The All Creatures Podcast

This week we welcome Martha Hunt Handler who is the current President of the Wolf Conservation Center, located in New York, USA. She also recently published her book Winter of the Wolf. During this episode we get an update on how not only grey wolves are doing in the Americas, but also the red wolves and Mexican grey wolves. We also spent a good amount of time discussing the passing of legislation in the state of Idaho, USA, allowing the slaughter of 90% of the states 1550 wolves. Martha has led an illustrious career working on environmental issues and is now passionate about protecting grey wolves. She raises many critical issues relating to wolves and other wildlife.  You can learn more about Martha Hunt Handler HERE You can learn more about the Wolf Conservation Center HERE (check out their wolf cams!) You can order Martha's book HERE   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

As much as we enjoy learning about each species, this week we were pleasantly and extremely surprised by what we learned about the Coyote! This is not the first canid we have covered, but one that just left us speechless. The Coyote is a master of survival and adaptation. They are the first non-invasive species we know of whose range has actually substantially increased due to human activity. Because grey wolves have been persecuted to near extinction, Coyotes have filled part of their niche and expanded their territories. Coyotes live among many people throughout North and Central America, are a common site and persecuted as a pest. They are just a spectacular and very much misunderstood animal. Coyotes are well worth your time to learn more about.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH, funding to train

We welcome back our great friend Corbin Maxey from Animals to the Max podcast to discuss the latest Netflix documentary Seaspiracy. We all were moved in different ways by the documentary and were in agreement it brought the depletion of our world's oceans into focus. There is no doubt or argument that our oceanic wildlife are in serious decline. Seaspriracy raised numerous critical issues that needs to be brought to greater light. However, we do raise some concerns about some of the claims made in the documentary and also a perceived hidden agenda. Also, we discuss the horrific killing of dolphins in Taiji, Japan and the inhumane slaughter of pilot whales in the Faroe Islands. Both were graphic scenes in Seaspiracy and we do discuss why these barbaric practices need to end. Overall, we felt the documentary was well worth the time and a must see.  Be sure to check out and subscribe to Corbin's podcast Animals to the Max    Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Pilot Whales are in fact not true "whales," but rather like Orcas are part of the Delphinidae (dolphin) family. Still, they are magnificent creatures that inhabit the world's oceans and lead complex, social lives. We decided to cover this species because of the recent Netflix documentary Seaspiracy. In it, a large family group (pod) of Pilot Whales are slaughtered by inhabitants of the Faroe Islands. For nothing more than "tradition." We wanted to learn more about these animals to understand the true nature of just how complex these animals are and why they are important to our world's oceans. These creatures and the many other whales and dolphin species are in decline. We need to learn more about them and more importantly, protect them! For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH, funding to train rangers in A

This week's podcast introduces an amazing bird from Asia, the Great Hornbill. These creatures are members of a large family of unique looking birds due to the large casques atop their heads. The Great Hornbill ranges from India to the Philippines and is on a trajectory towards extinction. What makes hornbills especially unique are their nesting behaviors, which are almost too radical to be believed. This week we also welcome a special guest who had the pleasure of working with hornbills and he gives us some insight into their behaviors. Due to the destruction of their habitat and for the fact they are often hunted for their casques and feathers, the Great Hornbill is in trouble. These are big and beautiful birds that need our help, and are well worth learning about.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH,

This week's special All Creatures Kids podcast we introduce Archer. Archer is 10 and lives in Colorado. HIs dream is one day to work with wildlife as a zoologist. In this episode he tells us everything he knows about the Tamandua. If you have your own kid expert and wanting to be featured on our All Creatures Kids episodes please email Angie at allcreatureskidspod@gmail.com    Thank you for sharing and you can also visit us at our website at www.allcreaturespod.com  Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We jump back to New Zealand to cover one of the most unique animals on our planet, the Tuatara. This is a true living fossil. They are the last of their kind, from an ancient order of reptiles, that has survived nearly 240 million years. Because they were isolated on New Zealand for nearly 85 million years, Tuataras survived mass extinctions and have changed little over that time. However, when humans first set foot on New Zealand nearly 700 years ago, the Tuatara was nearly driven to extinction1, albeit unintentionally. Pacific Rats hitched a ride with the early Polynesian settlers and drove many New Zealand species to extinction. Yet, while the Tuatara suffered due to the rats, they have survived and today are a species of focus by New Zealand, and are rebounding. A special podcast for a special species.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Netwo

