A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper | Wild Kingdom The Podcast

Rae [00:00:00]: In this episode, we took a trip to a place that's quite near and dear to the Wild Kingdom family.

[SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS]

TV Host [00:00:06]: And now from the world-renowned Saint Louis Zoological Gardens.

Marlin Perkins [00:00:10]: Welcome to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom.

Justin M. Elden [00:00:13]: We're incredibly proud of Marlin getting his start here at the Saint Louis Zoo, and we want to continue his legacy of protecting wild animals and wild places.

[SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS]

Rae [00:00:26] It wasn't until we arrived in Saint Louis that I learned that that was his spot in particular. The Saint Louis Zoo was a place where he was a director. He really got his start in conservation, and he made tremendous change. But it's extra special knowing that you actually knew Marlin, Peter. And you can really speak to who he was and how he did all that great work.

Peter [00:00:48] He was incredible, and he was the first who would stand at the Saint Louis Zoo with a squirming reptile in his hand and very comfortably turn to camera and explain why this animal should be preserved and why you shouldn't fear it and just how important it is. Nothing alarmed Marlin as long as he was teaching us about the animals that resided in the zoo.

Rae [00:01:10] The Saint Louis Zoo was a predictable home for the original Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series. But the creature we'll be discussing today is anything but ordinary.

Peter [00:01:21] I'm Peter Gros, wildlife expert and educator.

Rae [00:01:24] And I'm wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn Grant. And this is Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom The Podcast. Episode 9: A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper.

Peter [00:01:46] Lots of times on the podcast, we're talking with people who work with fairly well-known creatures sharks, beavers, bats, for this episode. Well, that's not the case.

Rae [00:01:58] Today, we're looking at a creature that I personally knew basically nothing about before we did an episode about them for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting The Wild.

Peter [00:02:07] And some people call it a “snot otter,” but mostly, this amphibian goes by the semi-alarming name of Hellbender.

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Jeff Briggler [00:02:15] Well, Ozark Hellbender is a large aquatic salamander that can get about 16 to 20 inches inside. So they have a big flat head like a pancake, wrinkly skin all down their sides, and they have a large rudder-like tail for swimming, and four limbs to walk with.

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Rae [00:02:30] You know, Peter, there's something special about people like you and me where we can take an animal in our hands that's actually called a snot otter and kind of really enjoy it. I mean, I remember picking up one of the larger-sized ones that was maybe like a foot long, and I looked at it in its face, and I thought, oh, you poor thing, you don't deserve all those nicknames. It was kind of sweet. I mean, slimy but sweet.

Peter [00:02:55] It was indeed slimy, which is where I think the name came from. I remember the first time I reached when it sort of squirted out of my hand like a banana out of a peel [laughs] and then was able to grab it again, but and then looking at that flat head needed for crawling under a rock in this odd looking thing, I mean, it's no wonder when early settlers saw that and wondering where could it have possibly come from? Thu, the name Hellbender.

Rae [00:03:22] Poor things.

Peter [00:03:24] Poor thing, yes.

Rae [00:03:25] The Ozark hellbender is native to the Saint Louis Zoo's backyard in Missouri, and like other amphibians worldwide who breathe underwater through their skin, hellbenders are at risk of extinction because they're incredibly vulnerable to pollution, habitat loss, and climate change.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf: [00:03:43] They're very big indicators of water health. This is water that most people in Saint Louis are recreationally using. So we would not want to be spending our summer vacation float trips in contaminated water.

Peter [00:03:58] Our guest today is Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf. She's a hellbender Zookeeper at the Saint Louis Zoo, and she regards Hellbenders as an indicator species, which means so goes the hellbender, so goes the river.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:04:12] So you can think of a common analogy as a canary in a coal mine. So that is what we think of as the hellbenders for the rivers that we're in. So if there's something in the river that is toxic or dangerous, a hellbender is so sensitive to their surroundings that they would show signs of distress or problems before, hopefully before people get there. But with so few hellbenders left in the wild, we're kind of– we don't have that opportunity. We've lost our canaries in the coal mine. So that's where we have the zoo and the Department of Conservation come in, where we are trying to repopulate those hellbenders and make healthier, better rivers for everybody.

Peter [00:04:51] Patty has been working with the Hellbenders at the Saint Louis Zoo for ten years, but despite having grown up in Saint Louis, she didn't know what they were until she started working with them. In fact, there was a time when Patty's career could have gone in an entirely different direction.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:06] When I went to college, I actually was a psychology major. I thought I was going to do some sort of sports psychology or counseling. Freshman year, I took some psychology classes, and I just didn't love it. It wasn't what I wanted to do. It wasn't for me. Almost all of my friends at the time were biology majors. I saw how hard their intro biology classes were, and I said, “I'm never going to do that. You couldn't make me. You guys are struggling so hard.” Sophomore year, I switched to biology. I declared– I declared my major [laughs] Maybe four months after going on the record and saying I'll never be a biology major.

Rae [00:05:42] Yeah, never say never. I mean, that is interesting. And then, you know. So what would your advice be to young Patty?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:49] Don't limit yourself.

Rae [00:05:50] These days, Patty, just like everyone we met at the zoo's hellbender conservation program, is obsessed with these little guys.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:58]: What's that quote? If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. That definitely feels right.

Peter [00:06:04]: I think Rae and I can relate to that quote. You know, a lot of people haven't been to the Saint Louis Zoo. Can you give us an idea of what it's like and what your daily routine might be like?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:15] Yeah. So the Saint Louis Zoo, just from a visitor's perspective, is a beautiful big park, we're about 90 acres. We have over 16,000 animals at the zoo, about 2000 of which are hellbenders.

Rae [00:06:28]: That's a pretty impressive ratio, would you say, right? 16,000 animals at the zoo, but 2000 of them are delightful hellbenders.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:34] Yes. We've had almost 4000 at one time or another, so we definitely take up a larger number. I think it's us and then the invertebrate team are competing for who has the highest percentage of animals at the zoo, but we'll share that space with them.

Peter [00:06:50] You know, we're just casually talking about the hellbender, and I think a lot of people have no idea what the heck a hellbender is. What are they?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:59] A hellbender is a large aquatic salamander. They are a type of amphibian, so they're closely related to frogs. It can be about two, two, and a half pounds on the biggest end. They have a large, flat body, so they can really hide under rock crevices. They have big lasagna size– so if you think of a sheet of lasagna pasta, that's what the side of a hellbender looks like. They use all of those extra ruffles or folds for oxygen intake so they do breathe through their skin, fully aquatic. They don't surface for air. They do have lungs, but they are going to be fully aquatic and use their skin for respiration. So they will hang out all the time in the water and when they're babies. This is my favorite part of a hellbender. When they are babies, they have external gills, so they have little frilly gills. A lot of kids know what an axolotl is, so you can kind of think of it in that regard, is that they have those big, fluffy external gills, and they're very beautiful, and that helps them with their oxygen intake when they're little.

Peter [00:07:55] So why does this lasagna-looking large, two-and-a-half pound salamander have the name hellbender?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:08:03] Hellbenders have been on the Earth for over 160 million years.

Rae [00:08:07] So before lasagna?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf[00:08:11] Yes. So they really should have changed the name of the pasta.

Peter: Yeah.

Rae [00:08:13]: I was going to say I think the pasta was modeled after the salamander.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:08:17] I do probably think that the noodle was created before somebody fully discovered the hellbender. But the story goes that a hellbender was just crawling out from under a rock in the depths of the river, and it looked like they were crawling up from the depths of hell. Is what they say. Is that the true story? I don’t know, but that’s what they say.

Rae [00:08:35] The Saint Louis Zoo has established a pioneering breeding program in an effort to save the hellbender from extinction. They've built a self-contained stream where they can regulate the water quality and temperature, making sure it's always safe for Hellbenders to live and breed.

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Justin M. Elden [00:08:51] When it comes to the breeding of Hellbenders. This is where we do that. So these are outdoor stream systems that replicate a Ozark River as closely as possible to make sure these animals are feeling comfortable enough to where they'll actually reproduce for us here at the zoo. So everything in here is as natural as we can make it, from the water quality to the water temperature. And even the rocks that we have in here are from the Ozark Plateau of Missouri.

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Rae [00:09:17] They have hellbenders of all ages and stages of development at the Zoo's Center for Hellbender Conservation, from those of breeding age to newborn eggs to older adults who are preparing to be released into the wild. That means an elaborate system of tanks and streams.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:09:35] You’d walk into one of four temperature-controlled rooms. We keep the hellbender rooms at about 62 to 60 degrees year-round. You would smell a little bit of chlorine. We use a lot of bleach for disinfectant purposes for disease prevention in our collection at the zoo. So a lot of people describe it as smelling like a swimming pool area. There's lots of flowing water. We have an indoor stream inside and in one of our rooms, so you'd hear lots of filtration. We have many different rack systems, so we keep hellbenders in fish tanks. So you would see lots of hellbenders everywhere. They– in the wild would like to hide under rocks, big rock crevices, or rock piles because rocks are quite heavy. We actually do a lightweight version of providing them with hide. So we use PVC tubes, so normal plumbing tubes that everyone would have in their home. And then we actually use tiles. So backsplash tiles or kitchen tiles, but giving them lots of semi-naturalistic places to hide. They have a nice flat body. So they like to go underneath of rocks or in those tiles in captivity, and that we're kind of training them to look for hiding spaces when they get out into the wild.

Peter [00:10:45] But during our visit to Saint Louis, I decided, why not try and look for these hellbenders hiding under the rocks in the wild? I went with Missouri State herpetologist Jeff Briggler out to the Ozarks. We spent hours searching for the Hellbenders.

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Peter [00:11:02]: They've got to be here somewhere.

Jeff Briggler [00:11:03] This looks like an ideal rock for an adult hellbender to be under right here. That's a big flat seated down really well. There's not one here, I'm going to be disappointed, There was a line under bed, I don't know.

Peter [00:11:18]: I can't believe there wasn't one under there either. I mean, there used to be a lot easier isn't it?

Jeff Briggler [00:11:22]: By far. Back in the '70s and '80s, they would find a hellbender here about every four surface rock. Oh my gosh, it takes me about 100 to even get one.

[SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS]

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:11:33] Hellbender populations have declined about 70 or 80% in the last 40 years or so. As far as I understand it, the Hellbenders are declining for a multitude of reasons, whether that be water quality, climate change can affect hellbenders, but also a big one it would be deforestation, and clearcutting the riverbanks to expand them or change the habitat, you know, make more room for houses. There's lots of residential areas along our rivers that are altering the substrate of the river. So if we're cutting away all the trees on the banks, there's more siltation, there's more mud, there's more, you know, dirt, sand, pea-sized gravel. Kind of changing the landscape so the hellbenders have less places to hide or less viable places for juvenile hellbenders to survive. Also, in Missouri, we've had a lot of flooding in the last few years. In the the ten years that I've been at the zoo, I have heard the term 20-year flood, 100-year flood, 40-year flood about four times. You're not supposed to be having flooding that bad on a 100-year flood magnitude multiple times in a decade. So that is also changing. These floods are taking out highway overpasses. They're completely decimating people's homes. And then the next time I went on a Hellbender release, there's just so much debris. Giant boulders have been moved around from nature. There's house parts and kitchen things everywhere, and it's just really affecting the hellbender habitat and giving them less options of safe places to be.

Peter [00:13:09] Rivers are so popular, especially in the summer, with the tubing and the rafting and the kayaking. What should one do? If you came upon hellbender.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:13:17] You can notify whatever campground or park you're in. You can let the rangers in that area or the game and fish wardens in that area know, especially if you're fishing and you've accidentally caught a hellbender. So because they are federally protected, it is illegal to take hellbenders out of the river. It's also illegal to actually search for hellbenders, so we don't want anyone lifting, looking, doing any sort of surveying on their own. That is a federal crime.

Rae [00:13:46] So leave them alone, I mean Peter and I, we're with the authorities.

Peter [00:13:51] Supervising us very carefully.

Rae: Very, very carefully.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:13:53] Yes. And you and you guys would have been on the permits if you find one. Well done. They're not that many.

Rae [00:14:02]: Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever accidentally come upon a hellbender?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:06] No, I have not. I have also not had very good luck on my surveying trips, much like it sounds like Peter had a long day on the river, with not a lot of hellbenders to show for it.

Rae [00:14:18] Tell us about the eggs. I did not personally when we were filming this episode, I did not encounter any eggs, although I did encounter little tiny baby Hellbenders. But what are the eggs like?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:28] So a hellbender female can lay anywhere from two to up to four hundred eggs, depending on how large she is.

Rae [00:14:34] At one time?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:35] Yeah, they come out and like a little string of connected pearls almost. They are, but they're first laid there, probably around dime-sized. You can see through them. They have a clear membrane so you can see the yolk. We can watch it develop.

Peter [00:14:49] If they were to produce those in the wild, what might be predation on them?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:53] Crayfish will happily eat a hellbender egg. Sadly, an adult hellbender will also happily eat hellbender eggs. We did have an animal at the zoo who would not breed, but he was in a breeding situation, and he would eat the other eggs before we could pull him out of the stream. So we do bring the eggs inside. That way, we can just keep an eye on them.

Peter [00:15:14] Let's assume it's a hellbender that does not get eaten by crayfish or other hellbenders or predators. Do we have an idea of what the life expectancy could be?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:15:23] So there was an animal long ago. In the 1970s, it was not uncommon for scientists to brand an animal like how you would brand cattle.

Rae [00:15:32] Things have changed.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:15:33] Yes. We have since evolved into using pet tags. So, the same type of tag that a dog or cat gets. But there's an animal in the '70s that was branded, and then that animal was caught in the early 2000s. That animal was probably 40 years old, not quite sure, but we think that's somewhere around the that top life expectancy is 40-50 years old, and we don't have any animals at the zoo that we have had that long.

Rae [00:15:59] Well, and that really sets your zoo apart. And I think a lot of folks don't necessarily know that sometimes, in zoos, the animals are only there for a short time, and ultimately, they go back into the wilderness and are never in captivity again. So that impressed me so much. When I was at the Saint Louis Zoo, and Peter and I were doing this hellbender episode where I think we took the largest female that you all had at the time. And her name was Meredith, and she had had a lot of clutches of eggs. And we brought her back to, you know, to the wild.

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Rae [00:16:33]: She is a breeder, so she has been at the Zoo for 12 or 13 years, laid thousands of eggs. And she has been influential in making Hellbender conservation a successor.

Jeff Briggler [00:16:48] She produced a lot of babies, and it's time for her to move on so we can increase genetic diversity by adding some new ones.

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Rae [00:16:56] It was a really special moment. I mean, the fact that she even had this name and she had mothered all these hellbenders and helped to restore the species. It was just awesome.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:17:05] Releasing Hellbenders is by far the best part of our jobs. But then you get that added layer of Meredith, who had bred multiple times and was one of the original eggs that we brought in from the wild in the early 2010s. That's great. She lived at the zoo. She did what we needed her to do, and she did it so well. And now she's back out in the wild, hopefully continuing to do the same things. So when I started part-time, that we bred Hellbenders in 2015; that fall, a few years later, I'm releasing animals that I helped take care of when they first hatched. So there's all these fun layers of a release is the best part. And then you add in all these extra little special moments that make every release special and different in a new way.

Peter [00:17:52]: I think it's great to hear that attachment. What surprised me is they had spent their entire lives so far until they were deemed healthy and strong enough to be released as we let them go in the bottom, and I watched one look for the appropriate place, crawl under a rock, turn, and face upstream where they might be waiting for crustaceans to come by. And it knew exactly what to do, even though they had never spent more than two minutes in the wild. That just blew me away.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:18:20] Yes, they are surprisingly resilient and much smarter, I think, than people give them credit for. They do have silly little nuances to them, of course, like any animal. But there's nothing better in our jobs than doing those releases.

Rae [00:18:34] For folks who maybe saw our episode and now love hellbenders just like we do. They might want to know, like, well, how can I at home help Hellbenders, right? And we touched on some things like maybe, you know if you're going to do some building or development in a river area, you know, try to make sure that you're conscious of hellbender habitat. But are there other ways?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:18:56] Definitely. If you do use any of our major rivers in the summertime, just being respectful of that habitat, not leaving it a mess, cleaning up your trash, you know, keeping it, keeping it clean and pristine in that way is great. I know people like to take the rocks and stack them up and make those rock towers in the river. That is just taking away good habitat options for a lot of aquatic animals. So, just being mindful of nature, leave it ideally better than you found it, but definitely leave it as you found it.

Rae [00:19:28] Well, Patty, okay, you have so much to say about Hellbenders. This is frickin awesome. And okay, here's a question. So, do you frequently do media work on these hellbenders?

