Our Wild World

The dangers of global wildlife trafficking have made global headlines. From an obscure wildlife wet market in Wuhan China, a frightening message jumped from the wild and right into a global pandemic crisis: COVID-19, a new zoonotic virus highly contagious to humans.My guest Dr. Peter Li specializes in Northeast Asian security, U.S.-China relations; China’s environmental governance and animal welfare politics of the People’s Republic of China. Dr Li’s decades of work highlight the direct relationship between income, social status and the importance of meat consumption to the Chinese consumer. China has become the world’s largest animal farming nation- from captive bred wildlife farms to large scale breeding of pork, beef and chicken. The message is clear: burgeoning human populations intersecting with wildlife in novel ways requires globally enforced environmental and wildlife protection laws. Nature has secrets, and we are not prepared to lift the lid on her zoonotic pandora’s box.

Today we’re discussing civil rights, however, probably not what first comes to your mind, considering these turbulent times. With my guest Steven Wise, the founder and president of The Nonhuman Rights Project, the only civil rights organization in the United States working gain legally recognized and fundamental rights for nonhuman animals in the courtroom. One by one, these cases of law of personhood are gaining a groundswell of movement, a paradigm shift of how we interact and perceive the other earthlings and non-humans we live amongst and with. The paradigm shift holds hope that eventually, we humans will shift our mindset to understand that earth is a person, with the full associated rights of law. We humans have given ‘personhood’ to corporations, which may be at the bottom of these entities breaking her apart for sheer economic gains. With these cases one by one, NhRP activism globally builds the human mindset that all life on earth has basic civil rights

Today we talk with John Platt and Tara Lohan, with the Revelator, a publication under the Center for Biological Diversity, and the column Extinction Countdown. John and Tara highlight what stories they’ll be paying attention to in 2020, a run-down of the 2019 Extinction Countdown and what we can learn from them for the years ahead and current events which wouldn’t be complete without discussing Australia bushfires, water and consequences of EPA rollbacks and upcoming election. An award-winning environmental journalist John is the editor of The Revelator, with his work appearing in Scientific American, Audubon, Motherboard, and numerous other magazines and publications. His “Extinction Countdown” column has run continuously since 2004 and has covered news and science related to more than 1,000 endangered species. Tara Lohan is deputy editor of The Revelator and has worked for more than a decade as a digital editor and environmental journalist focused on the intersections of energy

My guest is Chris Slappendel, founder of Wildlife Advocates Foundation and administrator of the Facebook page, I Am A Tiger Advocate, a leading warehouse of all things tiger, news and articles about tigers world-wide joins me. Chris visited 24 countries where tigers once lived or still live: Russia, Afghanistan, Iran, China, Kazakhstan, South Korea Vietnam, Cambodia, Thailand, Malaysia, Indonesia, Bangladesh, India and Nepal where he was interviewed more than a 100 times by journalists for TV and radio programs, to raise awareness of the horrific conditions of tigers in captivity across the globe, the increasing illegal trade in tiger parts for Traditional Chinese Medicine, and to learn the challenges wild and captive tigers face- from the people who live with tigers, and the organizations working to protect them, and those who provide sanctuary for them. Today Chris tells us his story, his passion for tigers and what advocated can do for securing a future for them.

Many environmental protection products are buried within layers upon layers of various corporate stakeholders that are distanced from the end consumer, who often gets confused and misled by competing interests in a world mostly driven by soundbites and social media. One product jumps out above others: Glyphosate- an ingredient of Roundup, who’s maker is Monsanto, who’s parent company is Bayer. Through intense lobbying and social media, well-meaning NGOs disseminate damaging misinformation about glyphosate, one of the safest herbicides ever produced, instead creates a lucrative business for anti-environmentalism at the expense of our native species. Ted Williams, renowned fish and wildlife conservation journalist, returns today to dispel myths associated with the mass hysteria surrounding glyphosate, and widen our scope of knowledge debunking the cancer myth and why glyphosate is a critical tool for wetland and fisheries restoration managers.

Our Wild World often focuses upon the charismatic and iconic species, their roles within our ecosystems, and how we relate to them. Today, with my guest Bill Rulon Miller, herpetologist and naturalist educator, we’re going to discuss one of our perhaps less charismatic species- the rattlesnake. We’re going to highlight another outmoded and inhumane behavior, Rattlesnake killing contests. These roundups as well as the history of snake bounty hunting and extermination campaigns have impacted rattlesnake populations, and how these negative impacts are leading to states reforming and regulating these hunts. Snakes, particularly the rattlesnakes, like all wildlife up and down the food chain, have important roles in our ecosystems. The changing attitude that people have had towards rattlesnakes. How this influences rattlesnake both their conservation and effects toward changing these roundups from killing to education

Despite the big win for elephants at CITES in August: No more trade in live elephants outside of Africa; a loophole the size of Zimbabwe and China opened due to the critical caveat the EU added as a condition to supporting the ruling - “unless in an emergency or exceptional case” – allowing for the most recent sale and shipment of 32 baby elephants from Zimbabwe to China, for lives in captivity in “inappropriate destinations” as entertainment in super-sized theme parks. Meanwhile, why did the CITES Secretary-General take a publicly partisan response to this violation? With my guest Adam Cruise, internationally renowned journalist and editor of Journal of African Elephants, along with host Eli Weiss, who have been reporting on this issue since 2011, we break down what’s still happening to elephants and how to light the fire of change. We may not be able to repatriate the Zim Eles, but we can ensure that the price of development doesn’t fall squarely on the backs of elephants.

