Our Wild World

National Strategies Combatting Wildlife Crime with Will Gartshore

Over the past two years we have seen an unprecedented spike in wildlife crime, threatening to overturn decades of conservation gains. Wildlife overexploitation and crime is big business these days beyond the slippery slope and repercussions of impending extinctions. With my guest today, Will Gartshore, Sr. Policy Officer for WWF, we gain in-depth understanding of the scope illegal wildlife trafficking and crime, and what the US government, Congress, and the current Administration is doing abo...

Community Based Conservation: A model for protecting wildlife corridors

Many reserves around the world are too small to sustain viable wildlife populations for long in the future. Wildlife counts in the Masai Mara Reserve in western Kenya have declined by as much as 70% in the past several decades, largely due to habitat loss and habitat degradation. Join us with Dr. Dusti Becker and Dr. Tony Povilitis and the partnerships between LifeNet Nature and the Maasai Moran Conservation and Walking Safaris, a Community Based Organization composed of of young Maasai that ...

Up Close and Personal with US Fish and Wildlife Service

Up Close and Personal with US Fish and Wildlife Service

Today we’ll be discussing how our USFish & Wildlife Service is involved in saving African and Asian Elephants, with special guests Deputy Chief of Law Enforcement Edward Grace ; The Chief of Near East. South Asia and Africa Division of International Conservation, Richard Ruggiero; and African Elephant Program Specialist Michelle Gadd. We will have an informative and frank conversation and dialogue about the November 14th, USFW Ivory Crush, the decimation to our wild world’s wildlife with focu...

A New World for Chimpanzees with Dr. Stephen Ross

The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service has just announced a final ruling that classifies all chimpanzees, both wild and captive, as endangered under the Endangered Species Act (ESA). What we have finally realized is that our best efforts of the past were not enough and Chimpanzees are but a single example of this widespread problem, and hopes are that this will pave the way for other species both wild and captive. Dr. Stephen Ross has two decades of experience studying primate behavior, and is Di...

ElephantVoices with Dr. Joyce Poole

We humans are not the only species with complex communications or awareness of self and others. Elephants are highly cognitive and communicate not only through and sounds that we can hear, but through sounds that we cannot hear and through gestures. Joyce Poole of ElephantVoices has been deciphering their language through documenting, recording and photographing their society and movements for more than thirty years. Individual elephants not only know each other’s voices but they also recogni...

ElephantVoices with Dr. Joyce Poole

Vanishing Footprints with Johnny Rodrigues, ZCTF

Selling off wildlife to the highest bidders where in the end both wildlife and Zimbabwe losing the balance point between ‘if it pays it stays’ eco-tourism in living landscapes where whole communities benefit from live wildlife, and ‘if it pays it plays’ consumptive utilization model, where only a few benefit from killing or exporting it for profit and entertainment, While still calling it conservation. Right now, Zimbabwe is on the global hot seat. From the silent screams of wild caught baby ...

How Long Must Elephants Pay The Ultimate Price with Jane High

Conservation Leadership Or Failure with Nick Lynch Part 2

The recent scandalous headlines out of Zimbabwe and 24 baby elephants are,by example, galvanizing the world toward a re-evaluating what wildlife management means. Will we leave behind post-neo-conservation-colonialism, long suffering despotism, politics of the stomach and killing wildlife for entertainment toward progressive,creative, multi-layered, multi-national approaches toward co-existence and economic independence from entrenched interests? We are on the threshold of securing the surviv...

Corruption Of The Wild With Nick Lynch

Zimbabwe: Wildlife and mineral rich, home to one of the Seven Wonders of the World and World Heritage Site. My guest Nick Lynch an I discuss how, once a model of progressive management between Old and New Africa, Zimbabwe now daily symbolizes egregious cronyism and greed running rampant. The dubious murky dealings of 24 baby elephants taken from the wild for live-export to an ivory hungry China has roused national and international headlines of inept and failing wildlife policies management i...