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:19:40] The Zoo does do a really great job of promoting our successes. The Zoo also does do a very great job of communicating with the community, even on things that are actually maybe a little sad or the passing of animals and stuff. So I think the city really loves the zoo for a lot of different reasons. So it's a fun, good cycle, right? They love our media, so we put more media out there. We have had a lot of milestones over the last 20 years, so we are constantly bragging about our successes. Zoos are a wonderful place for people to just come look at the animals, but also, we are saving the world as best we can, so we like to brag about ourselves.

Peter [00:20:21]: That's such a great thing to hear too. I think that you're not really bragging. You're just sharing the information because so many people's perception about zoos is that it's a place to go. Look at animals, make your first connection with wildlife, and see them up close. People don't really have much of a clue about all the good things you do behind the scenes and the breeding of captive and endangered species, and the release of endangered species, and the programs that are going on. So I just say, don't consider it bragging, just help us spread the word of all the good things that are happening.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:20:54] I agree it's I'm very proud to work at the zoo. People in Saint Louis are, in the best way, obsessed with the zoo. I go off grounds for lunch, and I talk to somebody at the restaurant about the zoo and how great it is. I go to pick up my groceries after work in my uniform, and at least three people have to stop and talk about the zoo, talk about the new cool thing we did. Every time I get the opportunity to teach someone what a hellbender is.

Rae [00:21:30: It was really touching getting a sense of Marlin Perkins's legacy when we were at the Saint Louis Zoo. But Patty clued us into one piece of his history, that was news to us.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:21:41] I don't know if you guys found this out on your tour while you were filming the episode at all, but Marlin Perkins did have a run-in with a gaboon viper. One Thanksgiving morning, many, many, many years ago, and was hospitalized from a bite from a gaboon viper. So we do have that gaboon viper saved. It has since passed away. This is a very long time ago, but we do have that specimen preserved behind the scenes in the herpetarium too.

Peter [00:22:06] Wow! That's a great story. I've never heard that before.

Rae [00:22:09] Oh my gosh, thank you for that insight. And Patty, thank you for joining us today.

Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:22:14] Yes, thank you for having me.

Peter [00:22:18] Indicator species, like the Hellbenders of the Ozarks, can provide important information on the health of their environments. Conservation heroes like Patty and the work of the Saint Louis Zoo are vital to ensuring magical moments in the wild kingdom for future generations.

Rae [00:22:36] Join us next week when we speak with Regina Mossoti to learn why she's dedicated so much of her life to wolf conservation.

Regina Mossoti [00:22:44] Animals that were misunderstood always stood out to me. I guess I related to them somehow, and that translated as I grew into loving carnivores and especially wolves because they really get a bad rep and are completely misunderstood. It was an easy thing for me to say. You know what? This is what I want to dedicate my life to.

Rae [00:23:04] That's next week on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, the podcast.

Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom The Podcast is a production of Pineapple Street Studios and Mutual of Omaha.

Our Senior Producer is Stephen Key.

Producers are Xandra Ellin and Jenny Van Soelen

Associate Producer is Lisa Cerda.

Editor is Darby Maloney.

Executive Producers are Bari Finkel, Gabrielle Lewis, and Jen Wulf.

Pineapple’s Head of Sound & Engineering is Raj Makhija. Senior Audio Engineers are Marina Paiz, Davy Sumner, Javi Cruces, and Pedro Alvira. Additional engineering by Rob Miller and Jason Richards.

This Episode was mixed by Davy Sumner.

Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound and Hearst Media Production Group.

Episode Clips courtesy of Hearst Media Production Group.

Fact checking by Justine Daum.

Marketing and Promotion by Emily Poeschl.

This podcast is hosted by me, Rae Wynn-Grant.

And me, Peter Gros.

Special thanks to Katelyn Williams, Sophie Radmilovich, and Stephanie Diaz

Today’s episode is based on the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series created by Don Meier. Our next episode will be out in a week. Make sure to listen on the Audacy app, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Updated on September 10, 2024

Zoos play a crucial role in wildlife survival, acting as research hubs and connecting people to the wonders of nature. In this episode, Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation. Ihrig-Bueckendorf shares her work with hellbender salamander — a species that’s been on the endangered species list since 2003 — highlighting the efforts to save these unique creatures.

Learn more about the hellbender from the Saint Louis Zoo, plus watch the full episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild “Raising Hellbenders”.