2019 CITES international convention decides the trade of every endangered species, and often its very fate, and CoP18 made critical changes. As the dust settles, we can analyze the cascade of consequences of the lofty decisions made far from the wildlife they protect. We are quickly seeing the real world ramifications of these enormous decisions, and more powerfully, their relationship to illegal and black markets. Now, we are all left with the question: Is CITES enough or is more needed for its enforcement? John Platt, environmental journalist and editor of the Revelator, joins us today in a lively conversation looking at the bigger picture, and help unscramble the complexities of this historic meeting: from big wins to unanswered debates that often put the burden of ever pressing development goals and security on to the backs of trade in wild resources; to the SADC nations threats of withdrawal; to the ramifications of listing an extinct species for the first time.

As we continue to infringe upon bear territory, Karelian Bear Dogs have become a way to get the attention of local communities living with bears and educate them of their responsibility to live in partnership with our wildlife. Today with my guest Nils Pedersen, of the Wind River Bear Institute and their Karelien Bear Dogs, we discuss this wholly different non-lethal approach to human-bear conflict than the standard response of removing bears from the landscape - one that addresses the root problems of conflicts in human communities and leaves the bears alive and in their habitat. Using the concept of “Bear Shepherding” the Karelian Bear Dogs simultaneously teach humans to prevent conflicts and teach problem bears behaviorally based lessons that create boundary awareness and avoidance of human-occupied space. Taking on the role of conservationist, the highly adaptable “Wildlife K-9” has proven to be a perfect partner for wildlife managers and an ambassador for educating the public.

How we heal our personal traumas does affect our relationships with our animals. Intentionally working with your animal can release traumas, as animals are completely present, which helps us to clarify our intentions. Returning guest Alecia Evans, Animal Communicator, acts as a spiritual leash between canines and their humans, and while teaching us that a clear sense of self and space is needed to be able to hear what your animal is telling you. Today Alecia guides us through breathing techniques to open up our parasympathetic system and tap into the energy field of the “alpha brain wave state” where you are in the zone and grounded. Through her signature Walk In Sync methods, Alecia focuses on cleaning up the problem behaviors on both ends of the leash, and facilitates a pathway for personal growth for her clients and healing of trigger points.

We are in a crisis time where science tells us that livestock production is the leading cause of climate change, and habitat destruction to wildlife loss and pollution. The science tells us wolves and apex predators are ecosystem architects, restoring ecosystems. Yet, despite these facts, outdated myths and fears about wolves persist, deeply imbedded in our culture and government. Newly drafted management plans remove carnivores in favor of livestock industry. So how do we change attitudes of lawmakers and ranchers, to accept the science and live with wolves? My returning guest, advocate and author Rick Lamplugh explains signing petitions and social media is not enough. To change policy, advocates need to be present at the critcal public comment meetings and fill the room, so decision makers can put a face to the statements which count far more than thousands of faceless signatures. The anti-wolf lobbyists understand this- so wildlife advocates must too.

How do we learn to get in tune with the center of ourselves and our world in our busy lives? To tune toward our instincts, rather than rationalizing everything minds? With my guest Alecia Evans, animal communicator, we discover that by listening to the wisdom of the wild we can learn to clarify our intentions, which grants us the ability to clearly communicate when engaging with our non-human companions and our human friends. Through her 30-year career working as an animal communicator, Alecia understands that animals are imploring us to heal our disconnection from nature as well as how we live our daily lives. We know intellectually that we are eviscerating the very life systems we depend upon, but that this can affect us on a cellular level may be a new idea to many. By learning how, and to tune in, to that ancient wisdom is what Alecia shares with us, so we may indeed heal our bodies, and damage and pain we are causing- to our wild world and to each other.

With my guest, author and wildlife advocate, Rick Lamplugh, we walk down the path of how deeply important the immersive aspect is to protecting our wilds and our perceptions of it, and our human need in knowing there are wild places and wild animals who thrive there. Wildness fills an essential part of our spirit, our soul, we’ve evolved with it and our ancient psyche needs it. Author of 3 award winning books, including ‘In the Temple of Wolves’, Rick takes us on a journey of what it means to step away from our comfortable lives, how important adventure and advocacy of wildness is for our humanity, and that in settling into the pace and nuances of living in the wild can bring us in sync to our inner nature and the resonance of the natural world around us. Sharing his own experience of living in Yellowstone’s Lamar Valley for three winters and transformation into an activist for wolves, Rick guides us how to advocate for wildlife in ways that are both respectful and effective.