In this special episode of the All Creatures Kids Podcast, we welcome Angie's own Xander and Zach. While 7-year old Xander is our residential dinosaur expert, he comes at us this week with facts about rattlesnakes. Meanwhile, his 4-year old brother Zach comes at us with many fascinating facts about crocodiles. We love bringing you these special episodes as this is the future generation that will inherit our planet and will be fighting for preserve nature. If you have your own kid expert and wanting to be featured on our All Creatures Kids episodes please email Angie at allcreatureskidspod@gmail.com    Thank you for sharing and you can also visit us at our website at www.allcreaturespod.com        Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

This week we talk about one of the world's oldest mammals, the Tapir. Specifically, we focus on the Malayan Tapir. The Tapirs are fascinating animals that have changed little over the past 30 million years. What makes them even more intriguing is, the Malayan Tapir lives in South East Asia, whereas the other species of Tapir live in Central and South America. While they have diverged nearly 20 million years ago, they differ little in their body composition or behaviors. We had so much fun chatting about these rather large herbivores. Sadly, all the species of Tapir are in serious decline and heading towards extinction. They are well worth learning about and fighting for.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH, funding to train rangers in Africa with Global Conservation Force and so much more. We also offe

In this week's podcast we head back to Africa and cover an iconic but often forgotten species, the porcupine. These rodents are masters of the defense and predators often come out on the losing end when they mess with these. African Crested Porcupines are just one of numerous species of Old World porcupines. Many other species of the Old World Porcupines inhabit other parts of Africa, Asia and Europe. The New World Porcupines inhabit North, Central and South America and interestingly enough are not that closely related to the Old World Porcupines. This is just another fascinating species we cover and hope you enjoy this one.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH, funding to train rangers in Africa with Global Conservation Force and so much more. We also offer bonus episodes and supporter only content.  P

We welcome a highly rated journalist and author of Beloved Beasts: Fighting For Life in the Age of Extinction Michelle Nijhuis to the podcast. Michelle talks about her own journey from biologist to journalism, leading up to her newest book all about the modern conservation movement. Her book covers a wide range of conservation characters and how they helped shaped today's conservation efforts around the globe. This was a delightful and informative interview. If you have any aspirations to work in the area of conservation this is a must listen to, and Beloved Beasts is a must read.  You can learn more about Michelle and her book by going HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We welcome back Angie to this week's podcast covering the American Alligator. This species is near and dear to both of us as the "Gator" is the official mascot for the University of Florida. A tradition is any child born in Gainesville, Florida is known as a "Gator Baby." So this week, we dedicate this episode to our kids, who all are Gator babies!  The Alligator is a massive apex predator native to North America. As a reptile, the Alligator has survived for tens of millions of years and was almost at risk of extinction in the mid 20th century. With focused conservation they have rebounded and are another conservation success story. Today there are over 5 million Alligators living in the United States alongside humans. They are a critical predator to our natural water ways and exhibit some incredible behaviors. We know you will enjoy learning about this special reptile.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support w

This week Chris highlights the disturbing reports that have been circulating the last year on the massive loss of our biodiversity across the planet. In this week's podcast, he highlights some of the statistics that shows how our complex ecosystems across almost every biome are degrading quickly. From our oceans to our rainforests, to our very own fresh waterways, across the planet we are losing not only critical species across all taxa, but also the very environments that sustain life on Earth.  It leads to the question that is now making mainstream news, are humans causing their own extinction? Now, while all the news is horrific, there is always hope! He highlights some of the conservation heroes that have dedicated their lives to saving our planet and the many species that inhabit it, but also tells you what you can do to help. As a side note, we will be back soon with our regular species podcasts.   For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to c

We welcome back our special guests Logan and Pax to the kid's edition of the All Creatures Podcast. Logan was excited to join Angie to discuss everything he learned about Tree Kangaroos! Whereas, Pax is back to educate us on the North American Porcupine. We hope you enjoy this special episode from our future conservationist. Angie is going wonderful with her newborn and we will be back soon with more species here very soon. In the meantime, we hope you are enjoying our special interviews and guests from both our adults and our young conservationists.    Pax's YouTube Channel can be viewed HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