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Please try again later." ] "openGraph" => array:6 [ "description" => "Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation." "image" => array:2 [ "alt" => "A hellbender salamander on some rocks. Hellbenders have long bodies, a round nose and face with two very small eyes on the sides of its head. It looks like a river rock in color, which is how it hides from prey. Next to the hellbender image is the name of the podcast "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom The Podcast", the title of the episode "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" and the guest name, with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf."" 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"descriptionOptionalStyles" => "u-textAlign--left u-fontStyle--italic" "gridFlow" => array:2 [ "content" => "Right" "media" => "Left" ] "layout" => "Grid" "media" => array:3 [ "position" => "top" "type" => "video" "video" => array:3 [ …3] ] "podcastIcons" => true "promoOptionalStyles" => "u-textAlign--left Podcast-episode" "spotifyLink" => "https://open.spotify.com/episode/0PVeI63HiFQDXXxZ29NhIu" "title" => "Listen to the episode" "titleOptionalStyles" => "u-textAlign--left Promo-heading__podcast" "youTubeLink" => "https://youtu.be/StIriQaGKKQ" ] "name" => "promo" ] "relatedPosts" => array:1 [ "slides" => array:8 [ 4098 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of bison — from their near extinction due to westward expansion to their return to the plains. We also learn why bison rewilding is essential to restoring biodiversity and ensuring the prairie thrives for generations to come.\n Bonus track: Jen Osburn Eliot at Oregon Zoo shares how it’s helping Northwestern pond turtles grow strong in a program that raises and releases them back into the wild.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/rewilding-the-american-prairie/9000414728" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Rewilding the American Prairie” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-29 16:36:14" "excerpt" => "Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of […]\n" "id" => 4098 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:44:32" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "title_plain" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-29 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie/" ] 4113 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure the future of this incredible species. She discusses the many challenges they face, from rising temperatures disrupting their breeding and growth to surviving in extreme freezing conditions and how the zoo’s breeding program is essential for the survival of this species.\n Bonus track: Jennica King at Sedgwick County Zoo shares how the zoo’s efforts gave two orphaned bears a second chance — not just to survive, but to thrive.\n <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/on-thin-ice/9000414720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch “On Thin Ice” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-05-06 09:32:46" "excerpt" => "As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure […]\n" "id" => 4113 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:46:46" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "title_plain" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears/" ] 4142 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:26 [ …26] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments of up-close encounters with belugas while kayaking in the frigid waters near Churchill, Manitoba.\n Bonus track: Sunny Nelson from Lincoln Park Zoo shares her journey researching the beautiful, and nearly extinct, Bali Myna, a rare bird found only in Bali, Indonesia.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/canaries-of-the-sea/9000414730" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Canaries of the Sea” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2025-05-13 10:55:28" "excerpt" => "Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments […]\n" "id" => 4142 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:47:57" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-sounds-of-beluga-whales" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "title_plain" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-13 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-sounds-of-beluga-whales/" ] 4912 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ …3] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. \n In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin to unpack green sea turtle’s incredible comeback. After over 30 years of working with sea turtles around the world, Jeff has watched a critically endangered species he once feared we’d lose become, against all odds, an environmental conservation success. It’s a surprising story — told by one of television’s most passionate conservationists. \n <h3>Explore Sea Turtle Stories </h3>\n Discover more sea turtle facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about turtle conservation, rescue and rehabilitation. \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/sea-turtle-stranding-brings-organizations-together-for-rescue">Sea Turtle Stranding Brings Organizations Together for Rescue</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/manatee-and-sea-turtle-conservation">Manatee and Sea Turtle Conservation</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reef-revival">Reef Revival Episode</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/celebrating-world-sea-turtle-day">Celebrating World Sea Turtle Day</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/why-do-some-species-migrate">Why Do Some Species Migrate?</a> \n <h3>The Green Sea Turtle’s Hidden Life Cycle</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Green Sea Turtles's Hidden Life Cycle" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0zRghzwDh0w" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="turtle-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#turtle-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">\n [Rae] Walk me through that life cycle from where it’s born.\n [Jeff] Yeah, so when the sea turtle, when the mom, she comes out and she excavates that nest out to deposit her eggs and she may during that season, she’ll do multiple nests. She’ll do like a decoy nest to do kind of sloppy that kind of fool the animals.\n Oh, clever.\n The idea is you do multiple nests so your entire clutch isn’t lost. And then, you know, she’s laying between 30 and 70 eggs.\n [Rae] Okay.\n Little bigger than a ping pong ball. And then she goes back to sea. When she comes out to nest, she is nesting on the very beach where she was born.\n Amazing.\n Where her life began. And she is the only time a sea turtle, for the most part, with few places like Hawaii will have this phenomenon of sea turtles that actually will sleep in the beach, most sea turtles become plagic. A sea turtle born that hatches out on Florida may find its way, we’ve tracked them to the coast of Africa.\n [Rae] Oh my gosh.\n [Jeff] Sea turtles from Africa have shown up beating in the horn of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.\n [Interviewer] Incredible.\n So they are incredibly adaptive of using the ocean’s currents to go from A to B or go from the new world to the old world.\n And we can find them in all of the oceans essentially, right?\n We even have some sea turtles that go into the Arctic.\n What?\n Think of sea turtles as being cold blooded and not being warm blooded, being endothermic, but they are the only turtle that is megathermic because they are so big they are like their own, they’re a closed loop energy system. So the nest is laid there and she will go back to sea and only the females will come out. Males will spend their whole lives in the ocean.\n At sea, isn’t that something?\n And when they hatch out, you know, if they’re lucky enough, if they’re that one in 10,000 that survive the flood, that survive that high tide, that survive the coyotes of the raccoons, that survive the ghost crabs and all the fish that will eat them, then they’ll come back 20 years later. It will take two decades for that mom to come to the beach, excavate that nest out and bring that next generation in. So that’s kind of how the cycle works.\n The recovery of the green sea turtle didn’t happen by accident, it happened because people decided it would. But the threats that nearly wiped them out haven’t disappeared and some new ones have arrived.\n So green sea turtles were listed on the endangered species list. And that made a big difference at least in the US and in North America in their protection. And you know, and I think it also made a difference worldwide.\n It did because they were protected internationally. The IUCN and other groups and there was a tremendous-. There’s still places where people eat green turtles and other sea turtles. The green turtle is the one that’s actually eaten the most. People don’t eat leatherbacks.\n And they’re eating this green meat.\n Yeah.\n I can’t get over that.\n That’s what they say is, I’ve been to places where I’ve seen it being cooked in the streets of Indonesia and other places. But that was the most hunted sea turtle. They would hunt them for their eggs. And sometimes they would just literally get them all on board, cut them open, remove the eggs. And you look at those old National Geographic photos and you don’t really see that anymore. But they still face future challenges. One is a warming world.\n Yeah.\n And how do we combat that? And the other are plastics.\n Okay, talk to me about plastics in the ocean.\n Yeah, we dump 10 billion pounds of plastics every year into our oceans. And you can see that as blue as a beautiful bluebird morning in New England. I’ve been to the Trash Pacific Gyre and I’ve seen that and where you see something that looks like an island that is hundreds of miles in size of this gyro of trash that has all come together. And there are places where beautiful, Bali for example, you go there and they have to every day, because people have spent all this money to be a tourist in beautiful Bali, they have to come in with excavators and front end loaders every morning just to clean the trash off the beach. And that is a preventable thing. It is something we could mitigate. So that’s the good news. If we decided, we could eliminate almost all of the plastic trash that goes into our oceans, there’s a way we could manage that. But it’s been documented that one like big landscape plastic bag, you know, those plastic bags that’s really tough, can kill five individual sea turtles\n [Rae] Just one.\n Before it’s broken up enough into little pieces that it could pass through. And I have been to so many sea turtle hospitals where that is it. So you have them eating plastics, and then off Florida boat strikes, big problem. And then they have diseases that may be the result of climate change, may be the result of pollution. It’s a papilloma type virus where they get these tumors and they’ll often get them in and they’ll remove the tumors and stuff. So they have challenges. But overall, I don’t like to look at things as good news or success, I would say it’s a promising story.\n Okay.\n It’s a hopeful story. We are at a place of uncertainty and hope with green sea turtles and all the other sea turtles that we have out there. But I would argue we are there where we have this out of sight, out of mind, oh, we fixed it.\n Sure.\n We live in a world now where, whether you like it or not, in the last century, humankind has consumed 70 to 80% of all our planet’s nature. We, whether we like it or not, have been given this responsibility to be our planet stewards. And that is something that will always require vigilancy. (soft music)\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n A sea turtle hatchling has a one-in-10,000 shot at survival. And if it beats those odds, it won’t return to nest for another two decades. In this episodette, Jeff Corwin walks Dr. Rae through the green sea turtle’s remarkable life cycle, from decoy nests to transoceanic migration. Then he turns to the threats still facing the species today: 10 billion pounds of plastic dumped into the ocean every year, boat strikes, disease and a planet where humankind has consumed 70%–80% of nature in the last century. It’s not a fixed problem — it’s an ongoing one. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="turtle-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4EGtKCuOJrc" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Jeff Corwin </h4>\n Jeff Corwin is a wildlife biologist, conservationist and an Emmy Award–winning producer and host of more than a dozen television series that have been broadcast in more than 100 countries. His shows are featured on networks including Discovery, Animal Planet, Disney, the Food Network, NBC, CNN and Travel Channel. Corwin holds Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and anthropology from Bridgewater State College and a Master of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He’s the founder of the EcoZone, an interactive museum in Norwell, Massachusetts. When not in the field, Corwin resides with his wife and two daughters on a small island off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts. \n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:11:49" "excerpt" => "In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin […]\n" "id" => 4912 "modified" => "2026-08-20 12:08:04" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "title_plain" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-07-23 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback/" ] 4914 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump.\n In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and bear biologist Wes Larson uncover the unlikely turning points, bold conservation efforts and the passionate people who refused to give up on the grizzly. Discover how science, collaboration and persistence helped restore one of North America’s most powerful predators to the wild landscapes it once ruled.\n <h3>Explore Bear Stories</h3>\n Discover more bear facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about bear conservation, rescue and rehabilitation.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/black-bear-fun-facts">Bear Fun Facts</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/interactive/how-well-do-you-know-black-bears">How Well Do You Know Black Bears Quiz</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/into-the-bears-den">Into the Bear’s Den Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/do-all-bears-hibernate-in-winter">Do All Bears Hibernate in the Winter?</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-we-can-prepare-for-bear-hibernation">How We Can Prepare for Bear Hibernation</a>\n <h3>Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8xsd_aNNxU8" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="grizzly-bear-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#grizzly-bear-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">– Yellowstone was a stronghold for grizzly bears, still is, but in the ’70s, they had all of these, like, garbage piles. Do you wanna talk a little bit about, like, how trash attracted bears and what that meant for tourism, and then how quickly they actually changed that?- In the decades leading up to 1970, they had these big, open-pit garbage dumps scattered throughout Yellowstone. There was four or five of them. And they had literal bleachers set up around these dumps, and people would gather every night and watch the bears come up and eat all this food waste. And it was a reliable way to see grizzly bears. They got huge and fat. They were very happy bears where they didn’t really have to compete and they just kinda sat there, and they weren’t very wild anymore. I mean, these were essentially just, you know, garbage-dump bears. And that continued for a while, and the park kind of started realizing they were having a lot of conflicts every year with bears. They were having about 50 incidents every year of people being bitten or injured by bears, which was a lot, and they thought, “We need to do something about this.” So they slowly were kind of starting to make changes, planning to close dumps. And then in 1967, in Glacier National Park, two women were killed on the same night by two different grizzly bears. It’s often referred to as the Night of the Grizzlies. We did a three-part series on it on “Tooth & Claw.” That incident echoed throughout the national park system. People really realized, “Okay, this is an animal that has some potential danger to it that we need to treat a little bit differently than we’ve been treating.” And they quickly closed the dumps then. The last one closed in 1970. And we were left with these bears that were so used to human food and didn’t really know where to go now that they didn’t have access to these dumps. And in the following years, they had to either euthanize or relocate a lot of those bears. And it was kind of this cleansing period in Yellowstone where, unfortunately, a lot of these bears that were totally food conditioned had to be removed from that population, and that left the wild bears, the ones that weren’t food conditioned or totally habituated to people. And that’s where all of our bears we currently have in Yellowstone stem from, was that population that was left after they changed that policy with the dumps.\n – We have very few grizzly bears in Montana and in Yellowstone, you know, because of some of the policies that have been in place for decades. Like, there’s some bad news going on, so how do things start to get a little bit better?\n – So, in ’75 was kind of the first big step forward for grizzly bears, and that’s when they received protections under the Endangered Species Act. And then the next really great thing that happened was in 1983, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team was formed, and that consisted of people in the National Park Service and USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that essentially decided they were gonna combine this, you know, amazing pool of knowledge to figure out how to properly conserve this animal and give them the kind of things they need to spread across the West in ways that they used to. So they had six kind of recovery zones that they outlied, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem being one of them. And I was lucky enough to work when I was in Yellowstone under Kerry Gunther, who is, like, the guy when it comes to Yellowstone grizzly bears. He’s done, you know, more for them than anyone that I know of personally. And a lot of those early days was just really hazing bears that were too, you know, habituated or food conditioned, moving bears that were problem bears or getting rid of ones that, you know, had gone too far and kind of, you know, cleaning out that population, making it wilder. And over time, those kind of processes and the ways that they hazed got better and better and better. And now in Yellowstone, where they used to have, like, 50 conflicts a year that were injuries to humans, now they average one per year, which is a huge step in the right direction, you know? We’d love it if there wasn’t any, but they respond quickly to any bears that are food conditioned. They allow for some habituation. That’s why people are able to do what you did last week, go up and see these bears and these meadows and get some incredible photos and experiences. But the whole outlook kind of toward grizzly bears has changed, and that’s allowed these strongholds to really grow. And now in Yellowstone, there’s probably over 1,000 grizzly bears just in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n Before Yellowstone had over 1,000 grizzly bears, it had bleachers. Every night, people would gather around open pit garbage dumps to watch bears eat food waste — reliable, safe and nothing like the wild. It took a single catastrophic night in 1967 to change everything. Wes Larson breaks down the uncomfortable turning point that forced Yellowstone to close its dumps, remove its food-conditioned bears, and start over — and how that painful reset became the foundation for one of conservation’s greatest comebacks. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="bears-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x15sfkKFdzw" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Wes Larson</h4>\n Wes Larson is a bear biologist whose work centers on human-bear conflict. He hosts “Tooth & Claw,” a podcast that unpacks true accounts of the most dramatic wildlife encounters on record. Much of his work focuses on helping people understand wild animals and coexist with them safely.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:14:39" "excerpt" => "Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, […]\n" "id" => 4914 "modified" => "2026-08-21 11:03:51" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "title_plain" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-20 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back/" ] 4941 => array:24 [ "attachments" => array:5 [ …5] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Premiering July 23, Back From the Brink is a wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom celebrating conservation comeback stories. Hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, the video podcast airs on YouTube, with audio episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. \n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4936" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant interviews a podcast guest seated across from her in a studio recording space. Both speakers sit in armchairs with microphones positioned between them and a small table in the center." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Back From the Brink premieres July 23 on YouTube and all major podcast platforms as an all-new wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant hosts and Peter Gros narrates, bringing the wildlife expertise from Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild to the podcast. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Every episode spotlights a single species and the scientists, conservationists and unexpected heroes behind its comeback story.</li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Expert guests appear across the season, including Jeff Corwin, Coyote Peterson and Philippe Cousteau. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Featured animals range from green sea turtles to grizzly bears, focusing on conservation efforts saving species from extinction </li>\n </ul>\n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4937" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant participates in a remote podcast interview displayed on a computer screen. A guest appears in a video call window beside her while recording equipment and an online meeting interface are visible." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n Join Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom for an all-new podcast, Back From the Brink, celebrating incredible wildlife comeback stories. Every episode is a deep-dive into a single species and the scientists, conservationists and unexpected heroes who fought to save them. \n Hosted by Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild’s Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, Back From the Brink premieres July 23. The video podcast will stream on YouTube, with an audio-only version wherever you get your podcasts. \n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4939" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant speaks with a podcast guest in a recording studio. The two sit across from each other with microphones and a small table between them, while a video camera in the foreground captures the conversation." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n <h2>Podcast episode lineup </h2>\n Back From the Brink features the following guests speaking on these wildlife species: \n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Jeff Corwin from Wildlife Nation on green sea turtles </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Kirstin Hill from the Smithsonian Institution on North American songbirds </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Bear biologist Wes Larson on grizzly bears </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Coyote Peterson from Brave Wilderness on American alligators </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Philippe Cousteau from EarthEcho International on coral reef restoration </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">Jeff Ewelt from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo on saltwater tiger beetles </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1">Bailey Cadena from Cincinnati Zoo on Mexican gray wolves </li>\n </ul>\n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4938" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant conducts a virtual podcast interview shown on a computer screen. A remote guest appears in a separate video window while the online meeting interface and recording setup are visible." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n Follow <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/the-podcast">Back From the Brink’s podcast page</a> for more upcoming featured animals and guests. \n """ "custom_fields" => array:19 [ …19] "date" => "2026-07-09 10:00:59" "excerpt" => "Premiering July 23, Back From the Brink is a wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom celebrating conservation comeback stories. Hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, the video podcast airs on YouTube, with audio episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. Back From the Brink premieres July 23 on YouTube and all major podcast platforms as […]\n" "id" => 4941 "modified" => "2026-07-27 16:21:08" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "new-podcast-back-from-the-brink-airs-july-23" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:2 [ …2] "thumbnail" => null "thumbnail_images" => [] "thumbnail_size" => "thumbnail" "title" => "New Podcast Back From the Brink Airs July 23" "title_plain" => "New Podcast Back From the Brink Airs July 23" "type" => "video" "updated_date" => "2026-07-09 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/video/new-podcast-back-from-the-brink-airs-july-23/" ] 4943 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:4 [ …4] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is joined by Kirstin Hill of Smithsonian Bird Friendly to explore a hopeful solution taking root in an unexpected place — coffee farms. Discover how shade-grown coffee is creating vital habitat, helping bird populations rebound and restoring one of nature’s most iconic soundtracks.\n <h2>Explore Bird Stories</h2>\n Discover more bird facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about North American songbirds, birds of prey and more.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/your-guide-to-north-american-songbirds">Your Guide to North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-organizations-protect-north-american-songbirds">How Organizations Protect North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/10-tips-for-backyard-birding">10 Tips For Backyard Birding</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/birds-of-a-feather">Birds of a Feather Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/birds-the-word-discover-birds-of-prey">Discover Birds of Prey</a>\n <h2>The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow</h2>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XTZNYwmfocE?si" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="coffee-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#coffee-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">(lighthearted music) \n – Our Migratory Bird Center was founded in the 1990s, \n but the work for migratory bird conservation \n kind of started long before that. \n And in the 1980s, the person who then went on \n to kind of be the founder of the Migratory Bird Center, \n Dr. Russell Greenberg, he was noticing a decline \n in migratory songbird populations in North America. \n So if you think about, you know, 40 years ago, \n we’re in the ’80s and he’s noticing \n and trying to figure out sort of like, \n “Where are these birds going? \n I know they’re here in North America during part of the year \n and then they disappear and then sometimes they come back \n and sometimes they don’t.” \n And we’re starting to see fewer and fewer of these birds. \n So he kind of said, “All right, I’m going to try \n to figure out where it is that these birds are going.” \n He went down to Mexico to conduct a bit of research there \n and to try to see if he could find those same birds \n and figure out where it was that they were going \n when they left our areas in North America here. \n What he kind of found while he was down there \n was that there were lots and lots of birds \n in undisturbed forest. \n And he’s looking around, he’s trying to figure out, \n okay, what are the types of habitat that they’re utilizing? \n He was on one area of a valley and heard a lot of bird calls \n and things like that happening. \n And he looked over and it looked like an area \n that appeared to be sort of like an undisturbed forest. \n Went over to check it out, \n and what he realized is that it was a coffee farm. \n So there was coffee growing in the understory \n and then lots of native trees providing high shade \n for birds, really high-quality habitats \n and lots of this, you know, this area \n that effectively looked like a forest \n but was actually a coffee farm. \n And he said, “Hmm, this seems like this could be \n a really important habitat measure for migratory birds \n and providing a healthy over wintering habitat for them.” \n And so that kind of led to just this concept \n that coffee could be grown in a way that was friendly \n to birds and biodiversity. \n And that sort of went on to become \n the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification program. \n – I mean, this is just such a serendipitous story, right? \n And I think probably the biggest shock to Dr. Greenberg \n was thinking he’s looking at what we’re saying, \n like pristine, untouched, you know, old growth forest, \n going in and actually seeing like, “Oh, this is a farm.” \n (chuckles) Who knew a farm could look like this? \n Because certainly in North America, we, \n at that time, didn’t have those examples. \n Many of us in the West are quite detached \n from the things we consume. \n Can you help me understand what does coffee look like? \n Like it’s apparently not a tree. (chuckles) \n How does coffee grow \n and how can that fit into a forest ecosystem? \n – So coffee is kind of like a shrub. \n When it’s ripe, it’s these nice, beautiful \n bright red cherries that kind of grow out \n on the coffee shrub itself. \n And the shrubs, they can get to be quite tall. \n And so they can grow in the understory. \n So coffee is a unique crop in that it is perfectly happy \n to grow under the shade of trees. \n And that’s actually how it was originally grown. \n And it was only actually up until the 1970s that coffee, \n most coffee was grown that way. \n And then around the ’70s, that’s when we saw the conversion \n of a lot of coffee farm from this agroforestry \n where there’s the agriculture kind of in the understory \n of the forest above to the removal of a lot of the trees \n and a lot of the, kind of the native plants \n and things like that that are in there \n to grow coffee in the sun instead. \n And there are a number of different reasons \n why that change kind of happened. \n There’s rising number of people who were drinking coffee \n and the governments are kind of saying, \n “Hey, we want to make sure that we can keep up \n with this demand.” \n And there was this idea that if you eliminated \n some of the shade trees, that you could, in theory, \n grow more coffee in that way, \n that the cherries would ripen faster \n and that that would be a higher yield \n for the producers there. \n There ended up being a big conversion of the way \n that coffee was grown from the agroforests, \n how it originally grew, into just this \n kind of clear cut monoculture where the coffee \n is just kind of baking in the sun \n and you’re just seeing rows and rows of crops \n and very little space for birds and biodiversity \n to coexist in that way. \n – So we have a scientist who traveled down with the team \n and discovered, okay, there is habitat fragmentation \n and habitat loss, but it looks like there’s also solutions \n at the same time. \n And then what stemmed from there? \n – What we ended up kind of seeing was, you know, \n when Dr. Greenberg came back and was trying to figure out, \n you know, what do we do with this information \n that we now have. \n So I now, you know, we have made this association \n that the agroforests can provide really high-quality habitat \n for birds and biodiversity. \n The question then became, how do we incentivize producers \n to grow their coffee in this way? \n So for those remaining folks that have kept \n this high-quality habitat on their land, \n how can we make it so that they feel \n there’s a reason for them to continue growing coffee \n in this way, how do we incentivize that? \n – And let me interrupt you here just for me to get a sense. \n Like tell me a little bit about the economics of this. \n Is it somehow like cheaper \n to do the monoculture where it’s just coffee? \n Is it somehow more expensive for landowners \n to continue with the polyculture? \n Like why would someone choose one over the other? \n – So for each individual farmer that can be a, \n or a landowner or producer, \n there’s different motivating factors, \n and it kind of boils down to how you want \n to sell your coffee. \n So there’s coffee that can be sold as specialty grade \n and that’s when we think about, \n you know, high quality, high-end specialty coffees \n versus your commodity coffee, which I kind of refer to \n as like your gas station coffee where it’s just like a mix \n of a bunch of beans and we’re not really sure \n where it’s coming from and maybe the qualities \n is a bit lower. \n So there’s a lot of different factors that can go into \n how a producer can sell their coffee \n and how much money they can get for it. \n So that was kind of what led to the creation \n of the Bird Friendly program was trying to find a way \n to provide this incentive for producers \n that they could get more money for their coffee. \n And Smithsonian will prove, we will vouch for them that, \n yes, this coffee is grown in a way \n that’s really good for birds. \n (uplifting music)</div>\n </div>\n </div>\n <h6></h6>\n From window decals to your morning coffee order, there are more ways to help migratory songbirds than you might think. In this episodette, Kirstin Hill walks through seven simple actions anyone can take — safer windows, keeping cats indoors, native plants, pesticide-free yards, less plastic, bird-friendly coffee and simply paying attention. Plus, she gives an update on how far the movement has come: over 110 coffee roasters and more than 4,000 producers now protect habitat worldwide. Watch the full episode for the complete story behind the movement. \n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="coffee-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gxpIYlGxbBI?si=H8kVlDWiggxzYqnx" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n  \n <h3>About Kirstin Hill</h3>\n Kirstin Hill has spent more than 15 years in wildlife conservation, teaching people why wild animals and their habitats are worth protecting. Today she’s the Smithsonian Institution’s Bird Friendly Program Manager, leading an innovative effort to preserve habitat and protect songbirds. Through forest-friendly farming practices, Bird Friendly farms grow coffee and cocoa in ways that keep their surrounding ecosystems healthy.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2025-07-01 13:28:59" "excerpt" => "Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild […]\n" "id" => 4943 "modified" => "2026-08-10 17:54:12" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "title_plain" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back/" ] 5087 => array:20 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act.\n In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator of Brave Wilderness, whose alligator content alone has racked up over 100 million views. Together they explain why these “ecosystem engineers” are critical to the health of southeastern wetlands. And they dig into the modern threats that still put the species at risk, from invasive Burmese pythons to human habituation. It’s a story about how fast a species can come back, and how easily that progress can be undone.\n <h3>Explore alligator stories</h3>\n Learn more about alligators through these Wild Kingdom videos and articles.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-alligators-beat-the-endangered-species-list">How Alligators Beat the Endangered Species List</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/american-alligators">American Alligators</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/graduation-day-for-a-gator">Graduation Day for a Gator</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reptile-rescue">Reptile Rescue</a>\n <h3>Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aC_ru54fmo" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n An alligator on a golf course isn’t lurking — it’s living where humans built on top of its habitat. In this episodette, Coyote Peterson and Dr. Rae unpack why feeding or habituating alligators turns them into the most dangerous version of themselves, why a viral golf-course encounter almost went very wrong and how a little “exposure therapy” — visiting alligators at conservation-focused facilities — can replace fear with respect. Watch the full episode for the complete story of the American alligator’s comeback.\n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="alligator-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxMul0QOA24" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Coyote Peterson</h4>\n Coyote Peterson is an Emmy Award-winning host and creator of YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness,” where his videos have drawn over 6 billion views worldwide. A lifelong animal lover, he studied video production, writing and film editing at Ohio State University before combining both passions. For over a decade, he’s worked alongside conservationists to protect the planet’s most misunderstood creatures — including a partnership that reintroduced 25 critically endangered black rhinos in South Africa.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2026-09-03 23:45:52" "excerpt" => "By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator […]\n" "id" => 5087 "modified" => "2026-09-04 19:15:46" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "title_plain" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback/" ] ] ] "useExperimentation" => "0" ] "debug" => true "emailJourneyId" => "APIEvent-0915228a-9b5d-b8bc-68b3-1667d737d130" "globals" => array:15 [ "alertContent" => null "analyticsId" => "UA-12109817-22" "bodyBackgroundColor" => "u-bgWhite" "experimentationId" => "25226340136" "gtmId" => "M2XNHQ" "pageClass" => null "pageTitle" => "Mutual of Omaha" "sectionClass" => null "server" => array:9 [ "canonical" => "https://moocat.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/podcast/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper" "environment" => "cat" "host" => null "hostWithScheme" => null "path" => null "scheme" => null "uri" => null "url" => null "urlWithQuery" => null ] "showZipCodeOverlay" => false "states" => array:53 [ "AK" => "Alaska" "AL" => "Alabama" "AR" => "Arkansas" "AZ" => "Arizona" "CA" => "California" "CO" => "Colorado" "CT" => "Connecticut" "DC" => "District of Columbia" "DE" => "Delaware" "FL" => "Florida" "GA" => "Georgia" "HI" => "Hawaii" "IA" => "Iowa" "ID" => "Idaho" "IL" => "Illinois" "IN" => "Indiana" "KS" => "Kansas" "KY" => "Kentucky" "LA" => "Louisiana" "MA" => "Massachusetts" "MD" => "Maryland" "ME" => "Maine" "MI" => "Michigan" "MN" => "Minnesota" "MO" => "Missouri" "MS" => "Mississippi" "MT" => "Montana" "NC" => "North Carolina" "ND" => "North Dakota" "NE" => "Nebraska" "NH" => "New Hampshire" "NJ" => "New Jersey" "NM" => "New Mexico" "NV" => "Nevada" "NY" => "New York" "OH" => "Ohio" "OK" => "Oklahoma" "OR" => "Oregon" "PA" => "Pennsylvania" "PR" => "Puerto Rico" "RI" => "Rhode Island" "SC" => "South Carolina" "SD" => "South Dakota" "TN" => "Tennessee" "TX" => "Texas" "UT" => "Utah" "VA" => "Virginia" "VI" => "Virgin Islands" "VT" => "Vermont" "WA" => "Washington" "WI" => "Wisconsin" "WV" => "West Virginia" "WY" => "Wyoming" ] "tealiumEnv" => "qa" "twig" => array:2 [ "main" => "design-guide-4" "master" => "design-guide-4" ] "unsupportedBrowser" => false "version" => null ] "package" => array:4 [ "name" => "wild-kingdom" "namespace" => "Mutualofomaha\WildKingdom" "prefix" => "" "vendor" => "mutualofomaha" ] "podcastList" => array:2 [ "new-season" => [] "previous-seasons" => array:28 [ 0 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act.\n In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator of Brave Wilderness, whose alligator content alone has racked up over 100 million views. Together they explain why these “ecosystem engineers” are critical to the health of southeastern wetlands. And they dig into the modern threats that still put the species at risk, from invasive Burmese pythons to human habituation. It’s a story about how fast a species can come back, and how easily that progress can be undone.\n <h3>Explore alligator stories</h3>\n Learn more about alligators through these Wild Kingdom videos and articles.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-alligators-beat-the-endangered-species-list">How Alligators Beat the Endangered Species List</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/american-alligators">American Alligators</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/graduation-day-for-a-gator">Graduation Day for a Gator</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reptile-rescue">Reptile Rescue</a>\n <h3>Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aC_ru54fmo" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n An alligator on a golf course isn’t lurking — it’s living where humans built on top of its habitat. In this episodette, Coyote Peterson and Dr. Rae unpack why feeding or habituating alligators turns them into the most dangerous version of themselves, why a viral golf-course encounter almost went very wrong and how a little “exposure therapy” — visiting alligators at conservation-focused facilities — can replace fear with respect. Watch the full episode for the complete story of the American alligator’s comeback.\n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="alligator-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxMul0QOA24" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Coyote Peterson</h4>\n Coyote Peterson is an Emmy Award-winning host and creator of YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness,” where his videos have drawn over 6 billion views worldwide. A lifelong animal lover, he studied video production, writing and film editing at Ohio State University before combining both passions. For over a decade, he’s worked alongside conservationists to protect the planet’s most misunderstood creatures — including a partnership that reintroduced 25 critically endangered black rhinos in South Africa.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 3" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2026-09-03 23:45:52" "excerpt" => "By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator […]\n" "id" => 5087 "modified" => "2026-09-04 19:15:46" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "304" "slug" => "from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] 1 => array:5 [ …5] 2 => array:5 [ …5] 3 => array:5 [ …5] 4 => array:5 [ …5] 5 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "title_plain" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback/" ] 1 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Taylor" "id" => 3446 "last_name" => "Scott-Rohrer" "name" => "req91258" "nickname" => "Taylor" "slug" => "req91258" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump.\n In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and bear biologist Wes Larson uncover the unlikely turning points, bold conservation efforts and the passionate people who refused to give up on the grizzly. Discover how science, collaboration and persistence helped restore one of North America’s most powerful predators to the wild landscapes it once ruled.\n <h3>Explore Bear Stories</h3>\n Discover more bear facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about bear conservation, rescue and rehabilitation.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/black-bear-fun-facts">Bear Fun Facts</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/interactive/how-well-do-you-know-black-bears">How Well Do You Know Black Bears Quiz</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/into-the-bears-den">Into the Bear’s Den Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/do-all-bears-hibernate-in-winter">Do All Bears Hibernate in the Winter?</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-we-can-prepare-for-bear-hibernation">How We Can Prepare for Bear Hibernation</a>\n <h3>Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8xsd_aNNxU8" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="grizzly-bear-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#grizzly-bear-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">– Yellowstone was a stronghold for grizzly bears, still is, but in the ’70s, they had all of these, like, garbage piles. Do you wanna talk a little bit about, like, how trash attracted bears and what that meant for tourism, and then how quickly they actually changed that?- In the decades leading up to 1970, they had these big, open-pit garbage dumps scattered throughout Yellowstone. There was four or five of them. And they had literal bleachers set up around these dumps, and people would gather every night and watch the bears come up and eat all this food waste. And it was a reliable way to see grizzly bears. They got huge and fat. They were very happy bears where they didn’t really have to compete and they just kinda sat there, and they weren’t very wild anymore. I mean, these were essentially just, you know, garbage-dump bears. And that continued for a while, and the park kind of started realizing they were having a lot of conflicts every year with bears. They were having about 50 incidents every year of people being bitten or injured by bears, which was a lot, and they thought, “We need to do something about this.” So they slowly were kind of starting to make changes, planning to close dumps. And then in 1967, in Glacier National Park, two women were killed on the same night by two different grizzly bears. It’s often referred to as the Night of the Grizzlies. We did a three-part series on it on “Tooth & Claw.” That incident echoed throughout the national park system. People really realized, “Okay, this is an animal that has some potential danger to it that we need to treat a little bit differently than we’ve been treating.” And they quickly closed the dumps then. The last one closed in 1970. And we were left with these bears that were so used to human food and didn’t really know where to go now that they didn’t have access to these dumps. And in the following years, they had to either euthanize or relocate a lot of those bears. And it was kind of this cleansing period in Yellowstone where, unfortunately, a lot of these bears that were totally food conditioned had to be removed from that population, and that left the wild bears, the ones that weren’t food conditioned or totally habituated to people. And that’s where all of our bears we currently have in Yellowstone stem from, was that population that was left after they changed that policy with the dumps.\n – We have very few grizzly bears in Montana and in Yellowstone, you know, because of some of the policies that have been in place for decades. Like, there’s some bad news going on, so how do things start to get a little bit better?\n – So, in ’75 was kind of the first big step forward for grizzly bears, and that’s when they received protections under the Endangered Species Act. And then the next really great thing that happened was in 1983, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team was formed, and that consisted of people in the National Park Service and USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that essentially decided they were gonna combine this, you know, amazing pool of knowledge to figure out how to properly conserve this animal and give them the kind of things they need to spread across the West in ways that they used to. So they had six kind of recovery zones that they outlied, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem being one of them. And I was lucky enough to work when I was in Yellowstone under Kerry Gunther, who is, like, the guy when it comes to Yellowstone grizzly bears. He’s done, you know, more for them than anyone that I know of personally. And a lot of those early days was just really hazing bears that were too, you know, habituated or food conditioned, moving bears that were problem bears or getting rid of ones that, you know, had gone too far and kind of, you know, cleaning out that population, making it wilder. And over time, those kind of processes and the ways that they hazed got better and better and better. And now in Yellowstone, where they used to have, like, 50 conflicts a year that were injuries to humans, now they average one per year, which is a huge step in the right direction, you know? We’d love it if there wasn’t any, but they respond quickly to any bears that are food conditioned. They allow for some habituation. That’s why people are able to do what you did last week, go up and see these bears and these meadows and get some incredible photos and experiences. But the whole outlook kind of toward grizzly bears has changed, and that’s allowed these strongholds to really grow. And now in Yellowstone, there’s probably over 1,000 grizzly bears just in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n Before Yellowstone had over 1,000 grizzly bears, it had bleachers. Every night, people would gather around open pit garbage dumps to watch bears eat food waste — reliable, safe and nothing like the wild. It took a single catastrophic night in 1967 to change everything. Wes Larson breaks down the uncomfortable turning point that forced Yellowstone to close its dumps, remove its food-conditioned bears, and start over — and how that painful reset became the foundation for one of conservation’s greatest comebacks. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="bears-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x15sfkKFdzw" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Wes Larson</h4>\n Wes Larson is a bear biologist whose work centers on human-bear conflict. He hosts “Tooth & Claw,” a podcast that unpacks true accounts of the most dramatic wildlife encounters on record. Much of his work focuses on helping people understand wild animals and coexist with them safely.