Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, but around here, every day is Earth Day. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco discuss the origins of Earth Day and why it was first established in 1970. After starting in the U.S., the holiday is now observed in many nations around the world. Listen in to learn how preserving the environment benefits humans and wildlife alike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spring is fluttering by! It’s April, and that means Butterfly Jungle is currently open at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In this episode, we are talking with the McKinney Family Curator of Invertebrates, Paige Howorth, about butterflies and butterfly conservation. We know so little about invertebrates in comparison to other wildlife, yet they are the backbone of our ecosystem.The butterfly population faces many challenges, and hosts Rick and Marco learn from Paige about how we can all help our fluttery friends survive and thrive. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Who’s in charge here? In this episode we are talking all about the female's role in leading the group, troop, herd, or family with Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Rick, Marco, and Kristi discuss the role of the females in lions, gorillas, elephants, meerkats, lemurs, and even killer whales! We learn how some of these females lead as matriarch or as an influencer. The hosts and Kristi unpack how it’s the behaviors and actions of a single female and not brute strength that can lead an entire family of animals. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Welcome to Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife! Hosts Rick and Marco are joined by a returning friend of the show, Kim Gray, the curator of herpetology and ichthyology (reptiles, amphibians, and fish) at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Oftentimes, people have some fears around snakes, but Kim shares the misconceptions about the king cobra, who is the top predator in their environment. So, if we can conserve their habitat, we can save a lot of species! Our hosts and Kim share a story with a positive ending about San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance saving king cobras from wildlife trafficking and explain why it's an important element for conservation. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife is returning for season 3 starting Friday March 15! From the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, hosts Marco Wendt and Rick Schwartz will spotlight the heroes working worldwide to care for the species we know and love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In the season finale, Rick and Marco take a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Biodiversity Reserve to speak with Charlie de la Rosa, Ph.D., natural lands manager for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. This 900-acre preserve in San Diego's North County supports large expanses of coastal sage scrub vegetation along two regionally important wildlife corridors. Here, in the most biodiverse county in the continental United States, we take a look at the importance of native plants including the prickly pear cactus, and Charlie gives us insight on technology used to study the movement of mountain lions and other wildlife. We also discuss how conservation is all about people, our connections to one another, and to the delicately balanced ecosystems that we all share. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife spotlights the only native aquatic turtle species in California, the Pacific pond turtle. Rick and Marco are joined by Kim Gray, curator of herpetology and ichthyology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to find out why protecting and conserving these turtles will help our ecosystems as well. You’ll hear why this species is also called the Western pond turtle, learn about the riparian zone of an ecosystem, and discover a special program that helps these camouflage experts grow, so they can avoid being preyed upon by invasive species. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife is on grounds at the San Diego Zoo to highlight the polar opposite of the polar bear—the penguin! (Fun fact: they don’t live together, despite what you may see on TV or in cartoons). While many species of penguins do spend time around Antarctica, Rick and Marco discuss the different types of penguins that do not. Discover how penguins’ bodies have adapted to survive in cold temperatures, and what makes a penguin’s beak different from that of a hawk, a flamingo, or a parrot. We’ll find out about African penguin conservation, and how zoos have worked together to solve nesting problems—plus, what you can do at home to help penguin conservation! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

For the first time this season, Amazing Wildlife highlights the Oceans hub, with a “deep dive” into the icy waters of the Arctic to look at polar bears! Rick and Marco are joined by Kelly Murphy, lead wildlife care specialist for the Polar Plunge habitat at the San Diego Zoo. Kelly introduces us to the three polar bears at Polar Plunge—Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq—and explains the reasoning behind their names, which are from the Inuit language. We discover why polar bears are considered a marine mammal, and how they thrive at the San Diego Zoo. We’ll also hear how Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq have helped scientists better understand polar bears and the different ways climate change poses a threat to their existence—and what we can do to help. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife is spotlighting the Australian Forest Conservation Hub by highlighting a favorite tree-dwelling marsupial: the koala! Rick and Marco are joined by Jen Tobey, a researcher at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, who explains why marsupials are raised in a pouch—and the truth about why koalas sleep so much. The San Diego Zoo has the largest breeding colony of koalas outside of Australia, and Jen shares details about two field researchers in Queensland and the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, working with the Alliance in koala conservation. The hosts and Jen also discuss the challenges and successes the Alliance is having in reintroducing koalas to lands they once inhabited. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife focuses on the Southwest Conservation Hub to take a closer look at the burrowing owl, found in San Diego County—one of the most biologically diverse counties in the United States. Marco attempts to mimic the sound of this unique bird that is about the size of a stick of butter! Rick and Marco chat with Colleen Wisinski, conservation program manager of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s burrowing owl recovery program, who shares how these active-in-daylight owls differ from nocturnal owls, and how they confuse potential predators. Colleen details her work with western burrowing owls, as we find out how they got their name and the importance of burrows. Finally, we get the inside scoop on the Wildwatch Burrowing Owl program, which is a way you can get involved in helping these birds! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