TWAS A Place Called Home with Pat Craig

Big cats in captivity can be found everywhere. From Las Vegas to shopping malls, to roadside zoos, and even in backyards and basements. There is a captive wildlife crisis and Pat Craig of The Wild Animal Sanctuary spends his life changing this. Not bred for the bullet, but in horrific circumstances none-the-less, law and licensing doesn’t always guarantee proper or humane treatment of animals and the entire captive wildlife industry stands divided by ethical views. The most effective way to a...

For The Love of Lions with Dr. Pieter Kat

In a world inundated with captive bred African lions, why are we losing wild lions in Africa? With successful foreign bans against import of lion trophy and products, airline embargos, and bans of lions in circuses and performing entities - combined with the global push for USFW to list African Lions as endangered under the ESA, will we turn the tide for lions? Or will the illegal trade and pressure from moneyed private interests in S. Africa, the NRA, SCI and DSC to obfuscate collective data...

Not A Good Year For Lions with Pieter Kat

Throughout human history Lions have represented royalty and power and universally symbolize hope, courage and strength. Around the world Lions are heralded through art, literature to representations on flags to national emblems to sports. Like no other animal, Lions directly appeal to people spanning all ages regardless of culture, race, and national origin. My guest Pieter Kat of LionAid provides us an insight and perception into lions not only as an ancient species and how our evolution rel...

What Lions are Whispering with Kevin Richardson

Through an intimate and enlightening conversation with Kevin Richardson, we learn why he is called The Lion Whisperer, but what makes Kevin exceptional is that he listens to what lions are telling us. Through his unique relationships with his lions, Kevin opens a window into the mind behind the mane. Our conversation is a unblemished view into Kevin’s own journey of passion for lions, and why he has dedicated his life to saving them and ending the industrialized farming of lions as nothing m...

Loving Wildlife To Death with Glen Martin

Since this episode originally aired a year ago, traction from animal rights and welfare movements have certainly gained ground for exotic animals in captivity. However, in terms of large landscape-species survival plans, rights and welfare acts can create direct conflict to saving species in the wild: umbrella species and critical players in conserving large landscapes, biodiversity and ecosystems that depend upon them, where extinction of an entire species in the wild V's. an individual, wou...

From the Heart of Namibia with Ferre Libanda

From Ferre Libanda we hear the voice of Namibia, one that resonates across all boundaries- the lack of elected leaders accountability and unwillingness to address the needs of diverse communities and resources in favor of the politics of the stomach, turning the progress of the past into a failure for the future through corruption, cronyism, elitism and selling out to the highest bidder, and the gap between rich and poor grows wider and deeper than ever before. From politics to conservation, ...

SAFE future for Elephants with BodhiTree Foundation and Jackie Magid

Responsible tourism holds a key role in the future of conserving the sensitive landscapes and endangered species we travel to experience. Jackie Magid, Director of The Bodhi Tree Foundation, is dedicated to mobilizing the travel community to engage in wildlife conservation and help communities and cultures around the globe toward preserving wildlife and habitats for future travelers to experience, while inspiring change in the areas they serve. TBTF’s groundbreaking campaign, S.A.F.E. is gear...

Do We Want Elephants with Peter LaFontaine IFAW

Today, that’s the question, for we are wholly responsible for their losses. Elephants are in crisis. From the top down administrative initiatives and policy changes both nationally and internationally, to the many organizations devoted to raising awareness to projects on the ground, elephants are being given a lot of attention. Yet, they are still dying by the thousands. Today, now, all efforts to protect elephants require participation and partnerships between governments and people all ove...