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "current_airdate" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "formatted_current_airdate" => "August 5" "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 3" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:14:39" "excerpt" => "Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, […]\n" "id" => 4914 "modified" => "2026-08-21 11:03:51" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "303" "slug" => "what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] 1 => array:5 [ …5] 2 => array:5 [ …5] 3 => array:5 [ …5] 4 => array:5 [ …5] 5 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "title_plain" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-20 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back/" ] 10 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:1 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Ever wondered why some people and animals form such strong bonds? Or why these connections are so vital to our well-being? In this episode, we continue with more stories from the AZA conference, speaking with Dr. Kathayoon Khalil, a conservation psychologist with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, about the powerful role of empathy in human-animal connections. We also dive into the world of tarantulas with Sarah Bowser to explore fascinating facts about these misunderstood creatures and the threats they face in the wild. Thom Demas from the Tennessee Aquarium wraps up the episode with a deep dive into the underwater world of a little-known fish that shows how stream health impacts us all — wildlife and humans.\n For more AZA stories, explore <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-zoos-are-saving-animals-from-extinction">AZA’s Saving Animals From Extinction Program (SAFE)</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-04-01 09:00:56" "excerpt" => "Ever wondered why some people and animals form such strong bonds? Or why these connections are so vital to our well-being? In this episode, we continue with more stories from the AZA conference, speaking with Dr. Kathayoon Khalil, a conservation psychologist with the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, about the powerful role of empathy in human-animal […]\n" "id" => 3989 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:36:33" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "206" "slug" => "hope-for-the-wild-stories-from-the-aza-part-2" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Hope for the Wild: Stories From the AZA, Part 2" "title_plain" => "Hope for the Wild: Stories From the AZA, Part 2" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-01 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/hope-for-the-wild-stories-from-the-aza-part-2/" ] 11 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:1 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => "Every year, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) hosts its annual conference, bringing together zoo and aquarium professionals dedicated to wildlife conservation. In this episode, we hear stories from the conference. First, Ben Jones, vice president of conservation and education at the Houston Zoo, shares his mission to protect endangered mountain gorillas. Then, Dr. Chase LaDue, National Geographic Explorer, conservation scientist at the Oklahoma City Zoo and executive director of the Sri Lanka Elephant Project, discusses fostering coexistence between humans and elephants. Their stories reveal the critical importance of protecting the wild — and why it matters for all of us who share this planet.\n" "custom_fields" => array:32 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "current_airdate" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "formatted_current_airdate" => "March 25" "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-03-25 09:31:53" "excerpt" => "Every year, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) hosts its annual conference, bringing together zoo and aquarium professionals dedicated to wildlife conservation. In this episode, we hear stories from the conference. First, Ben Jones, vice president of conservation and education at the Houston Zoo, shares his mission to protect endangered mountain gorillas. Then, Dr. […]\n" "id" => 3973 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:35:05" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "205" "slug" => "hope-for-the-wild-stories-from-the-aza-part-1" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Hope for the Wild: Stories From the AZA, Part 1" "title_plain" => "Hope for the Wild: Stories From the AZA, Part 1" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-03-25 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/hope-for-the-wild-stories-from-the-aza-part-1/" ] 12 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Fewer than 100 ocelots remain in the United States, making these rare wildcats incredibly difficult to study and protect. Filmmaker and wildlife biologist Ben Masters discusses the importance of documenting endangered species, and how his work has led him to capture rare footage of these elusive cats. He uncovers the many challenges ocelots face, from habitat loss to the struggle for visibility in conservation efforts, and why it’s crucial to continue fighting for their survival.\n Bonus track: Kristin Ulvestad from the Reid Park Zoo explains the important ecological role of songbirds and how the unique call of the Lucy’s warbler is a sure sign of spring.\n Watch this episode of <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/the-hidden-world-of-ocelots/9000414715" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, “The Hidden World of Ocelots” on NBC.com</a>, the NBC app or Peacock.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-03-18 10:01:52" "excerpt" => "Fewer than 100 ocelots remain in the United States, making these rare wildcats incredibly difficult to study and protect. Filmmaker and wildlife biologist Ben Masters discusses the importance of documenting endangered species, and how his work has led him to capture rare footage of these elusive cats. He uncovers the many challenges ocelots face, from […]\n" "id" => 3955 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:33:44" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "204" "slug" => "uncovering-the-elusive-ocelot" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Uncovering the Elusive Ocelot" "title_plain" => "Uncovering the Elusive Ocelot" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-03-18 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/uncovering-the-elusive-ocelot/" ] 13 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ With fewer than 360 North Atlantic right whales remaining in the wild, these incredible marine giants are critically endangered. In this episode, Orla O’Brien, scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium discusses this urgent wildlife crisis and the challenges facing this species. O’Brien explains why right whales are often overlooked — an “out of sight, out of mind” issue — and how innovative technology plays a crucial role in protecting them, offering hope for their future.\n Bonus track: Jeff Baughman of the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo talks about a much smaller animal — but still one of North America’s most endangered amphibians — the Wyoming toad.\n Watch this episode of <a href="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/article/protecting-the-wild-in-california-mexico-and-more/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, “Safe Passage for Whales” on NBC.com</a>, the NBC app or Peacock.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-03-11 08:37:41" "excerpt" => "With fewer than 360 North Atlantic right whales remaining in the wild, these incredible marine giants are critically endangered. In this episode, Orla O’Brien, scientist with the Anderson Cabot Center for Ocean Life at the New England Aquarium discusses this urgent wildlife crisis and the challenges facing this species. O’Brien explains why right whales are […]\n" "id" => 3942 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:32:27" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "203" "slug" => "how-tech-can-save-right-whales" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "How Tech Can Save Right Whales" "title_plain" => "How Tech Can Save Right Whales" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-03-11 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/how-tech-can-save-right-whales/" ] 14 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Every year, boat strikes injure and kill tens of thousands of manatees. In this episode, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Peter Gros explore the challenges these gentle mammals face in the wild and the ongoing efforts to protect them. Guest expert Dr. Claire Erlacher-Reid, senior staff veterinarian at SeaWorld Rescue, who specializes in marine mammal rehabilitation and rescue, discusses the threats manatees face, the critical work being done to help them and the wonderful experience of rehabilitating and releasing these magnificent animals back into the wild.\n Bonus track: Learn how a group of real-life mermaids are helping educate the public about the benefits of shark and ray conservation.\n Watch this episode of <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/gentle-giants/9000414725" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, “Gentle Giants,” on NBC.com</a>, the NBC app or Peacock.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-03-04 08:00:21" "excerpt" => "Every year, boat strikes injure and kill tens of thousands of manatees. In this episode, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Peter Gros explore the challenges these gentle mammals face in the wild and the ongoing efforts to protect them. Guest expert Dr. Claire Erlacher-Reid, senior staff veterinarian at SeaWorld Rescue, who specializes in marine mammal rehabilitation […]\n" "id" => 3912 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:30:49" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "202" "slug" => "a-manatees-journey-from-rescue-to-release" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "A Manatee’s Journey From Rescue to Release" "title_plain" => "A Manatee’s Journey From Rescue to Release" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-03-04 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/a-manatees-journey-from-rescue-to-release/" ] 15 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/wild-kingdoms-storied-history-of-harpy-eagles" rel="noopener">The harpy eagle</a>, once feared in Panama for its massive size and powerful talons, has now soared to national hero status. Today, it’s celebrated as the country’s national bird. Wildlife expert Ron Magill chats about these incredible birds, how he helped bring the harpy eagle into the spotlight in Panama, and how original Wild Kingdom host Jim Fowler’s influence inspired him to become a zookeeper, shaping his lifelong dedication to wildlife conservation.\n Bonus track: Mary Ann Colley from Butterfly Pavilion talks about pollinators and the importance of invertebrate conservation. \n Watch this episode of <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, “The Most Powerful Predator in the Sky,” on NBC.com</a>, the NBC app or Peacock.\n  \n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 2" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-02-25 09:40:54" "excerpt" => "The harpy eagle, once feared in Panama for its massive size and powerful talons, has now soared to national hero status. Today, it’s celebrated as the country’s national bird. Wildlife expert Ron Magill chats about these incredible birds, how he helped bring the harpy eagle into the spotlight in Panama, and how original Wild Kingdom […]\n" "id" => 3902 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:50:23" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "201" "slug" => "how-the-harpy-eagle-united-a-nation" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "How the Harpy Eagle United a Nation" "title_plain" => "How the Harpy Eagle United a Nation" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-02-25 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/how-the-harpy-eagle-united-a-nation/" ] 16 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:1 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Dan Bailey, a bear biologist and conservationist, about his vital work on black bear monitoring and den research. Learn about the major threats they face from human activities and illegal hunting and how we can coexist with these remarkable creatures\n Watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild on NBC’s The More You Know programming block and <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild">NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-10-01 07:13:01" "excerpt" => "Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Dan Bailey, a bear biologist and conservationist, about his vital work on black bear monitoring and den research. Learn about the major threats they face from human activities and illegal hunting and how we can coexist with these remarkable creatures Watch Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild […]\n" "id" => 3599 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:26:27" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "112" "slug" => "our-black-bear-neighbors" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Our Black Bear Neighbors" "title_plain" => "Our Black Bear Neighbors" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-10-01 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/our-black-bear-neighbors/" ] 17 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Over a hundred years ago, sea otters were hunted to near extinction for their fur. Peter and Dr. Rae chat with Megan Smylie, sea otter program manager at the Aquarium of the Pacific, about the incredible efforts to restore their population. Learn about the inspiring sea otter surrogacy program, where surrogate mothers Millie and Chloe nurture and train orphaned sea otter pups, teaching them essential survival skills before returning to the wild.\n See sea otters in action, including adorable sea otter pups, on the Season One episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild, <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/secret-life-of-sea-otters/9000363901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Secret Life of Sea Otters.”</a>\n """ "custom_fields" => array:32 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-09-24 07:47:32" "excerpt" => "Over a hundred years ago, sea otters were hunted to near extinction for their fur. Peter and Dr. Rae chat with Megan Smylie, sea otter program manager at the Aquarium of the Pacific, about the incredible efforts to restore their population. Learn about the inspiring sea otter surrogacy program, where surrogate mothers Millie and Chloe […]\n" "id" => 3585 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:23:24" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "111" "slug" => "sea-otter-surrogates" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Sea Otter Surrogates" "title_plain" => "Sea Otter Surrogates" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-09-24 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/sea-otter-surrogates/" ] 18 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/wolves-and-the-endangered-species-act">Wolves play a crucial role as keystone species,</a>, essential for maintaining the health and balance of ecosystems. In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae chat with Regina Mossotti, Vice President of Animal Care at the Saint Louis Zoo, who discusses her deep commitment to wolf advocacy and dispels common myths about “big, bad wolves.”\n Watch the full episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/into-the-wolf-den/9000363899" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Into the Wolf Den”</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:32 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "custom_related_post_list" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-09-17 07:53:10" "excerpt" => "Wolves play a crucial role as keystone species,, essential for maintaining the health and balance of ecosystems. In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae chat with Regina Mossotti, Vice President of Animal Care at the Saint Louis Zoo, who discusses her deep commitment to wolf advocacy and dispels common myths about “big, bad wolves.” Watch […]\n" "id" => 3532 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:21:49" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "110" "slug" => "big-good-wolves" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Big Good Wolves" "title_plain" => "Big Good Wolves" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-09-17 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/big-good-wolves/" ] 19 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Zoos play a crucial role in wildlife survival, acting as research hubs and connecting people to the wonders of nature. In this episode, Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation. Ihrig-Bueckendorf shares her work with hellbender salamander — a species that’s been on the endangered species list since 2003 — highlighting the efforts to save these unique creatures.\n Learn <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/hellbender-conservation-success">more about the hellbender from the Saint Louis Zoo</a>, plus watch the full episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/raising-hellbenders/9000363892" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Raising Hellbenders”</a>.\n  \n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-09-10 08:00:13" "excerpt" => "Zoos play a crucial role in wildlife survival, acting as research hubs and connecting people to the wonders of nature. In this episode, Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation. Ihrig-Bueckendorf shares her work with hellbender […]\n" "id" => 3517 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:19:36" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "109" "slug" => "a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" "title_plain" => "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-09-10 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper/" ] 2 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:4 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] 2 => array:9 [ …9] 3 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Kristy" "id" => 1902 "last_name" => "Jaixen Krupa" "name" => "req76576" "nickname" => "Kristy" "slug" => "req76576" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is joined by Kirstin Hill of Smithsonian Bird Friendly to explore a hopeful solution taking root in an unexpected place — coffee farms. Discover how shade-grown coffee is creating vital habitat, helping bird populations rebound and restoring one of nature’s most iconic soundtracks.\n <h2>Explore Bird Stories</h2>\n Discover more bird facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about North American songbirds, birds of prey and more.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/your-guide-to-north-american-songbirds">Your Guide to North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-organizations-protect-north-american-songbirds">How Organizations Protect North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/10-tips-for-backyard-birding">10 Tips For Backyard Birding</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/birds-of-a-feather">Birds of a Feather Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/birds-the-word-discover-birds-of-prey">Discover Birds of Prey</a>\n <h2>The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow</h2>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XTZNYwmfocE?si" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="coffee-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#coffee-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">(lighthearted music) \n – Our Migratory Bird Center was founded in the 1990s, \n but the work for migratory bird conservation \n kind of started long before that. \n And in the 1980s, the person who then went on \n to kind of be the founder of the Migratory Bird Center, \n Dr. Russell Greenberg, he was noticing a decline \n in migratory songbird populations in North America. \n So if you think about, you know, 40 years ago, \n we’re in the ’80s and he’s noticing \n and trying to figure out sort of like, \n “Where are these birds going? \n I know they’re here in North America during part of the year \n and then they disappear and then sometimes they come back \n and sometimes they don’t.” \n And we’re starting to see fewer and fewer of these birds. \n So he kind of said, “All right, I’m going to try \n to figure out where it is that these birds are going.” \n He went down to Mexico to conduct a bit of research there \n and to try to see if he could find those same birds \n and figure out where it was that they were going \n when they left our areas in North America here. \n What he kind of found while he was down there \n was that there were lots and lots of birds \n in undisturbed forest. \n And he’s looking around, he’s trying to figure out, \n okay, what are the types of habitat that they’re utilizing? \n He was on one area of a valley and heard a lot of bird calls \n and things like that happening. \n And he looked over and it looked like an area \n that appeared to be sort of like an undisturbed forest. \n Went over to check it out, \n and what he realized is that it was a coffee farm. \n So there was coffee growing in the understory \n and then lots of native trees providing high shade \n for birds, really high-quality habitats \n and lots of this, you know, this area \n that effectively looked like a forest \n but was actually a coffee farm. \n And he said, “Hmm, this seems like this could be \n a really important habitat measure for migratory birds \n and providing a healthy over wintering habitat for them.” \n And so that kind of led to just this concept \n that coffee could be grown in a way that was friendly \n to birds and biodiversity. \n And that sort of went on to become \n the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification program. \n – I mean, this is just such a serendipitous story, right? \n And I think probably the biggest shock to Dr. Greenberg \n was thinking he’s looking at what we’re saying, \n like pristine, untouched, you know, old growth forest, \n going in and actually seeing like, “Oh, this is a farm.” \n (chuckles) Who knew a farm could look like this? \n Because certainly in North America, we, \n at that time, didn’t have those examples. \n Many of us in the West are quite detached \n from the things we consume. \n Can you help me understand what does coffee look like? \n Like it’s apparently not a tree. (chuckles) \n How does coffee grow \n and how can that fit into a forest ecosystem? \n – So coffee is kind of like a shrub. \n When it’s ripe, it’s these nice, beautiful \n bright red cherries that kind of grow out \n on the coffee shrub itself. \n And the shrubs, they can get to be quite tall. \n And so they can grow in the understory. \n So coffee is a unique crop in that it is perfectly happy \n to grow under the shade of trees. \n And that’s actually how it was originally grown. \n And it was only actually up until the 1970s that coffee, \n most coffee was grown that way. \n And then around the ’70s, that’s when we saw the conversion \n of a lot of coffee farm from this agroforestry \n where there’s the agriculture kind of in the understory \n of the forest above to the removal of a lot of the trees \n and a lot of the, kind of the native plants \n and things like that that are in there \n to grow coffee in the sun instead. \n And there are a number of different reasons \n why that change kind of happened. \n There’s rising number of people who were drinking coffee \n and the governments are kind of saying, \n “Hey, we want to make sure that we can keep up \n with this demand.” \n And there was this idea that if you eliminated \n some of the shade trees, that you could, in theory, \n grow more coffee in that way, \n that the cherries would ripen faster \n and that that would be a higher yield \n for the producers there. \n There ended up being a big conversion of the way \n that coffee was grown from the agroforests, \n how it originally grew, into just this \n kind of clear cut monoculture where the coffee \n is just kind of baking in the sun \n and you’re just seeing rows and rows of crops \n and very little space for birds and biodiversity \n to coexist in that way. \n – So we have a scientist who traveled down with the team \n and discovered, okay, there is habitat fragmentation \n and habitat loss, but it looks like there’s also solutions \n at the same time. \n And then what stemmed from there? \n – What we ended up kind of seeing was, you know, \n when Dr. Greenberg came back and was trying to figure out, \n you know, what do we do with this information \n that we now have. \n So I now, you know, we have made this association \n that the agroforests can provide really high-quality habitat \n for birds and biodiversity. \n The question then became, how do we incentivize producers \n to grow their coffee in this way? \n So for those remaining folks that have kept \n this high-quality habitat on their land, \n how can we make it so that they feel \n there’s a reason for them to continue growing coffee \n in this way, how do we incentivize that? \n – And let me interrupt you here just for me to get a sense. \n Like tell me a little bit about the economics of this. \n Is it somehow like cheaper \n to do the monoculture where it’s just coffee? \n Is it somehow more expensive for landowners \n to continue with the polyculture? \n Like why would someone choose one over the other? \n – So for each individual farmer that can be a, \n or a landowner or producer, \n there’s different motivating factors, \n and it kind of boils down to how you want \n to sell your coffee. \n So there’s coffee that can be sold as specialty grade \n and that’s when we think about, \n you know, high quality, high-end specialty coffees \n versus your commodity coffee, which I kind of refer to \n as like your gas station coffee where it’s just like a mix \n of a bunch of beans and we’re not really sure \n where it’s coming from and maybe the qualities \n is a bit lower. \n So there’s a lot of different factors that can go into \n how a producer can sell their coffee \n and how much money they can get for it. \n So that was kind of what led to the creation \n of the Bird Friendly program was trying to find a way \n to provide this incentive for producers \n that they could get more money for their coffee. \n And Smithsonian will prove, we will vouch for them that, \n yes, this coffee is grown in a way \n that’s really good for birds. \n (uplifting music)</div>\n </div>\n </div>\n <h6></h6>\n From window decals to your morning coffee order, there are more ways to help migratory songbirds than you might think. In this episodette, Kirstin Hill walks through seven simple actions anyone can take — safer windows, keeping cats indoors, native plants, pesticide-free yards, less plastic, bird-friendly coffee and simply paying attention. Plus, she gives an update on how far the movement has come: over 110 coffee roasters and more than 4,000 producers now protect habitat worldwide. Watch the full episode for the complete story behind the movement. \n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="coffee-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gxpIYlGxbBI?si=H8kVlDWiggxzYqnx" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n  \n <h3>About Kirstin Hill</h3>\n Kirstin Hill has spent more than 15 years in wildlife conservation, teaching people why wild animals and their habitats are worth protecting. Today she’s the Smithsonian Institution’s Bird Friendly Program Manager, leading an innovative effort to preserve habitat and protect songbirds. Through forest-friendly farming practices, Bird Friendly farms grow coffee and cocoa in ways that keep their surrounding ecosystems healthy.