It’s World Rhino Day (September 22)! For this special day to raise awareness about rhino conservation, Amazing Wildlife is joined by Gavin Livingston, the curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Rick and Marco discuss the five different species of rhinos and offer some interesting facts about their hair color—and how much their head weighs (hint: it’s three times the size of something in your kitchen!) Gavin gives insight into rhino conservation science at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, as well as threats to rhinos in their native habitats, and why they are vital to their ecosystems. We also learn the importance of diversity in rhino conservation, in addition to Gavin’s predictions for conservation’s future. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join us, as Amazing Wildlife gets ready to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day (September 2). Rick and Marco visit Jenna Stallard, wildlife care manager of birds at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We’ll learn about Old World vultures (from Europe, Africa, and Asia) and New World vultures (from the Americas and the Caribbean), in addition to what makes vultures unique, and why they are vital to their ecosystems. The hosts and Jenna debunk myths about vultures—who have great personalities, despite popular belief. We also find out more about vulture breeding at the Safari Park, the threats to vultures—including poisoning—and how Egyptian vultures are surprisingly skilled at using tools. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Get to know one of the largest species of the great apes, the gorilla! In this episode of Amazing Wildlife, Rick and Marco visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to speak with Breanne Murray, a senior wildlife care specialist. After discussing some popular gorilla terminology, the hosts learn about one of the world's oldest silverbacks, who lives at the Safari Park. They also get an “inside scoop” on how two young male gorillas are learning how to become silverbacks. Breanne explains the three stages of being a gorilla, and how gorillas explore their curiosity at the Safari Park. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In honor of World Elephant Day (celebrated on Saturday, August 12), Amazing Wildlife visits the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to highlight the world’s largest living land mammal. Rick and Marco chat with Catie Aubuchon, a wildlife care specialist, to unpack pachyderm facts and get a better understanding of all that goes into caring for elephants, from getting to know individual personalities to understanding the dynamics of the herd at the Safari Park. We also find out how many pounds of food an elephant eats in a day, and the surprising number of teeth they have—and we debunk some myths about their trunks and tusks. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Happy International Tiger Day—also known as Global Tiger Day—on July 29! For this very special episode of Amazing Wildlife, Rick and Marco are joined by Lori Hieber, lead wildlife care specialist for the primate and carnivore team. Lori, who has worked with tigers for 15 years, describes the different subspecies of tigers and their various sizes. In addition, Lori tells us more about the four tigers currently at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and how the team can identify them through their unique markings and personalities. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Calling all tech lovers! Amazing Wildlife is joined by the head of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Conservation Technology Lab, scientist Ian Ingram. He shares with Rick and Marco how the latest technology is being used to help wildlife, and how we hope to implement it in the Asian Rainforest Conservation Hub. The trio discusses the use of artificial intelligence (AI), how cameras know what they should or shouldn't record in native habitats, and how sensor systems can detect things that people cannot. Ian also describes how, in the not-too-distant future, scientists might use drones and four-legged robots to set cameras. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Amazing Wildlife continues its exploration of the Savanna Conservation Hub, and looks at how the conservation of rangeland grasses benefits leopards, Grevy’s zebras, and hundreds of other species. Tomas Pickering, a senior researcher at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance working in community engagement, joins Rick and Marco, and describes the work in Kenya—a country at the forefront of community-based conservation. Tomas gives insight into communities that are removing invasive plants and reseeding with native grasses, so all wildlife in the area can benefit. The hosts and Tomas also highlight the community-based women’s organization called the Chui Mamas (meaning “Leopard Mothers” in Swahili), working to support conservation and coexistence with carnivores. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Did you know that the longest day of the year in the northern hemisphere is dedicated as World Giraffe Day? Amazing Wildlife heads to the Savannah hub to honor the long legged, long necked giraffe for its special day on June 21st. Marco and Rick are joined by lead wildlife care specialist, Charlie Hyde, who shares his expertise after being at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park for about 15 years. Charlie lets us in on uniqueness of the tallest mammal's tongue and hooves and explains what differentiates their neck though they have the same number of vertebrae as us. With these animals in a mixed species habitat, we'll learn how they interact with the others and how their height plays a big part in everyone's environment. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this episode, we explore the world of nocturnal animals—including some you may see at San Diego Zoo’s Nighttime Zoo! Join Rick and Marco as they discuss their favorite nocturnal species, in the sky and on the ground. Find out about reflective eyes, super hearing, and animals that live in the darkness of caves! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.