildlife Conservation Society. Take a listen and let us know what you think! Their second season launches in conversation with Mariana Varese, the Peru-based director of WCS’s Amazon Landscapes Program. Mariana describes a new initiative, “Together for Conservation,” that seeks to conserve biodiversity while preventing environmental crime in the Amazon. The project brings Indigenous Peoples and local communities together with journalist...
Dec 06, 2022•9 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Content warning: this episode briefly mentions the topic of suicide.* From the kitchen floor to the remote jungles of the Congo, Rae grapples with divorce and single-motherhood on an international trip to study lowland gorillas. For the last episode of season 2, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant talks about a career-changing opportunity to track down one of the most elusive creatures in Central Africa — lowland gorillas. But when things don’t go as planned, Rae ends up uncovering something else that changes t...
Nov 15, 2022•39 min•Ep 9•Transcript available on Metacast Ornithologist (bird scientist), poet, and author Drew Lanham was recently awarded the Macarthur Genius Grant—$800,000 with no strings attached. But despite his deep love for birds he almost never studied the creatures at all. As a young man, he won a full-ride scholarship to any school he wanted, only this award did have strings attached. Drew would have to give up his dreams of ecology and instead be an engineer. Hear how Drew was saved first from a career he loathed by the lilting song of a pr...
Nov 08, 2022•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Content warning: this episode contains descriptions of violence that might be disturbing to some listeners.* Herpetologists do a lot of unique things while studying lizards—cut their toes, pump their stomachs, and capture them by lassoing their necks. That one small word, “lasso,'' wasn't always the word used in the discipline. Herpetologist Earyn McGee, one of the few Black, female scientists in the field, proposed researchers stop using the word “noose” to describe capturing lizards, and star...
Nov 01, 2022•36 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Jasmin Graham loves sharks. I mean, really loves sharks. And she always dreamed of becoming a university professor to encourage other people of color interested in shark science. But then, something happened to Jasmin in grad school that caused her to give up her dream. So what does she do when she realizes she has nothing left to lose? Listen to more "Going Wild" HERE. Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, you can follow “Going Wild” on your favorite podcast listening app. While you’...
Oct 25, 2022•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast *Content warning: this conversation contains mentions of animal injuries, death, and the topic of suicide.* Veterinarians deal with death so frequently that they have some of the highest suicide rates of any occupation. Dr. Hollis Stewart has worked with many animals – from domesticated pets in New York City and Fez, Morocco, to wild animals in the Middle East and Africa. Because of that, she’s also worked with humans (other vets, clients, and civilians) from all over the world. In this episode,...
Oct 18, 2022•37 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Why are coyotes showing up all over the place? Spoiler alert: evolution can work fast. If you live in the United States, chances are you’ve seen a coyote in the wilderness, or in more unexpected places like on a train, in your backyard, or even in a sandwich shop. But coyotes haven’t always been so bold. Back in the 1900s, coyotes were more like wolves – you mostly found them in forests and other areas far away from humans. Now, coyotes are everywhere, and Dr. Christopher Schell decided to find ...
Oct 11, 2022•35 min•Ep 4•Transcript available on Metacast Hyenas might be the most misunderstood animal – Are they dogs? Big cats? Evil, trouble-making sidekicks? (Thanks, Lion King!) Dr. Christine Wilkinson relates to this ambiguous perception as a bi-racial woman, especially one working in the fields of science and conservation. She couldn’t wait to go to Kenya to study hyenas, but once there, she was labeled a “Mzungu,” a term often used to describe white foreigners. Hear about how she fought to save hyenas from being misunderstood (and even started...
Oct 04, 2022•42 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast What do you do when you get a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to study Jaguars in the Panama rainforest but you can’t find childcare? Bring your kid along! In the first episode of season 2 of Going Wild, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant tells of an expedition searching for an elusive creature in the rainforest with her toddler in tow, but not everything goes as planned. Thanks for listening! If you want to support us, you can follow “Going Wild” on your favorite podcast listening app. While you’re there, pleas...