Elephant Uprising with Monty Marsh Guerilla Filmworx

CA4Elephants with Nanette Wheeler Carter

My guest today is Nanette Wheeler Carter, Researcher, Activist, Advocate, Lobbyist, President, Founder and Matriarch of CA 4 Elephants.org. Nanette brings a multitude of experiences and activism to bring focus to the tipping points and challenges we , endangered species, and our world are facing. From shifting social norms, to on the ground activities. CA 4 ELEPHANTS focuses spreading understanding of what bioenvironmental diversity and sustainable conservation Means in the real world, and ba...

Special Encore Presentation: An Uncomfortable Perch On The Horns of Dilemma

I’ve just returned from a conference on Captive Wildlife by the Performing Animal Welfare Society, PAWS: 3 days filled with eye opening education on the cascades of its resultant issues. Today’s conversation will touch upon all that lives under the big top umbrella of captive animals: from wild caught to breeding to stress and veterinary issues; from zoo vs. sanctuary; and the legal battles from defense to rights and welfare to personhood. Facts: humans keep and breed exotic animals for capti...

Australia Bans the Canned Lions with Donalea Patman and Ian Michler

Friday March 13, 2015 Australian Environment Minister Greg Hunt made world history by taking the lead and announcing the immediate ban of the import and export of African Lion trophies and body parts. The S. African Gov’t and professional hunting bodies around the world prefer the euphemism ‘captive hunts’ to ‘canned’, but Donalea Patman and Ian Michler, and the proponents against Canned Hunting say Captive Hunting is still Canned Hunting. The facts are, lions and other wildlife, are being ...

Act Locally Think Globally with Philip Tedeschi

A lot seems to be happening around the world in terms of crisis and human- animal connections. From heightened awareness and social programs. My guest, clinical social worker, Philip Tedeschi returns with news and updates as to how the Denver University, Institute for Human Animal Connection (IHAC) looks for, provides real-world situations for graduate students and offers programs and presentations to the public, offering solutions that provide for healthy avenues to recognize challenges and...

Special Encore Presentation: April Fool’s Day- Are we really so foolish?

Wouldn’t it be great if today’s headlines were : It’s okay. We can all come out now! the Extinction and Global crises are over, and We’ve Won! We don’t have to worry about environmental collapse or losing our polar bears and elephants, and our world turning into one big corporate machine, because humanity came to its senses the other day - we all pulled together and turned our wild world around! Each of us one day said to the other, well… here’s what I did today, and I’m going to do it ever...

Special Encore Presentation: A Globalized Future of OneHealth UC Davis Annual Wildlife Symposium

Wildlife Medicine, Conservation and One Health is the focus of the 21st Annual Wildlife Medicine Symposium at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. April 11-12th, 2015 at UC Davis and via webinar, and open to all who are interested. These symposia are the training ground of the future, and the critical understanding of the connectivity of the health of the overall web of life from human, ecosystems, wildlife and crossovers between veterinary and human medicine and species conservation. My g...

Get Beef Off The Menu At The Lion Buffet with Bill Given

Get Beef Off The Menu At The Lion Buffet with Bill Given

CATS CATS CATS with Dr. John Hadidian and Katie Lisnik, HSUS

We’re not talking about the furry loveable housecat. There are currently an estimated 30-40 million cats in the US alone, living in our neighborhoods, our wildlands and in their own communities. With Dr. John Hadidian and Katie Lisnik of the Humane Society of the US we’re talking about the cats that are not owned, live in your community, and are feral, and what the differences are. A stray cat is a pet who has been lost or abandoned, used to contact with people and tame enough to be adopted. ...

Wildlife Poisoning Prevention and Conflict Resolution Workshop, Namibia

With my Guests Tim Snow in S. Africa and Mark Paxton in Namibia, we discuss the consequences of negative actions on wildlife and their environs through poisoning, and the upcoming workshop to address the issues. Over the past 50 years, the human population has doubled and global agricultural production has risen in tandem. With Increased use of pesticides, we largely do not understand the full impact of unintended side effects on wildlife. We know also that poachers seek quick, quiet and eas...