In this week's podcast we welcome professor and author Dr. Charles Bergman. Imagine being able to travel to some of the most remote regions on the planet to see some of your favorite animals. Well, Dr. Bergman has done that and more. He is a fascinating story teller and articulates his many travels to see every species of penguin on Earth. Dr. Bergman is a long time professor at Pacific Lutheran University in the Pacific Northwest of the United States. He has authored many other books on conservation and has traveled extensively. It was a real treat to have Dr. Bergman on and we are sure you will enjoy this one.  You can access Dr. Bergman's website HERE   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A recent report was released by WWF in collaboration of multiple agencies on our freshwater ecosystem biodiversity crisis. The report highlighted how our freshwater fishes are in steep decline. In fact, one in three freshwater fish species are threatened with extinction. In this week's podcast episode we welcome a founder and the Executive Director of Shoal, Mike Baltzer, to discuss this report and what his organization is doing to help our freshwater ecosystems. Mike is a conservation superhero who worked with WWF for 18 years before he helped found Shoal. This is an area of conservation that deserves all our attention and please share what you learn with all your friends and family.  You can view the wonderful Shoal website HERE Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

First, big news for us is Angie gave birth to a healthy baby boy on March 1! He came in at a whopping 8 lbs. 11 ounces. Both Angie and baby are doing well!!  With that, a couple weeks ago before Angie gave birth, we sat down with Jungle Jordan and had a fascinating chat about the role of zookeepers in education and conservation. We also had Jon (Angie's husband and now new Dad) also join in the chat. Jon is the Director of the Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo program. We spent well over an hour talking about how zookeepers are now major faces in conservation. They all serve critical roles in helping to educate the public on today's biodiversity crisis.  We first had Jungle Jordan on in Episode 131 and it was a pleasure to have him back. Jordan Veasley, also known as "Jungle Jordan," is a wildlife enthusiast and educator. He began his zoo keeping career when he was young and now has worked his way up to a number of roles for the Cougar Mountain Zoo in Washington State. In Episode 131 we spent a fascinating ho

We return to the ocean to one of the most beloved marine mammals, the Sea Otter. Sea otters were almost hunted to extinction for their lustrous fur coats. By the early 20th century they numbered just a few thousand . Through international cooperation, Sea Otters were protected and now number over 100,000 animals in the wild. However, Sea Otters are still endangered and under incredible pressure. This species is also critical to a healthy coastal ecosystem around the northern Pacific rim. We hope you enjoy learning more in this week's podcast about Sea Otters and all their mustelid hijinks.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$) for OCEARCH, funding to train rangers in Africa with Global Conservation Force and so much more. We also offer bonus episodes and supporter only content.  Please considering supporting us at P

This week we welcome Dr. Shermin de Silva, the founder and President of Trunks and Leaves. Dr. de Silva is an expert in Asian elephant conservation. We discuss many of the issues facing elephants in Asia. It is a fascinating look at how Asian elephant conservation differs from African elephant conservation. We also discuss many differences between African and Asian elephants and how that can influence their futures.  You can visit the Trunks and Leaves website HERE Dr. de Silva also asked us to share this as she said: We have an emerging crisis in which one of the critical corridors linked to the national park is under threat. You can see more about it here on our blog. It's a developing situation and I am setting up a legal defense fund for the lawsuits being filed to protect the corridor.  You can donate to the defense fund by the following link (Thank you!)   https://www.paypal.com/us/fundraiser/charity/2132558 Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The Shoebill, or also known as Shoebill Stork, Death Pelican, Whalehead, and others, is one unique bird.  What draws most to this bird is its enormous beak. It quite simply earned its name because it's beak looks like an old Dutch wooden shoe. Its massive. Native to central Africa, the Shoebill has carved out its ecological niche as a predator and plays a key role in maintaining freshwater ecosystems. It is a large bird that preys on anything from tilapia, lungfish to lizards and small crocodiles. The Shoebill is a prized sighting by many bird watchers and now we know why. In this week's podcast we cover everything Shoebill. From their natural history, ecological impacts, their physiology, reproduction and behavior. This is an incredible bird that will bring a smile to your face.  For one cup of "good" coffee a month you can support your favorite podcast on Patreon and give back to conservation. With your support we were able to donate to the Coral Reef Foundation, Red Panda Network, helped provide chum ($$