Have you ever looked deep into the eyes of an animal and felt entirely known? Often the connections we share with non human animals represent our safest and most reliable relationships, with unique and profound opportunities for healing through periods of hardship. This is the focus today with my guests Philip Tedeschi and Molly Jenkins, from the University of Denver, Graduate School of Social Work, Institute for Human Animal Connection (IHAC). Their newest book, Transforming Trauma, examines how our relationships with animals can help build resiliency and transform the healing of trauma. Techeschi and Jenkins have produced the go to sourcebook on the role of animal assisted interventions for children and adults coping with the debilitating effects of psychological trauma as well as a deep consideration for how we can respect animals participation in trauma recovery practices and establish ethical standards to ensure the well being of therapy, companion and trauma recovery animals.

The saga of the Mexican Grey Wolf is a story of how politics interferes in the efforts of independent scientists to recover an endangered species. With my guest David Parsons, who formerly led the USFWS efforts to reintroduce the Mexican Grey Wolf to the American Southwest from 1990-99, we learn how difficult it is to reintroduce a species and save it from extinction when powerful vested interests who control legislators hijack the policy process down to even the scientific modeling results for how many wolves are needed to recover the species. The problem for these wolves is that all of the critical states for reintroduction reject accepting the number of wolves necessary for true recovery. But this lack of political tolerance for wolves in our government is not reflective of the general public and a result of a subset of society that controls our decision makers. As David explains, we have a huge political fight ahead to save this iconic animal that once roamed by the thousands.

During a time when most wild animals are experiencing decline in the face of development and climate change, the intrepid mountain lion—also known as a puma, a cougar, “ghost cat,” and by many other names—has experienced reinvigoration as well as expansion of territory. In Path of the Puma: The Remarkable Resilience of the Mountain Lion (Patagonia Books, October 9, 2018), wildlife biologist Jim Williams celebrates wildlife research and conservation of ghost cats from Canada’s southern Yukon Territory to Tierra del Fuego in Argentina and Chile, exploring what makes this cat, the fourth carnivore in the food chain—just ahead of humans—so resilient and resourceful. Williams writes, “They are beating the odds, and their success provides a remarkable opportunity for wild nature to regain a toehold and to shape possibilities for the persistence of natural systems. They are hope for those of us who believe our future will depend, in large part, on finding the wild.”

Scary words. What does this look like? My guest Tiffany Yap, a scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity (CBD), explains with California cougars. Tiffany is one of the authors of the petition to add cougars to the California Endangered Species Act (CESA). The listing would create the umbrella for lions, by factoring in connectivity between genetically distinct sub-populations in fractured landscapes with impenetrable boundaries the likes of mega-freeways and housing developments, which can lead to a biodiversity end-game- the extreme isolation or island pockets of mega-fauna leading into a vortex of inbreeding, population depressions and high mortality rates, as well as more human-livestock-lion conflicts. A CESA listing would mandate better connectivity in intra-agency planning of utilities, roads and housing to build in wildlife corridors which would enhance the lions resilience, genetic diversity and benefit everything under the lion’s umbrella.

What is an urban bear? Sharon Baruch-Mordo helps us answer this question as a result of a multi year experiment and study in Aspen, CO that evaluated on-site education in residential and construction sites; Bear Aware educational campaigns in neighborhoods; and elevated law enforcement, and using the carrot and the stick approach to get people to secure garbage to reduce confrontations. Interestingly, the study found little support for education or enforcement in the form of daily patrolling in changing human behavior! What she did find was more support for proactive enforcement, and mandating bear-resistance refuse containers. The end result found that evidence-based decision-making is critical for implementing conservation actions for human-wildlife conflicts by altering human behaviors through public education and enforcement of wildlife-related laws. When we can get humans to stop irresponsible behavior in wildlife habitat, we are both protecting them and the bears.

Cougar biologist and professional tracker, Phil Johnston joins us today with a glimpse into the world as seen through the eyes of Cougar. From learning the ways they communicate their gender, their needs, their territory in signaling other lions- for mating opportunities to telling a young male to keep on moving. Phil’s expertise teaches us to understand what lions are doing and why and where, that we can co-exist without the fear and thus reduce and prevent human-livestock-lion conflicts. The cougar is a shy cat, evolved over millennia more as a mesocarnivore than seeing itself as an apex predator, thus they are specialists at blending into the landscape, and living silently amongst their prey, and us. As we continue to encroach into cougar’s habitat with our developments and lush landscapes that invite deer in, it is up to us to educate ourselves to be aware that we are living in the lion’s living room, to co-exist rather than kill them when they do what they are supposed to do.

My guest Camilla Fox, founder of Project Coyote, leads national advocacy efforts to outlaw killing contests in states across the US using scientific data and compelling documentaries, indicating people no longer tolerate the cruel and wasteful behavior of a few that treat our carnivores as vermin, and not the critical and essential ecosystem architects with roles in the web of life. The North American Wildlife model is weighted to protect game species for economic value, leaving fur-bearing, non-game species such as coyotes, foxes, bobcats and even wolves and lions, with little or no protections whatsoever-listed as pests to be legally killed year-round, including mass killing contests and no bag limits. Starting in CA, this is changing as a result of Camilla and her team’s work. Project Coyote is national non-profit organization based in CA that promotes compassionate conservation and coexistence between people and wildlife through education, science, and advocacy.