Rattlesnakes have long been persecuted, even killed for sport or having their entire dens burned. I head out with two wildlife biologists to look for rattlesnakes as they emerge from hibernation and learn about the important role these snakes play in our ecosystem. Take our listener survey by clicking the link here . You could be selected to get a WILD sticker. THE WILD is a joint production of myself and KUOW Public Radio. One way to support this vital work and become part of THE WILD community...
Jul 13, 2021•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast For an ecologist like me, Santa Cruz island is a bit of a dream. It is home to a quite famous fox. It is like no “apex predator” I’ve ever seen before. These aren’t the type of foxes you might see on the mainland. These island foxes are small, very small. These foxes are endemic to the Channel Islands, meaning they are found here and nowhere else in the world. But about 20 years ago, people on these islands started noticing fewer and fewer foxes on the landscape. Their numbers were crashin...
Jul 06, 2021•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people have been involved in saving the California condor. We meet some of them in this episode, including a former gang member who has made it his life’s mission to help the birds he loves. California condors are so iconic that when I finally saw one in person, it felt a bit like meeting a movie star. Condors were one of 78 species listed on the original endangered species list in 1967. And they are still on it. That's 54 years of living on the edge. Condors ar...
Jun 29, 2021•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast Today, I’m talking with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Rae is a large carnivore ecologist and a fellow with the National Geographic Society . She is also a Research Faculty member at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the blend of her work is really fascinating. For 15 years she’s studied the behavior and ecology of black bears and african lions and she does it on a backdrop of social justice as an advocate for women and people of co...
Jun 22, 2021•1 hr 18 min•Transcript available on Metacast Northern Sumatra is a magical tropical home to the endangered orangutan. But their rainforest home is being cut down, and many are orphaned as their habitat is lost. Researchers are working hard to understand how orangutans process and learn, while others rehabilitate young individuals for a life back in the wild. THE WILD is a joint production of myself and KUOW Public Radio. One way to support this vital work and become part of THE WILD community is through my wildlife organization, Chris Morg...
Jun 15, 2021•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast The shrill calls of billions of Brood X cicadas emerging from the earth have captured the nation’s ears and attention this spring. But what do these noisy insects DO for the 17 years they live underground? In this episode we dig deep into that question. THE WILD is a joint production of myself and KUOW Public Radio. One way to support this vital work is through my wildlife organization, Chris Morgan Wildlife. You can find more information at Patreon Follow us on Instagram @thewildpod and @chrism...
Jun 01, 2021•16 min•Transcript available on Metacast I hope you're enjoying spring wherever you are. I just wanted to let you know that we're taking a short break to work on some new episodes. We just got back from an incredible trip in California for two stories. One is about California condors, North America's biggest bird that almost became extinct and island foxes on the Channel Islands. We'll be back in June, which means that now is the perfect time to listen to past episodes if you missed them. Keep well everybody and stay in touch. See omny...
May 18, 2021•2 min•Transcript available on Metacast Something a little different this week everyone - WILD producer Matt Martin found a surprising story about an opportunity to do something good for one of the pacific northwest’s most important creatures....the salmon. In this episode, Matt uncovers what one city has done to help salmon. How they redesigned their built environment to benefit not just humans but wildlife too. And how it was all made possible by something quite unexpected…..the rumbling force of a destructive earthquake. See omnyst...
May 11, 2021•20 min•Transcript available on Metacast Being a “bird brain” is a complement if you’re talking about ravens. They are smart. Their intelligence allows them to empathize and read emotions, which helps them survive. But it’s their ability to manipulate others, and even plan for the future that allows them to really thrive in the wild. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 04, 2021•26 min•Transcript available on Metacast It’s springtime which means sunshine, picnics and flies. But you might think twice about reaching for that fly swatter. Flies are amazing creatures that possess the fastest visual systems in the world, use gyroscopes for precision flying, and can see almost 360 degrees. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 27, 2021•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast This is a tough story to tell. In 2019 the last of the mountain caribou in the lower 48 states disappeared. Extinct. Deforestation threatens those that are left. Professional Wildlife tracker and photographer David Moskowitz takes us to the frigid mountains of British Columbia to learn about the ancient but fragile ecosystem these majestic reindeer call home. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 20, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast Over 60% of Belize is in a natural, wild state, but development is threatening the movements of the jaguars. In this episode, I'll meet the people who are trying to help protect these jungle cats. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 13, 2021•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast There are only 350 scarlet macaws left in the wild in Belize. They face the threats of poaching and habitat lose. But let us introduce you to the passionate people determined to save these colorful birds. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 06, 2021•42 min•Transcript available on Metacast New episodes start on April 6th. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Mar 23, 2021•3 min•Transcript available on Metacast Hi everyone. We’ve missed bringing you new episodes of The Wild, but that’s about to change. We’re kicking off our third season on April 6th. We’ve got lots of exciting wildlife adventures to share including a trip to Central America and the country of Belize. The jungles are teaming with wildlife there. It’s one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. I don’t want to give too much away about the trip just yet, but I’ll give you a hint....Jaguars Thanks to all of our listeners ...
Mar 09, 2021•27 min•Transcript available on Metacast A few moments of reflection during these stressful times with the help of meditative sounds from nature. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Nov 17, 2020•12 min•Transcript available on Metacast We are all going through some challenging times, a pandemic, for Americans, an election whirlwind...or maybe other things in life. So, we wanted to give you a break, a chance to step away from the stress and into the wild. On this special episode of THE WILD we listen to a dawn chorus in Eastern Washington and ravens off the fog drenched shores of the Oregon coast. These sounds were recorded by Gordon Hempton the Sound Tracker and co-founder of Quiet Parks International . See omnystudio.com/list...
Nov 03, 2020•7 min•Transcript available on Metacast Join me as I meet bats up close and in person and try to figure out the mystery behind these winged mammals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Oct 27, 2020•31 min•Transcript available on Metacast Kick back for a spot of British birdwatching as I head into the English countryside with twitcher Lee Evans. Lee is an extreme birder and he’s become notorious in a nation of bird-lovers, as the man who’ll go to any lengths to fulfill his bird obsession. Lee has driven 2.2 million miles around the UK and Ireland looking for birds. So far he’s seen 594 different species, but not without some mishaps. I join him for a day in the field to hear more, and to tap into the mind of a really fascinating ...
Oct 06, 2020•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast Feeling a little cooped up? Take to the skies on the most extreme migration in the world. Join the Arctic Tern, a little bird with serious wanderlust. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 22, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast The secret and fascinating world of these miniature marvels. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Sep 08, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast Meet the sperm whale, the true deep divers of the ocean. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 25, 2020•11 min•Transcript available on Metacast There’s a wild animal and a team of researchers that might hold the clue to space travel. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Aug 11, 2020•13 min•Transcript available on Metacast On the conservation roller coaster, good and bad news for grizzly bears. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jul 28, 2020•10 min•Transcript available on Metacast See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 16, 2020•32 min•Transcript available on Metacast Poop parties, floating scat, and an international crime fighter. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Jun 02, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast I visit a forest of trees so old, they were around before the last wolf was killed in the 1700s. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 20, 2020•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast If you want to find an owl, first you need to find some voles. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
May 05, 2020•29 min•Transcript available on Metacast I visit a prison on the Olympic Peninsula where incarcerated individuals catalog wildlife videos for local biologists. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 14, 2020•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast I meet biologists who can track multiple cougars in the forest, thanks to some special collars, GPS, and the click of a mouse. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.
Apr 07, 2020•28 min•Transcript available on Metacast 