Sep 27, 2022•34 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast This season, you'll hear from wildlife scientists who are doing all kinds of amazing work like studying hyenas in Kenya or working with coyotes in California, and even tracking sharks in Florida. And just like me, they run into all kinds of drama in their work. The animals they study are great, but who they are as people and how that affects their work is just as interesting. We have brand new episodes starting September 27th. Subscribe now to Going Wild, wherever you get your podcasts, and foll...
Sep 13, 2022•1 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast Breaking glass ceilings, breaking down barriers, breaking molds: it’s exhilarating. And exhausting. This episode is about what it’s really, truly like to be a Black, female scientist in America. Since this is the last episode of the season. I want to say, thanks to you. Hosting the show and sharing my stories has been an incredible experience and quite a wild ride. And I'm so glad that you're here on this journey with me. Go back and listen to all of the episodes again here: https://www.pbs.org/...
Nov 30, 2021•35 min•Ep 10•Transcript available on Metacast If you’re new to “Going Wild”, welcome. You’ve found us at the perfect time. Right now, we’re rebroadcasting the very first episode of the season. It’s all about how I went from an asthmatic teenager, who had never even been on a hike, to the person I am today: a scientist who studies wild animals and practically lives outdoors. I want to give you a chance to get to know me before we hit you with the season finale, which is intense. So if you’ve already heard this story, be sure to come back nex...
Nov 23, 2021•29 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast When I was living in Kenya, I learned a lot about animals and conservation, and I also learned about people and culture, sometimes through my own horribly embarrassing mistakes. I told you about one of those moments last week. This week I'm bringing you another story. If you want to go back and listen to part one, it's here: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcast/misunderstandings-with-masaai-one/ For more episodes: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcasts/going-wild/ New episodes of "Going Wil...
Nov 16, 2021•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast In part one of two, I share some embarrassing cross-cultural misunderstandings from my time living in East Africa. Hear about two of the biggest ones– and what they taught me about the country, the people, and myself.
Nov 09, 2021•23 min•Ep 6•Transcript available on Metacast A dead bear shows up in an unlikely place, and the discovery of how it died and how it got there makes me question my life’s work. A warning: This episode contains details of performing a necropsy of the bear in the woods. It contains language that may not be acceptable for young listeners or those with queasy stomachs. Please like and follow us (and give us a review!) if you like the show! For more episodes: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcasts/going-wild/ New episodes of "Going Wild with D...
Nov 02, 2021•29 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast Happy Halloween week! There are major risks that come with being a wildlife ecologist– from sleeping with poisonous snakes to provoking hungry bears. Here are a few of my scariest encounters in the field. Please like and follow us (and give us a review!) if you like the show! For more episodes: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcasts/going-wild/ New episodes of "Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant" are released on Tuesdays. Want a season 2 or a story about a specific animal or location? Contact ...
Oct 26, 2021•36 min•Transcript available on Metacast In the last episode, I told you the story about a giraffe - a dead giraffe, actually - in Tarangire National Park, but I didn't get to share any stories about lions. So, let me take you back to my first day in Tanzania, in the middle of the bush, and introduce you to two very unique lions I still think about to this day. This is a special short episode of "Going Wild."
Oct 19, 2021•12 min•Ep 5•Transcript available on Metacast Poachers kill a giraffe in Tanzania. What happens to the poachers isn’t surprising. But what happens to the giraffe....is.
Oct 12, 2021•25 min•Ep 3•Transcript available on Metacast You already heard about my experience tracking lemurs in this mysterious rainforest in Madagascar in episode 2, but what I left out of that story was just how hard camping there for five weeks was on my body -- especially as the only woman in the entire group. And yes, there was some blood involved. This is a special short episode of "Going Wild." Go back and listen to episode 2: Tracking Lemurs in a Lost Rainforest: https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/podcast/lemurs-rainforest-madagascar/ For more ...
Oct 05, 2021•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Tracking and darting an elusive ringtail lemur might help save a secret rainforest in Madagascar, but it also invites unexpected feelings of homesickness and self-reflection. Immerse yourself in the sounds and story of this magical place while I share one of my favorite tales from the field. New episodes of "Going Wild with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant" are released on Tuesdays. Want a season 2 or a story about a specific animal or location? Contact us at naturepod@wnet.org Everything "Going Wild" can be ...
Sep 28, 2021•37 min•Ep 2•Transcript available on Metacast 