Through the Eyes of Being Earnest with Debbie McFee

“Under the bright lights, elephants perform tricks for excited humans who never wonder what happens to these massive animals after the show ends. Earnest knows.” The only things captive born elephants may ever know are zoo paddocks and circus rings. What we do know is that elephants are complex intelligent, emotive and social beings, and we know they talk to each other. Have we considered what captive born elephants might learn from their wild-born captive friends? With my guest, Debbie M...

A Globalized Future of OneHealth UC Davis Annual Wildlife Symposium

Wildlife Medicine, Conservation and One Health is the focus of the 21st Annual Wildlife Medicine Symposium at UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. April 11-12th, 2015 at UC Davis and via webinar, and open to all who are interested. These symposia are the training ground of the future, and the critical understanding of the connectivity of the health of the overall web of life from human, ecosystems, wildlife and crossovers between veterinary and human medicine and species conservation. My g...

Special Encore Presentation: As We Do Unto Others with Ed Stewart PAWS

How we treat and relate to animals in captivity has everything to do with how we will protect them in the wild. Ed Stewart has dedicated his life to providing sanctuary and protection to abused, abandoned and retired performing animals and efforts to enforce the best standards of care for all captive wildlife, to the preservation of wild species and their habitat, and promoting public education about captive wildlife issues. Ed is a multi-talented and skilled man who with humor and aplomb, ha...

A Flight of Knowledge Takes Wing with Julie Murad

When we think captive wildlife in crisis, our focus stays on the large charismatic mammals. Our conservation landscape has expanded to those places that flow where land ends, to our oceans, rivers, lakes, and forests. But there is an immense space that ties all this together- the skies above us, and the multitude of exotic birds that inhabit them, that are now available as pets and companions. Spectacular birds have become a part of the human landscape to inhabiting our living rooms, often wi...

As We Do Unto Others with Ed Stewart PAWS

How we treat and relate to animals in captivity has everything to do with how we will protect them in the wild. Ed Stewart has dedicated his life to providing sanctuary and protection to abused, abandoned and retired performing animals and efforts to enforce the best standards of care for all captive wildlife, to the preservation of wild species and their habitat, and promoting public education about captive wildlife issues. Ed is a multi-talented and skilled man who with humor and aplomb, ha...

Born Free with Adam Roberts

Free: as in not under the control or in the power of another; the ability to act or be or do as one wishes. Albert Camus wrote Humans are the only creatures who don't want to be what they are. And what we absolutely don’t want to be is an animal. We are face to face with the absolute need to reevaluate our relationship to every other living being on earth, particularly as companions or entertainment- be it zoo or sanctuary or pet. Today with my guest Adam Roberts of Born Free USA, we discuss ...

Chimpan A to Chimpan Z with Dr. Stephen Ross

With almost two decades of experience studying primate behavior Dr. Stephen Ross, Director Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes at Lincoln Park Zoo, focuses on using both animal behavior and science to influence policy, and further the positive effects for animal welfare. His primary focus is assessing, measuring and improving the welfare of chimpanzees in a wide scope of conditions- from inappropriate portrayal of chimpanzees in popular media to assessing the housin...

Predators in Paradise-Rat Island with Will Stolzenburg

My guest today, Will Stolzenburg, is no newcomer to our wild world- both as a guest here, but more so as an investigative journalist. On hundreds of remote islands around the world massive -and massively controversial- wildlife rescue missions have been well under way, often under the radar. Our Islands, fragile ecosystems home to unique species and most of the largest sea-bird colonies that exist anywhere on the globe. These wildlife and avian colonies, which evolved in peaceful isolation, ...

Gift of Life for Elephants with Scott Blais

Global Sanctuary for Elephants founders joined hands with notable experts, including Joyce Poole, to work on a solution to the growing crisis for captive elephants in South America. It has become apparent that captive elephant health, internationally, is in a state of emergency. Earth’s largest mammals live severely restricted lives in chains or extreme confinement with insufficient diet, and isolation from social groupings, leading to severe health complications, disease and psychological i...

An Uncomfortable Perch On The Horns of Dilemma

I’ve just returned from a conference on Captive Wildlife by the Performing Animal Welfare Society, PAWS: 3 days filled with eye opening education on the cascades of its resultant issues. Today’s conversation will touch upon all that lives under the big top umbrella of captive animals: from wild caught to breeding to stress and veterinary issues; from zoo vs. sanctuary; and the legal battles from defense to rights and welfare to personhood. Facts: humans keep and breed exotic animals for capti...

Filling in the Gaps

What is Conservation? If someone were to ask you what it means, what would you say? As we’ve seen over the course of the program, conservation is many things, but more importantly, it is also shifting, just like we are, our cultures are and our societies are.. we are in a very different world than that of our ancestors.. both ancient and modern. What does conservation mean today, and how does it connect to the past and the needs of a rapidly changing future? At the same time, everything is c...

Selling Conservation with Peter Knights WildAid

Living with Elephants with Tobias Nyumba, Kenya

Conflict between humans and elephants is a long one fraught with controversy and debate between mitigation models created vs. the reality of the impacts on the ground at the local level, where villagers who must live with the negative impacts of elephants in their daily survival results in a gap where both people and elephants lose. At the local level, communities often lack the tools, infrastructure, technology or political support to implement workable solutions where everyone benefits. Tob...

Twisted Balance Sheet with Cyril Christo and Marie Wilkinson

Thai It All Together with Len Levine

Thai It All Together with Len Levine When I was working with rural villages around Mt. Kasigau in Tsavo, Kenya, I kept hearing about an amazing man, Len Levine, who no matter what the situation was, he would find a way to make happen what needed doing, and he’s still doing it today. Len’s background has served him well in to participate in a wide variety of adventures from radio to politics to working with the EPA to emerging solar technologies. Len says he’s retired, but joining us today f...

Understanding Ebola with Dr Kathleen Alexander Virgina Tech

No doubt about it, this Ebola frightening. This outbreak has already claimed thousands and it isn’t over and the outlook by the W.H.O. and C.D.C. and the news can be confusing. Today, Dr. Kathy Alexander, of the Virginia Tech Bio-informanics Team and part of the global effort in modeling the analytics and massive interactions between the biosocial and technical to map and be pro-active to adapt and find effective measures that improve human health, habitat and well being. Kathy gives us pers...

A Chat Over Tea, Kenya Style with Will Knocker

We’re seeing shifts of time, generations and modernization and technology all over the world, and it’s always a good thing to hear the voices from the rest of the world. My guest today, Will Knocker, joins us from Kenya, overlooking Nairobi National Park. Will has lifetimes of knowledge to share as a third generation Kenyan- and an eloquent ability to share both visions of the past and merge them with the present. Sharing conversations, drawing parralles through the lens of living generations...

A Conservation Conversation with Michael Nicholson, Kenya

Special Encore Presentation: Space for Giants with Dr. Max Graham

Join Eli and special guest Dr. Max Graham, PhD and Member IUCN Elephant Specialist Group as we discuss Human-wildlife conflict, in particular crop damage by elephants, and how this causes immediate subsistence crises resulting in enormous resentment and anger among rural people. Elephants and other wildlife are injured and killed in retaliation and it becomes difficult, if not impossible, to implement conservation projects under these circumstances. Human-wildlife conflict is not easy to sol...

Special Encore Presentation: The Economics of Conservation

The needs of people and wildlife are inextricably linked, bound together by the common resources of our earth. Our human sense of entitlement over these resources vs. the needs of animals is where conflict arises that often turns into a boiling battle: Let’s call it the Tree-hugger vs. the Corporation. But what we're really talking about here is the economics of conservation vs. the moral and ethical dilemma of providing an atmosphere that allows for and includes security for the other life-f...