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "current_airdate" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "formatted_current_airdate" => "August 13" "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 3" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2025-07-01 13:28:59" "excerpt" => "Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild […]\n" "id" => 4943 "modified" => "2026-08-10 17:54:12" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "302" "slug" => "how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] 1 => array:5 [ …5] 2 => array:5 [ …5] 3 => array:5 [ …5] 4 => array:5 [ …5] 5 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "title_plain" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back/" ] 20 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ For three months during nesting season, researchers relocate to Eastern Egg Rock Island to monitor and protect puffins. Peter and Dr. Rae sit down with Emma Lachance Linklater, a biologist who spent months living among the puffins on the remote island. Lachance Linklater shares her unforgettable experiences studying these precious seabirds and highlights the hard work and determination of field biologists committed to protecting and preserving wildlife.\n Watch the Protecting the Wild episode <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/puffin-island/9000363889" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Puffin Island”</a>.\n Want to see where it all began? Marlin Perkins visited the same island in the classic Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom episode, <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/classic-episodes/return-of-the-puffin">“Return of the Puffin.”</a>\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-09-03 07:22:19" "excerpt" => "For three months during nesting season, researchers relocate to Eastern Egg Rock Island to monitor and protect puffins. Peter and Dr. Rae sit down with Emma Lachance Linklater, a biologist who spent months living among the puffins on the remote island. Lachance Linklater shares her unforgettable experiences studying these precious seabirds and highlights the hard […]\n" "id" => 3472 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:17:49" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "108" "slug" => "the-fight-to-save-our-puffins" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "The Fight to Save Our Puffins" "title_plain" => "The Fight to Save Our Puffins" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-09-03 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-fight-to-save-our-puffins/" ] 21 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Dr. Rae and Peter explore the challenges beavers face from habitat loss and human conflict with wildlife biologist, Molly Alves. Learn about the Tulalip Beaver Project and their efforts in relocating beavers from nuisance areas to places where their natural building skills create thriving, biodiverse ecosystems. Discover the incredible impact of these industrious creatures and the efforts to protect them.\n Learn more about <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/beaver-conservation-in-the-pacific-northwest">beaver conservation in the Pacific Northwest</a>, plus hear from the <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-the-tulalip-and-yurok-tribes-protect-wildlife">Tulalip and Yurok Tribes on how they’re making a meaningful impact on protecting beavers and condors</a>.\n Watch the Protecting the Wild episode <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/eager-beavers/9000363894" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Eager Beavers”</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-08-27 07:41:34" "excerpt" => "Dr. Rae and Peter explore the challenges beavers face from habitat loss and human conflict with wildlife biologist, Molly Alves. Learn about the Tulalip Beaver Project and their efforts in relocating beavers from nuisance areas to places where their natural building skills create thriving, biodiverse ecosystems. Discover the incredible impact of these industrious creatures and […]\n" "id" => 3454 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:16:07" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "107" "slug" => "our-ecosystem-engineers" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Our Ecosystem Engineers" "title_plain" => "Our Ecosystem Engineers" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-08-27 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/our-ecosystem-engineers/" ] 22 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Just over a decade ago, the native foxes of California’s Channel Islands were on the brink of extinction. In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae are joined by Nadya Seal Faith, a conservation biologist from the Santa Barbara Zoo. They discuss her incredible work on the islands conserving these species and the pivotal role bald eagles played in restoring the ecosystem’s balance.\n Learn more about the Channel Island fox in <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/about-the-channel-island-fox">this informative (and cute) piece from our friends at the Santa Barbara Zoo</a>. Plus, did you know the Channel Island fox was <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/endangered-species-act">one of the first species to be listed as endangered since the Endangered Species Act</a> was signed into place?\n Watch the Protecting the Wild episode <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/the-lost-fox-of-the-channel-islands/9000363893" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Lost Fox of the Channel Islands”</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-08-20 08:44:08" "excerpt" => "Just over a decade ago, the native foxes of California’s Channel Islands were on the brink of extinction. In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae are joined by Nadya Seal Faith, a conservation biologist from the Santa Barbara Zoo. They discuss her incredible work on the islands conserving these species and the pivotal role bald […]\n" "id" => 3436 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:14:08" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "106" "slug" => "a-fox-success-story" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "A Fox Success Story" "title_plain" => "A Fox Success Story" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-08-20 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/a-fox-success-story/" ] 23 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:1 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Across the United States, bats are under siege, facing numerous threats that endanger their populations. In this episode, Co-Hosts Dr. Rae and Peter are joined by Dr. Nate Fuller, a bat ecologist, to discuss the critical need to save these misunderstood creatures and what we can do to educate others about their importance to the environment.\n You can learn <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/experiencing-bat-conservation">more about bats from Bat Conservation International from this article</a>. Plus, learn about a <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/all-about-bats-with-mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom">bat’s role in nature and about some common misconceptions from Peter</a>.\n Watch the Protecting the Wild episode <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/the-bats-of-texas/9000363891" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“The Bats of Texas”</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-08-13 08:00:34" "excerpt" => "Across the United States, bats are under siege, facing numerous threats that endanger their populations. In this episode, Co-Hosts Dr. Rae and Peter are joined by Dr. Nate Fuller, a bat ecologist, to discuss the critical need to save these misunderstood creatures and what we can do to educate others about their importance to the […]\n" "id" => 3408 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:11:23" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "105" "slug" => "bats" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Bats!" "title_plain" => "Bats!" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-08-13 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/bats/" ] 24 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] 2 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Over the past 50 years, climate change, poor water quality and overfishing have devastated up to 60% of our kelp forest. Join Co-Hosts Peter and Dr. Rae as they uncover the vital importance of kelp forests with special guest Dr. Jennifer Adler, a renowned conservation photographer and underwater photojournalist. She shares her incredible experiences capturing the beauty and mystery of deep-water ecosystems and underwater sea caves.\n Watch the <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/the-forest-beneath-the-sea/9000363896" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Protecting the Wild episode that features kelp and Dr. Jennifer Adler, “The Forest Beneath the Sea”.</a>\n Plus, did you know sea otters are critical in helping save the sea kelp population? <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/secret-life-of-sea-otters/9000363901" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Learn more about sea otters on another episode.</a>\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-08-06 07:50:46" "excerpt" => "Over the past 50 years, climate change, poor water quality and overfishing have devastated up to 60% of our kelp forest. Join Co-Hosts Peter and Dr. Rae as they uncover the vital importance of kelp forests with special guest Dr. Jennifer Adler, a renowned conservation photographer and underwater photojournalist. She shares her incredible experiences capturing […]\n" "id" => 3391 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:08:44" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "104" "slug" => "kelp-forest-photoshoot" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Kelp Forest Photoshoot" "title_plain" => "Kelp Forest Photoshoot" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-08-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/kelp-forest-photoshoot/" ] 25 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] 2 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ In this episode, we go on a journey through time and conservation with Peter and Dr. Rae as they talk with Jeff Ewelt, executive director of ZooMontana, about the remarkable resurgence of the black-footed ferret, believed extinct until 1981. They discuss special moments on the show like meeting the ferret clone Elizabeth Ann and releasing endangered ferrets into the wild at Hogg Ranch.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/return-of-the-black-footed-ferret">Read more about conservation efforts for the black-footed ferret here</a>. Plus, do you know the <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/celebrating-national-ferret-day">differences between a black-footed ferret and a domestic ferret</a>?\n You can see Peter, Dr. Rae and Jeff in action with black-footed ferrets and the people working to save them on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild<a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/conservation-comeback/9000363908" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> “Conservation Comeback” .</a>\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-07-30 07:30:59" "excerpt" => "In this episode, we go on a journey through time and conservation with Peter and Dr. Rae as they talk with Jeff Ewelt, executive director of ZooMontana, about the remarkable resurgence of the black-footed ferret, believed extinct until 1981. They discuss special moments on the show like meeting the ferret clone Elizabeth Ann and releasing […]\n" "id" => 3364 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:52:46" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "103" "slug" => "clones" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Clones" "title_plain" => "Clones" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-07-30 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/clones/" ] 26 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] 2 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Have you heard the remarkable story of the mountain lion that roamed the Hollywood hills? In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae sit down with Beth Pratt, wildlife advocate and author to discuss the enduring legacy of P-22, the iconic mountain lion who called Griffith Park in Los Angeles home. Together, they’ll touch on the pressing issue of habitat loss — one of the greatest threats to wildlife — and explore innovative solutions for coexisting with wildlife in our urban landscapes.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/what-p-22-taught-us-about-urban-wildlife">Learn more about P-22 and what he taught us in this article.</a>\n Beth and P-22 were featured on an episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild<a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/urban-wildlife/9000363902" target="_blank" rel="noopener"> “Urban Wildlife”</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-07-23 08:05:04" "excerpt" => "Have you heard the remarkable story of the mountain lion that roamed the Hollywood hills? In this episode, Peter and Dr. Rae sit down with Beth Pratt, wildlife advocate and author to discuss the enduring legacy of P-22, the iconic mountain lion who called Griffith Park in Los Angeles home. Together, they’ll touch on the […]\n" "id" => 3339 "modified" => "2026-07-08 19:59:01" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "102" "slug" => "the-most-famous-cougar-in-the-world" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "The Most Famous Cougar in the World" "title_plain" => "The Most Famous Cougar in the World" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-07-23 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-most-famous-cougar-in-the-world/" ] 27 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "" "id" => 4532 "last_name" => "" "name" => "req100870" "nickname" => "Katelyn" "slug" => "req100870" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Dive into the depths of Southern California’s waters with Peter and Dr. Rae as they chat with Carlos Gauna, an expert drone operator and shark photographer, where he discusses how his videos can impact our understanding of misrepresented animals like sharks. Carlos recounts thrilling tales from his time on the show — including a heart-pounding moment when the hope of spotting a shark seemed completely lost.\n Interested in more on sharks? <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/mysteries-of-the-great-white/9000363906" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild episode, “Mysteries of the Great White”.</a>\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "description" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "featured_image_url_small" => array:1 [ …1] "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImage" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaImageAlt" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ …1] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ …1] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ …1] "runtime" => array:1 [ …1] "season" => array:1 [ …1] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ …24] "transcript" => array:1 [ …1] "updated_date" => array:1 [ …1] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ …1] ] "date" => "2024-07-16 07:31:58" "excerpt" => "Dive into the depths of Southern California’s waters with Peter and Dr. Rae as they chat with Carlos Gauna, an expert drone operator and shark photographer, where he discusses how his videos can impact our understanding of misrepresented animals like sharks. Carlos recounts thrilling tales from his time on the show — including a heart-pounding […]\n" "id" => 3331 "modified" => "2026-07-08 19:56:18" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "101" "slug" => "sharks" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ …5] ] "title" => "Sharks!" "title_plain" => "Sharks!" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-07-16 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/sharks/" ] 3 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ 0 => array:9 [ …9] 1 => array:9 [ …9] 2 => array:9 [ …9] ] "author" => array:8 [ "description" => "" "first_name" => "Taylor" "id" => 3446 "last_name" => "Scott-Rohrer" "name" => "req91258" "nickname" => "Taylor" "slug" => "req91258" "url" => "" ] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. \n In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin to unpack green sea turtle’s incredible comeback. After over 30 years of working with sea turtles around the world, Jeff has watched a critically endangered species he once feared we’d lose become, against all odds, an environmental conservation success. It’s a surprising story — told by one of television’s most passionate conservationists. \n <h3>Explore Sea Turtle Stories </h3>\n Discover more sea turtle facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about turtle conservation, rescue and rehabilitation. \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/sea-turtle-stranding-brings-organizations-together-for-rescue">Sea Turtle Stranding Brings Organizations Together for Rescue</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/manatee-and-sea-turtle-conservation">Manatee and Sea Turtle Conservation</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reef-revival">Reef Revival Episode</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/celebrating-world-sea-turtle-day">Celebrating World Sea Turtle Day</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/why-do-some-species-migrate">Why Do Some Species Migrate?</a> \n <h3>The Green Sea Turtle’s Hidden Life Cycle</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Green Sea Turtles's Hidden Life Cycle" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0zRghzwDh0w" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="turtle-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#turtle-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">\n [Rae] Walk me through that life cycle from where it’s born.\n [Jeff] Yeah, so when the sea turtle, when the mom, she comes out and she excavates that nest out to deposit her eggs and she may during that season, she’ll do multiple nests. She’ll do like a decoy nest to do kind of sloppy that kind of fool the animals.\n Oh, clever.\n The idea is you do multiple nests so your entire clutch isn’t lost. And then, you know, she’s laying between 30 and 70 eggs.\n [Rae] Okay.\n Little bigger than a ping pong ball. And then she goes back to sea. When she comes out to nest, she is nesting on the very beach where she was born.\n Amazing.\n Where her life began. And she is the only time a sea turtle, for the most part, with few places like Hawaii will have this phenomenon of sea turtles that actually will sleep in the beach, most sea turtles become plagic. A sea turtle born that hatches out on Florida may find its way, we’ve tracked them to the coast of Africa.\n [Rae] Oh my gosh.\n [Jeff] Sea turtles from Africa have shown up beating in the horn of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.\n [Interviewer] Incredible.\n So they are incredibly adaptive of using the ocean’s currents to go from A to B or go from the new world to the old world.\n And we can find them in all of the oceans essentially, right?\n We even have some sea turtles that go into the Arctic.\n What?\n Think of sea turtles as being cold blooded and not being warm blooded, being endothermic, but they are the only turtle that is megathermic because they are so big they are like their own, they’re a closed loop energy system. So the nest is laid there and she will go back to sea and only the females will come out. Males will spend their whole lives in the ocean.\n At sea, isn’t that something?\n And when they hatch out, you know, if they’re lucky enough, if they’re that one in 10,000 that survive the flood, that survive that high tide, that survive the coyotes of the raccoons, that survive the ghost crabs and all the fish that will eat them, then they’ll come back 20 years later. It will take two decades for that mom to come to the beach, excavate that nest out and bring that next generation in. So that’s kind of how the cycle works.\n The recovery of the green sea turtle didn’t happen by accident, it happened because people decided it would. But the threats that nearly wiped them out haven’t disappeared and some new ones have arrived.\n So green sea turtles were listed on the endangered species list. And that made a big difference at least in the US and in North America in their protection. And you know, and I think it also made a difference worldwide.\n It did because they were protected internationally. The IUCN and other groups and there was a tremendous-. There’s still places where people eat green turtles and other sea turtles. The green turtle is the one that’s actually eaten the most. People don’t eat leatherbacks.\n And they’re eating this green meat.\n Yeah.\n I can’t get over that.\n That’s what they say is, I’ve been to places where I’ve seen it being cooked in the streets of Indonesia and other places. But that was the most hunted sea turtle. They would hunt them for their eggs. And sometimes they would just literally get them all on board, cut them open, remove the eggs. And you look at those old National Geographic photos and you don’t really see that anymore. But they still face future challenges. One is a warming world.\n Yeah.\n And how do we combat that? And the other are plastics.\n Okay, talk to me about plastics in the ocean.\n Yeah, we dump 10 billion pounds of plastics every year into our oceans. And you can see that as blue as a beautiful bluebird morning in New England. I’ve been to the Trash Pacific Gyre and I’ve seen that and where you see something that looks like an island that is hundreds of miles in size of this gyro of trash that has all come together. And there are places where beautiful, Bali for example, you go there and they have to every day, because people have spent all this money to be a tourist in beautiful Bali, they have to come in with excavators and front end loaders every morning just to clean the trash off the beach. And that is a preventable thing. It is something we could mitigate. So that’s the good news. If we decided, we could eliminate almost all of the plastic trash that goes into our oceans, there’s a way we could manage that. But it’s been documented that one like big landscape plastic bag, you know, those plastic bags that’s really tough, can kill five individual sea turtles\n [Rae] Just one.\n Before it’s broken up enough into little pieces that it could pass through. And I have been to so many sea turtle hospitals where that is it. So you have them eating plastics, and then off Florida boat strikes, big problem. And then they have diseases that may be the result of climate change, may be the result of pollution. It’s a papilloma type virus where they get these tumors and they’ll often get them in and they’ll remove the tumors and stuff. So they have challenges. But overall, I don’t like to look at things as good news or success, I would say it’s a promising story.\n Okay.\n It’s a hopeful story. We are at a place of uncertainty and hope with green sea turtles and all the other sea turtles that we have out there. But I would argue we are there where we have this out of sight, out of mind, oh, we fixed it.\n Sure.\n We live in a world now where, whether you like it or not, in the last century, humankind has consumed 70 to 80% of all our planet’s nature. We, whether we like it or not, have been given this responsibility to be our planet stewards. And that is something that will always require vigilancy. (soft music)\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n A sea turtle hatchling has a one-in-10,000 shot at survival. And if it beats those odds, it won’t return to nest for another two decades. In this episodette, Jeff Corwin walks Dr. Rae through the green sea turtle’s remarkable life cycle, from decoy nests to transoceanic migration. Then he turns to the threats still facing the species today: 10 billion pounds of plastic dumped into the ocean every year, boat strikes, disease and a planet where humankind has consumed 70%–80% of nature in the last century. It’s not a fixed problem — it’s an ongoing one. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="turtle-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4EGtKCuOJrc" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Jeff Corwin </h4>\n Jeff Corwin is a wildlife biologist, conservationist and an Emmy Award–winning producer and host of more than a dozen television series that have been broadcast in more than 100 countries. His shows are featured on networks including Discovery, Animal Planet, Disney, the Food Network, NBC, CNN and Travel Channel. Corwin holds Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and anthropology from Bridgewater State College and a Master of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He’s the founder of the EcoZone, an interactive museum in Norwell, Massachusetts. When not in the field, Corwin resides with his wife and two daughters on a small island off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts. \n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ …1] "current_airdate" => array:1 [ …1] "customize_related_posts" => array:1 [ …1] "episode" => array:1 [ …1] "feature_post_indicator" => array:1 [ …1] "featured_image" => array:24 [ …24] "formatted_current_airdate" => "July 30" "hero_description" => array:1 [ …1] "is_available" => true "listening_platform" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_amazon" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_apple" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_audacy" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_spotify" => array:1 [ …1] "listening_platform_youtube" => array:1 [ …1] "meta_keywords" => array:1 [ …1] "openGraphMetaDescription" => array:1 [ …1] …14 ] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:11:49" "excerpt" => "In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin […]\n" "id" => 4912 "modified" => "2026-08-20 12:08:04" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "301" "slug" => "the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "title_plain" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-07-23 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback/" ] 4 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:26 [ …26] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments of up-close encounters with belugas while kayaking in the frigid waters near Churchill, Manitoba.\n Bonus track: Sunny Nelson from Lincoln Park Zoo shares her journey researching the beautiful, and nearly extinct, Bali Myna, a rare bird found only in Bali, Indonesia.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/canaries-of-the-sea/9000414730" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Canaries of the Sea” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2025-05-13 10:55:28" "excerpt" => "Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments […]\n" "id" => 4142 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:47:57" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "212" "slug" => "the-sounds-of-beluga-whales" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "title_plain" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-13 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-sounds-of-beluga-whales/" ] 5 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure the future of this incredible species. She discusses the many challenges they face, from rising temperatures disrupting their breeding and growth to surviving in extreme freezing conditions and how the zoo’s breeding program is essential for the survival of this species.\n Bonus track: Jennica King at Sedgwick County Zoo shares how the zoo’s efforts gave two orphaned bears a second chance — not just to survive, but to thrive.\n <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/on-thin-ice/9000414720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch “On Thin Ice” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-05-06 09:32:46" "excerpt" => "As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure […]\n" "id" => 4113 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:46:46" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "211" "slug" => "the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "title_plain" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears/" ] 6 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of bison — from their near extinction due to westward expansion to their return to the plains. We also learn why bison rewilding is essential to restoring biodiversity and ensuring the prairie thrives for generations to come.\n Bonus track: Jen Osburn Eliot at Oregon Zoo shares how it’s helping Northwestern pond turtles grow strong in a program that raises and releases them back into the wild.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/rewilding-the-american-prairie/9000414728" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Rewilding the American Prairie” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-29 16:36:14" "excerpt" => "Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of […]\n" "id" => 4098 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:44:32" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "210" "slug" => "restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "title_plain" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-29 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie/" ] 7 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ The Bahamas stands as the only nation in the world to establish a shark sanctuary encompassing its entire marine environment. In this episode, we speak with Bahamian biologist and passionate shark advocate, Candace Fields, on why sharks are the true guardians of our oceans, highlighting their essential role in maintaining the vibrant underwater landscapes of coral reefs. She discusses how we can change the common misconceptions about sharks in the media, helping people learn to admire, not fear, these ocean superheroes.\n Bonus track: Dr. Rory Telemeco of the Fresno Chaffee Zoo shares how collaborative conservation efforts are restoring the Blunt-nosed leopard lizard to the landscape to preserve this nearly extinct species.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/a-world-without-sharks/9000414722" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“A World Without Sharks”</a> on NBC.com.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-22 09:00:05" "excerpt" => "The Bahamas stands as the only nation in the world to establish a shark sanctuary encompassing its entire marine environment. In this episode, we speak with Bahamian biologist and passionate shark advocate, Candace Fields, on why sharks are the true guardians of our oceans, highlighting their essential role in maintaining the vibrant underwater landscapes of […]\n" "id" => 4072 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:41:27" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "209" "slug" => "sharks-guardians-of-our-oceans" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "Sharks: Guardians of Our Oceans" "title_plain" => "Sharks: Guardians of Our Oceans" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-22 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/sharks-guardians-of-our-oceans/" ] 8 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ For seven years, North American zoos saw no coati births, leaving their population shrouded in uncertainty. But at Brevard Zoo in Florida, a groundbreaking milestone changed everything — welcoming the first coati litter in nearly a decade. Lauren Hinson, director of animal programs and coati studbook keeper, takes us behind the scenes of this incredible journey. From the challenges of understanding this species to the joy of seeing new life thrive, she reveals what it took to make this conservation success story a reality, and why it matters now more than ever.\n Bonus track: Lisa Faust of Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo introduces us to the critically endangered Puerto Rican parrot, a remarkable bird that is on the brink of a comeback!\n <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/coati-comeback/9000414711" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch “Coati Comeback” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-15 09:00:33" "excerpt" => "For seven years, North American zoos saw no coati births, leaving their population shrouded in uncertainty. But at Brevard Zoo in Florida, a groundbreaking milestone changed everything — welcoming the first coati litter in nearly a decade. Lauren Hinson, director of animal programs and coati studbook keeper, takes us behind the scenes of this incredible […]\n" "id" => 4056 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:39:17" "screenreader_text" => null "seasonEpisodeShort" => "208" "slug" => "the-coati-comeback-brevard-zoos-breeding-success" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Coati Comeback: Brevard Zoo’s Breeding Success" "title_plain" => "The Coati Comeback: Brevard Zoo’s Breeding Success" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-15 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-coati-comeback-brevard-zoos-breeding-success/" ] 9 => array:22 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Whale sharks face a constant threat from hunting, with thousands killed each year for their fins. In this episode, Kelly Link, a biologist at the Georgia Aquarium, recounts her up close and personal adventures with these filter feeders, including an incredible 33-hour-mission to bring two whale sharks to safety in Atlanta. She dives into the urgent need for whale shark conservation as their global population continues to decline and many of their behaviors in the wild remain a mystery.\n Bonus track: From bears to frogs, countless animals are at risk due to habitat loss. Learn how Darren Minier and Isabella Linares of the Oakland Zoo are stepping up to rescue and protect wildlife in need.\n <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/the-biggest-fish-on-earth/9000414718" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch “The Biggest Fish on Earth” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-08 08:30:21" "excerpt" => "Whale sharks face a constant threat from hunting, with thousands killed each year for their fins. In this episode, Kelly Link, a biologist at the Georgia Aquarium, recounts her up close and personal adventures with these filter feeders, including an incredible 33-hour-mission to bring two whale sharks to safety in Atlanta. 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=> """ Zoos play a crucial role in wildlife survival, acting as research hubs and connecting people to the wonders of nature. In this episode, Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation. Ihrig-Bueckendorf shares her work with hellbender salamander — a species that’s been on the endangered species list since 2003 — highlighting the efforts to save these unique creatures.\n Learn <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/hellbender-conservation-success">more about the hellbender from the Saint Louis Zoo</a>, plus watch the full episode of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/raising-hellbenders/9000363892" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Raising Hellbenders”</a>.\n  \n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ "card_description" => array:1 [ 0 => "Why do zoos matter? 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Hellbenders have long bodies, a round nose and face with two very small eyes on the sides of its head. It looks like a river rock in color, which is how it hides from prey. Next to the hellbender image is the name of the podcast "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom The Podcast", the title of the episode "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" and the guest name, with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf."" ] "openGraphMetaTitle" => array:1 [ 0 => "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper | Wild Kingdom The Podcast" ] "openGraphMetaTwitterImage" => array:1 [ 0 => "summary" ] "open_graph_meta_video_url" => array:1 [ 0 => "https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/the-podcast/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper" ] "podcast_summary" => array:1 [ 0 => "As an endangered species, hellbender salamanders need the work of zoos more than ever. Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, explains how zookeepers are critical to animal rehabilitation and species preservation both in the zoo and the wild." ] "podcast_url" => array:1 [ 0 => "https://www.youtube.com/embed/StIriQaGKKQ" ] "runtime" => array:1 [ 0 => "25 minutes" ] "season" => array:1 [ 0 => "season1" ] "season_name" => "Season 1" "thumbnail_image" => array:24 [ "ID" => 4890 "alt" => "A stylized image of a lizard" "author" => "3446" "caption" => "" "date" => "2026-07-08 02:38:59" "description" => "A stylized image of a lizard" "filename" => "wkpod_hellbender.jpg" "filesize" => 22501 "height" => 300 "icon" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/wp-includes/images/media/default.png" "id" => 4890 "link" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-sounds-of-beluga-whales/wkpod_hellbender/" "menu_order" => 0 "mime_type" => "image/jpeg" "modified" => "2026-07-08 02:59:13" "name" => "wkpod_hellbender" "sizes" => array:18 [ …18] "status" => "inherit" "subtype" => "jpeg" "title" => "wkpod_hellbender" "type" => "image" "uploaded_to" => 4142 "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2025/05/wkpod_hellbender.jpg" "width" => 300 ] "transcript" => array:1 [ 0 => """ Rae [00:00:00]: In this episode, we took a trip to a place that's quite near and dear to the Wild Kingdom family. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS] \r\n \r\n TV Host [00:00:06]: And now from the world-renowned Saint Louis Zoological Gardens. \r\n \r\n Marlin Perkins [00:00:10]: Welcome to Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. \r\n \r\n Justin M. Elden [00:00:13]: We're incredibly proud of Marlin getting his start here at the Saint Louis Zoo, and we want to continue his legacy of protecting wild animals and wild places. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS] \r\n \r\n Rae [00:00:26] It wasn't until we arrived in Saint Louis that I learned that that was his spot in particular. The Saint Louis Zoo was a place where he was a director. He really got his start in conservation, and he made tremendous change. But it's extra special knowing that you actually knew Marlin, Peter. And you can really speak to who he was and how he did all that great work. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:00:48] He was incredible, and he was the first who would stand at the Saint Louis Zoo with a squirming reptile in his hand and very comfortably turn to camera and explain why this animal should be preserved and why you shouldn't fear it and just how important it is. Nothing alarmed Marlin as long as he was teaching us about the animals that resided in the zoo. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:01:10] The Saint Louis Zoo was a predictable home for the original Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series. But the creature we'll be discussing today is anything but ordinary. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:01:21] I'm Peter Gros, wildlife expert and educator. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:01:24] And I'm wildlife ecologist Dr. Rae Wynn Grant. And this is Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom The Podcast. Episode 9: A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:01:46] Lots of times on the podcast, we're talking with people who work with fairly well-known creatures sharks, beavers, bats, for this episode. Well, that's not the case. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:01:58] Today, we're looking at a creature that I personally knew basically nothing about before we did an episode about them for Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom: Protecting The Wild. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:02:07] And some people call it a “snot otter,” but mostly, this amphibian goes by the semi-alarming name of Hellbender. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS] \r\n \r\n Jeff Briggler [00:02:15] Well, Ozark Hellbender is a large aquatic salamander that can get about 16 to 20 inches inside. So they have a big flat head like a pancake, wrinkly skin all down their sides, and they have a large rudder-like tail for swimming, and four limbs to walk with. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS] \r\n \r\n Rae [00:02:30] You know, Peter, there's something special about people like you and me where we can take an animal in our hands that's actually called a snot otter and kind of really enjoy it. I mean, I remember picking up one of the larger-sized ones that was maybe like a foot long, and I looked at it in its face, and I thought, oh, you poor thing, you don't deserve all those nicknames. It was kind of sweet. I mean, slimy but sweet. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:02:55] It was indeed slimy, which is where I think the name came from. I remember the first time I reached when it sort of squirted out of my hand like a banana out of a peel [laughs] and then was able to grab it again, but and then looking at that flat head needed for crawling under a rock in this odd looking thing, I mean, it's no wonder when early settlers saw that and wondering where could it have possibly come from? Thu, the name Hellbender. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:03:22] Poor things. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:03:24] Poor thing, yes. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:03:25] The Ozark hellbender is native to the Saint Louis Zoo's backyard in Missouri, and like other amphibians worldwide who breathe underwater through their skin, hellbenders are at risk of extinction because they're incredibly vulnerable to pollution, habitat loss, and climate change. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf: [00:03:43] They're very big indicators of water health. This is water that most people in Saint Louis are recreationally using. So we would not want to be spending our summer vacation float trips in contaminated water. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:03:58] Our guest today is Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf. She's a hellbender Zookeeper at the Saint Louis Zoo, and she regards Hellbenders as an indicator species, which means so goes the hellbender, so goes the river. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:04:12] So you can think of a common analogy as a canary in a coal mine. So that is what we think of as the hellbenders for the rivers that we're in. So if there's something in the river that is toxic or dangerous, a hellbender is so sensitive to their surroundings that they would show signs of distress or problems before, hopefully before people get there. But with so few hellbenders left in the wild, we're kind of– we don't have that opportunity. We've lost our canaries in the coal mine. So that's where we have the zoo and the Department of Conservation come in, where we are trying to repopulate those hellbenders and make healthier, better rivers for everybody. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:04:51] Patty has been working with the Hellbenders at the Saint Louis Zoo for ten years, but despite having grown up in Saint Louis, she didn't know what they were until she started working with them. In fact, there was a time when Patty's career could have gone in an entirely different direction. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:06] When I went to college, I actually was a psychology major. I thought I was going to do some sort of sports psychology or counseling. Freshman year, I took some psychology classes, and I just didn't love it. It wasn't what I wanted to do. It wasn't for me. Almost all of my friends at the time were biology majors. I saw how hard their intro biology classes were, and I said, “I'm never going to do that. You couldn't make me. You guys are struggling so hard.” Sophomore year, I switched to biology. I declared– I declared my major [laughs] Maybe four months after going on the record and saying I'll never be a biology major. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:05:42] Yeah, never say never. I mean, that is interesting. And then, you know. So what would your advice be to young Patty? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:49] Don't limit yourself. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:05:50] These days, Patty, just like everyone we met at the zoo's hellbender conservation program, is obsessed with these little guys. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:05:58]: What's that quote? If you love what you do, you never work a day in your life. That definitely feels right. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:06:04]: I think Rae and I can relate to that quote. You know, a lot of people haven't been to the Saint Louis Zoo. Can you give us an idea of what it's like and what your daily routine might be like? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:15] Yeah. So the Saint Louis Zoo, just from a visitor's perspective, is a beautiful big park, we're about 90 acres. We have over 16,000 animals at the zoo, about 2000 of which are hellbenders. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:06:28]: That's a pretty impressive ratio, would you say, right? 16,000 animals at the zoo, but 2000 of them are delightful hellbenders. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:34] Yes. We've had almost 4000 at one time or another, so we definitely take up a larger number. I think it's us and then the invertebrate team are competing for who has the highest percentage of animals at the zoo, but we'll share that space with them. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:06:50] You know, we're just casually talking about the hellbender, and I think a lot of people have no idea what the heck a hellbender is. What are they? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:06:59] A hellbender is a large aquatic salamander. They are a type of amphibian, so they're closely related to frogs. It can be about two, two, and a half pounds on the biggest end. They have a large, flat body, so they can really hide under rock crevices. They have big lasagna size– so if you think of a sheet of lasagna pasta, that's what the side of a hellbender looks like. They use all of those extra ruffles or folds for oxygen intake so they do breathe through their skin, fully aquatic. They don't surface for air. They do have lungs, but they are going to be fully aquatic and use their skin for respiration. So they will hang out all the time in the water and when they're babies. This is my favorite part of a hellbender. When they are babies, they have external gills, so they have little frilly gills. A lot of kids know what an axolotl is, so you can kind of think of it in that regard, is that they have those big, fluffy external gills, and they're very beautiful, and that helps them with their oxygen intake when they're little. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:07:55] So why does this lasagna-looking large, two-and-a-half pound salamander have the name hellbender? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:08:03] Hellbenders have been on the Earth for over 160 million years. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:08:07] So before lasagna? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf[00:08:11] Yes. So they really should have changed the name of the pasta. \r\n \r\n Peter: Yeah. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:08:13]: I was going to say I think the pasta was modeled after the salamander. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:08:17] I do probably think that the noodle was created before somebody fully discovered the hellbender. But the story goes that a hellbender was just crawling out from under a rock in the depths of the river, and it looked like they were crawling up from the depths of hell. Is what they say. Is that the true story? I don’t know, but that’s what they say. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:08:35] The Saint Louis Zoo has established a pioneering breeding program in an effort to save the hellbender from extinction. They've built a self-contained stream where they can regulate the water quality and temperature, making sure it's always safe for Hellbenders to live and breed. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS] \r\n \r\n Justin M. Elden [00:08:51] When it comes to the breeding of Hellbenders. This is where we do that. So these are outdoor stream systems that replicate a Ozark River as closely as possible to make sure these animals are feeling comfortable enough to where they'll actually reproduce for us here at the zoo. So everything in here is as natural as we can make it, from the water quality to the water temperature. And even the rocks that we have in here are from the Ozark Plateau of Missouri. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS] \r\n \r\n Rae [00:09:17] They have hellbenders of all ages and stages of development at the Zoo's Center for Hellbender Conservation, from those of breeding age to newborn eggs to older adults who are preparing to be released into the wild. That means an elaborate system of tanks and streams. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:09:35] You’d walk into one of four temperature-controlled rooms. We keep the hellbender rooms at about 62 to 60 degrees year-round. You would smell a little bit of chlorine. We use a lot of bleach for disinfectant purposes for disease prevention in our collection at the zoo. So a lot of people describe it as smelling like a swimming pool area. There's lots of flowing water. We have an indoor stream inside and in one of our rooms, so you'd hear lots of filtration. We have many different rack systems, so we keep hellbenders in fish tanks. So you would see lots of hellbenders everywhere. They– in the wild would like to hide under rocks, big rock crevices, or rock piles because rocks are quite heavy. We actually do a lightweight version of providing them with hide. So we use PVC tubes, so normal plumbing tubes that everyone would have in their home. And then we actually use tiles. So backsplash tiles or kitchen tiles, but giving them lots of semi-naturalistic places to hide. They have a nice flat body. So they like to go underneath of rocks or in those tiles in captivity, and that we're kind of training them to look for hiding spaces when they get out into the wild. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:10:45] But during our visit to Saint Louis, I decided, why not try and look for these hellbenders hiding under the rocks in the wild? I went with Missouri State herpetologist Jeff Briggler out to the Ozarks. We spent hours searching for the Hellbenders. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS] \r\n \r\n Peter [00:11:02]: They've got to be here somewhere. \r\n \r\n Jeff Briggler [00:11:03] This looks like an ideal rock for an adult hellbender to be under right here. That's a big flat seated down really well. There's not one here, I'm going to be disappointed, There was a line under bed, I don't know. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:11:18]: I can't believe there wasn't one under there either. I mean, there used to be a lot easier isn't it? \r\n \r\n Jeff Briggler [00:11:22]: By far. Back in the '70s and '80s, they would find a hellbender here about every four surface rock. Oh my gosh, it takes me about 100 to even get one. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS] \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:11:33] Hellbender populations have declined about 70 or 80% in the last 40 years or so. As far as I understand it, the Hellbenders are declining for a multitude of reasons, whether that be water quality, climate change can affect hellbenders, but also a big one it would be deforestation, and clearcutting the riverbanks to expand them or change the habitat, you know, make more room for houses. There's lots of residential areas along our rivers that are altering the substrate of the river. So if we're cutting away all the trees on the banks, there's more siltation, there's more mud, there's more, you know, dirt, sand, pea-sized gravel. Kind of changing the landscape so the hellbenders have less places to hide or less viable places for juvenile hellbenders to survive. Also, in Missouri, we've had a lot of flooding in the last few years. In the the ten years that I've been at the zoo, I have heard the term 20-year flood, 100-year flood, 40-year flood about four times. You're not supposed to be having flooding that bad on a 100-year flood magnitude multiple times in a decade. So that is also changing. These floods are taking out highway overpasses. They're completely decimating people's homes. And then the next time I went on a Hellbender release, there's just so much debris. Giant boulders have been moved around from nature. There's house parts and kitchen things everywhere, and it's just really affecting the hellbender habitat and giving them less options of safe places to be. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:13:09] Rivers are so popular, especially in the summer, with the tubing and the rafting and the kayaking. What should one do? If you came upon hellbender. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:13:17] You can notify whatever campground or park you're in. You can let the rangers in that area or the game and fish wardens in that area know, especially if you're fishing and you've accidentally caught a hellbender. So because they are federally protected, it is illegal to take hellbenders out of the river. It's also illegal to actually search for hellbenders, so we don't want anyone lifting, looking, doing any sort of surveying on their own. That is a federal crime. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:13:46] So leave them alone, I mean Peter and I, we're with the authorities. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:13:51] Supervising us very carefully. \r\n \r\n Rae: Very, very carefully. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:13:53] Yes. And you and you guys would have been on the permits if you find one. Well done. They're not that many. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:14:02]: Has that ever happened to you? Have you ever accidentally come upon a hellbender? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:06] No, I have not. I have also not had very good luck on my surveying trips, much like it sounds like Peter had a long day on the river, with not a lot of hellbenders to show for it. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:14:18] Tell us about the eggs. I did not personally when we were filming this episode, I did not encounter any eggs, although I did encounter little tiny baby Hellbenders. But what are the eggs like? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:28] So a hellbender female can lay anywhere from two to up to four hundred eggs, depending on how large she is. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:14:34] At one time? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:35] Yeah, they come out and like a little string of connected pearls almost. They are, but they're first laid there, probably around dime-sized. You can see through them. They have a clear membrane so you can see the yolk. We can watch it develop. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:14:49] If they were to produce those in the wild, what might be predation on them? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:14:53] Crayfish will happily eat a hellbender egg. Sadly, an adult hellbender will also happily eat hellbender eggs. We did have an animal at the zoo who would not breed, but he was in a breeding situation, and he would eat the other eggs before we could pull him out of the stream. So we do bring the eggs inside. That way, we can just keep an eye on them. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:15:14] Let's assume it's a hellbender that does not get eaten by crayfish or other hellbenders or predators. Do we have an idea of what the life expectancy could be? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:15:23] So there was an animal long ago. In the 1970s, it was not uncommon for scientists to brand an animal like how you would brand cattle. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:15:32] Things have changed. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:15:33] Yes. We have since evolved into using pet tags. So, the same type of tag that a dog or cat gets. But there's an animal in the '70s that was branded, and then that animal was caught in the early 2000s. That animal was probably 40 years old, not quite sure, but we think that's somewhere around the that top life expectancy is 40-50 years old, and we don't have any animals at the zoo that we have had that long. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:15:59] Well, and that really sets your zoo apart. And I think a lot of folks don't necessarily know that sometimes, in zoos, the animals are only there for a short time, and ultimately, they go back into the wilderness and are never in captivity again. So that impressed me so much. When I was at the Saint Louis Zoo, and Peter and I were doing this hellbender episode where I think we took the largest female that you all had at the time. And her name was Meredith, and she had had a lot of clutches of eggs. And we brought her back to, you know, to the wild. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL STARTS] \r\n \r\n Rae [00:16:33]: She is a breeder, so she has been at the Zoo for 12 or 13 years, laid thousands of eggs. And she has been influential in making Hellbender conservation a successor. \r\n \r\n Jeff Briggler [00:16:48] She produced a lot of babies, and it's time for her to move on so we can increase genetic diversity by adding some new ones. \r\n \r\n [SHOW ARCHIVAL ENDS] \r\n \r\n Rae [00:16:56] It was a really special moment. I mean, the fact that she even had this name and she had mothered all these hellbenders and helped to restore the species. It was just awesome. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:17:05] Releasing Hellbenders is by far the best part of our jobs. But then you get that added layer of Meredith, who had bred multiple times and was one of the original eggs that we brought in from the wild in the early 2010s. That's great. She lived at the zoo. She did what we needed her to do, and she did it so well. And now she's back out in the wild, hopefully continuing to do the same things. So when I started part-time, that we bred Hellbenders in 2015; that fall, a few years later, I'm releasing animals that I helped take care of when they first hatched. So there's all these fun layers of a release is the best part. And then you add in all these extra little special moments that make every release special and different in a new way. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:17:52]: I think it's great to hear that attachment. What surprised me is they had spent their entire lives so far until they were deemed healthy and strong enough to be released as we let them go in the bottom, and I watched one look for the appropriate place, crawl under a rock, turn, and face upstream where they might be waiting for crustaceans to come by. And it knew exactly what to do, even though they had never spent more than two minutes in the wild. That just blew me away. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:18:20] Yes, they are surprisingly resilient and much smarter, I think, than people give them credit for. They do have silly little nuances to them, of course, like any animal. But there's nothing better in our jobs than doing those releases. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:18:34] For folks who maybe saw our episode and now love hellbenders just like we do. They might want to know, like, well, how can I at home help Hellbenders, right? And we touched on some things like maybe, you know if you're going to do some building or development in a river area, you know, try to make sure that you're conscious of hellbender habitat. But are there other ways? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:18:56] Definitely. If you do use any of our major rivers in the summertime, just being respectful of that habitat, not leaving it a mess, cleaning up your trash, you know, keeping it, keeping it clean and pristine in that way is great. I know people like to take the rocks and stack them up and make those rock towers in the river. That is just taking away good habitat options for a lot of aquatic animals. So, just being mindful of nature, leave it ideally better than you found it, but definitely leave it as you found it. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:19:28] Well, Patty, okay, you have so much to say about Hellbenders. This is frickin awesome. And okay, here's a question. So, do you frequently do media work on these hellbenders? \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:19:40] The Zoo does do a really great job of promoting our successes. The Zoo also does do a very great job of communicating with the community, even on things that are actually maybe a little sad or the passing of animals and stuff. So I think the city really loves the zoo for a lot of different reasons. So it's a fun, good cycle, right? They love our media, so we put more media out there. We have had a lot of milestones over the last 20 years, so we are constantly bragging about our successes. Zoos are a wonderful place for people to just come look at the animals, but also, we are saving the world as best we can, so we like to brag about ourselves. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:20:21]: That's such a great thing to hear too. I think that you're not really bragging. You're just sharing the information because so many people's perception about zoos is that it's a place to go. Look at animals, make your first connection with wildlife, and see them up close. People don't really have much of a clue about all the good things you do behind the scenes and the breeding of captive and endangered species, and the release of endangered species, and the programs that are going on. So I just say, don't consider it bragging, just help us spread the word of all the good things that are happening. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:20:54] I agree it's I'm very proud to work at the zoo. People in Saint Louis are, in the best way, obsessed with the zoo. I go off grounds for lunch, and I talk to somebody at the restaurant about the zoo and how great it is. I go to pick up my groceries after work in my uniform, and at least three people have to stop and talk about the zoo, talk about the new cool thing we did. Every time I get the opportunity to teach someone what a hellbender is. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:21:30: It was really touching getting a sense of Marlin Perkins's legacy when we were at the Saint Louis Zoo. But Patty clued us into one piece of his history, that was news to us. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:21:41] I don't know if you guys found this out on your tour while you were filming the episode at all, but Marlin Perkins did have a run-in with a gaboon viper. One Thanksgiving morning, many, many, many years ago, and was hospitalized from a bite from a gaboon viper. So we do have that gaboon viper saved. It has since passed away. This is a very long time ago, but we do have that specimen preserved behind the scenes in the herpetarium too. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:22:06] Wow! That's a great story. I've never heard that before. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:22:09] Oh my gosh, thank you for that insight. And Patty, thank you for joining us today. \r\n \r\n Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf [00:22:14] Yes, thank you for having me. \r\n \r\n Peter [00:22:18] Indicator species, like the Hellbenders of the Ozarks, can provide important information on the health of their environments. Conservation heroes like Patty and the work of the Saint Louis Zoo are vital to ensuring magical moments in the wild kingdom for future generations. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:22:36] Join us next week when we speak with Regina Mossoti to learn why she's dedicated so much of her life to wolf conservation. \r\n \r\n Regina Mossoti [00:22:44] Animals that were misunderstood always stood out to me. I guess I related to them somehow, and that translated as I grew into loving carnivores and especially wolves because they really get a bad rep and are completely misunderstood. It was an easy thing for me to say. You know what? This is what I want to dedicate my life to. \r\n \r\n Rae [00:23:04] That's next week on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, the podcast. \r\n \r\n Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom The Podcast is a production of Pineapple Street Studios and Mutual of Omaha. \r\n \r\n Our Senior Producer is Stephen Key. \r\n \r\n Producers are Xandra Ellin and Jenny Van Soelen \r\n \r\n Associate Producer is Lisa Cerda. \r\n \r\n Editor is Darby Maloney. \r\n \r\n Executive Producers are Bari Finkel, Gabrielle Lewis, and Jen Wulf. \r\n \r\n Pineapple’s Head of Sound & Engineering is Raj Makhija. Senior Audio Engineers are Marina Paiz, Davy Sumner, Javi Cruces, and Pedro Alvira. Additional engineering by Rob Miller and Jason Richards. \r\n \r\n This Episode was mixed by Davy Sumner. \r\n \r\n Production Music courtesy of Epidemic Sound and Hearst Media Production Group. \r\n \r\n Episode Clips courtesy of Hearst Media Production Group. \r\n \r\n Fact checking by Justine Daum. \r\n \r\n Marketing and Promotion by Emily Poeschl. \r\n \r\n This podcast is hosted by me, Rae Wynn-Grant. \r\n \r\n And me, Peter Gros. \r\n \r\n Special thanks to Katelyn Williams, Sophie Radmilovich, and Stephanie Diaz \r\n \r\n Today’s episode is based on the Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom series created by Don Meier. Our next episode will be out in a week. Make sure to listen on the Audacy app, or wherever you get your podcasts. """ ] "updated_date" => array:1 [ 0 => "2024-09-10 00:00:00" ] "use_experimentation" => array:1 [ 0 => "0" ] ] "date" => "2024-09-10 08:00:13" "displayedDate" => "Updated on September 10, 2024" "excerpt" => "Zoos play a crucial role in wildlife survival, acting as research hubs and connecting people to the wonders of nature. In this episode, Dr. Rae and Peter chat with Patty Ihrig-Bueckendorf, a Saint Louis Zoo hellbender keeper, about the vital role zookeepers play in animal rehabilitation and species preservation. Ihrig-Bueckendorf shares her work with hellbender […]\n" "id" => 3517 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:19:36" "recentPosts" => array:3 [ 5069 => array:20 [ "attachments" => array:1 [ …1] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Dr. Rae and Peter explore the secrets behind keeping animals healthy and thriving under human care with the help of a good diet.  \n In San Diego, California, and Queensland, Australia, they roll up their sleeves to gather bamboo for giant pandas and eucalyptus for koalas to give the animals vital nutrition they need. In New Mexico, Peter and Dr. Rae assist with the recovery of the Mexican gray wolf by delivering zoo-formulated food that mimics eating habits they’ll experience when released back to the wild. The journey ends in Mexico, where rescued spider monkeys receive a second chance at life. \n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/feeding-time/9000457434" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Feeding Time!” on Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild</a>. \n For an in-depth look at these species, watch “<a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/saving-the-sierra-bighorn">Panda-Monimum!</a>,” “<a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/rescue-down-under">Rescue Down Under</a>,” “<a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/leader-of-the-pack">Leader of the Pack</a>” and “<a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/second-chance-spider-monkeys">Second Chance Spider Monkeys</a>.” \n """ "custom_fields" => array:19 [ …19] "date" => "2026-08-29 12:00:49" "excerpt" => "Dr. Rae and Peter explore the secrets behind keeping animals healthy and thriving under human care with the help of a good diet.  In San Diego, California, and Queensland, Australia, they roll up their sleeves to gather bamboo for giant pandas and eucalyptus for koalas to give the animals vital nutrition they need. In New Mexico, Peter and […]\n" "id" => 5069 "modified" => "2026-09-03 18:34:49" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "feeding-time" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:5 [ …5] "title" => "Feeding Time!" "title_plain" => "Feeding Time!" "type" => "video" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/video/feeding-time/" ] 5079 => array:20 [ "attachments" => array:7 [ …7] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Expert insights from: Nicki Boyd, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance general curator and Jennifer Moll, lead wildlife care specialist, San Diego Zoo \n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-5076 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-scaled.jpg" alt="Koala peering through eucalyptus leaves while resting among tree branches." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images6-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\n San Diego Zoo is home to the largest koala colony in the United States, and one of the largest outside of Australia. These iconic Australian marsupials thrive here because San Diego’s climate mirrors their homeland. That lets the zoo grow fresh eucalyptus onsite, so its koalas always have a buffet of their favorite food. Through the newly established Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) Saving Animals From Extinction (SAFE) Koala program, San Diego is leading U.S. conservation efforts to help ensure these threatened animals will thrive for years to come. \n <h2>Key takeaways </h2>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The San Diego Zoo is home to 21 koalas, the largest colony in the U.S. and the largest outside Australia and China. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">San Diego’s Australia-like climate lets the zoo grow eucalyptus onsite, something most zoos can’t do. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">The zoo leads the AZA’s new SAFE Koala program and funds conservation work in Australia to protect koalas in the wild. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Koalas are listed as vulnerable and face growing threats from habitat loss, wildfires, invasive pests and disease. </li>\n </ul>\n <h2>Koala quick facts </h2>\n <ul>\n <li>Common name: Koala </li>\n <li>Scientific name: Phascolarctos cinereus </li>\n <li>Animal group: Mammal </li>\n <li>Mammal type: Marsupial </li>\n <li>Habitat: Eastern Australia eucalyptus forest </li>\n <li>Lifespan: 10 to 15 years in the wild </li>\n <li>Diet: 1 to 1.5 pounds of eucalyptus leaves each day </li>\n <li>Size: 2 to 3 feet tall, 9 to 29 pounds </li>\n <li>Sleep: 18 to 22 hours each day to help conserve energy </li>\n <li>Social life: Solitary </li>\n <li>Behavior: Active at night, spends most of day eating and sleeping </li>\n <li>Young: Newborn <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/small-survivors">joeys</a> live in mother’s pouch and with her until they’re around a year old </li>\n <li>Conservation status: Threatened; koala’s biggest threats are loss of habitat, vehicle strikes, dog attacks, bushfires and disease </li>\n </ul>\n <div id="attachment_5074" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5074" class="wp-image-5074 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-scaled.jpg" alt="Koala climbing a eucalyptus tree trunk surrounded by green foliage." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images4-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</div>\n <h2>How big is the San Diego Zoo’s koala colony?</h2>\n Twenty-one koalas live in the San Diego Zoo. The zoo’s koala colony is the largest in the U.S. and the largest outside of Australia and China. \n <h2>What do koalas eat? </h2>\n Koalas eat around 1 to 1.5 pounds of eucalyptus leaves each day and they’re choosy about it! San Diego Zoo offers its koalas around 20 pounds of eucalyptus daily across several species so they can pick their favorite variety. \n Eucalyptus leaves don’t provide many calories, but koalas make up for this by spending most of their day sleeping. \n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Koala Diet Video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/fGgEuANxPas" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n Video courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\n <h2>Why is eucalyptus so hard to provide? </h2>\n Eucalyptus is difficult to provide because it’s naturally toxic. Most animals can’t eat it at all! Koalas are uniquely adapted to tolerate the toxins, but only in certain species of eucalyptus. Toxin levels can change seasonally and be high enough that koalas will avoid a species they’d usually eat. Of the several hundred types of eucalyptus in Australia, koalas only eat around 80. \n “Koalas will actually smell their eucalyptus before they eat it and they can tell, ‘Oh, this is safe for me to eat,’ or ‘No I should not,’” said Jennifer Moll, San Diego Zoo lead wildlife care specialist. \n <h2>Why is San Diego Zoo uniquely suited to raise koalas? </h2>\n San Diego Zoo is a great place to raise koalas because its climate mirrors Australia, which means, unlike most zoos, it can grow the koalas’ food in its backyard. While many zoos have to ship eucalyptus in, San Diego grows 35 varieties in a 10-acre farm nearby, so its koalas always have fresh, safe leaves to choose from. \n That Australian-like climate doesn’t just feed the koalas, it makes San Diego feel like a part of Australia. \n “When I went to Australia the first time, I felt like I was in San Diego,” said Nicki Boyd, San Diego Zoo general curator. “But the black birds flying around aren’t ravens or crows, they’re black cockatoos!” \n <h2>Where do the koalas live in the zoo? </h2>\n At the San Diego Zoo, the koalas live in a Queenslander-style “house” in the Australian Outback habitat. The koalas sit in tree branches about 12 feet high to simulate living up in the trees. Zoo staff use a pulley system so they can place fresh browse (eucalyptus leaves) in a canister and reel it up to reach the koalas up in the trees. \n “The Queenslander house starts with people walking on a pathway that’s supposed to mimic being on your back patio or balcony and overlooking koalas as if you were out in Australia,” Moll said. \n <div id="attachment_5075" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5075" class="wp-image-5075 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-scaled.jpg" alt="Adult koala and joey perched together in the branches of a eucalyptus tree." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images5-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</div>\n <h2>How has koala care changed over time? </h2>\n Today, the koalas live outside 24/7, but this wasn’t always the case at the zoo. \n In the 1970s and 1980s, zoos were told to keep koalas indoors most of the time. A few males were rotated outside during the day, but the females rarely went out, and every koala came back inside at night. There was some sunlight, but not enough UV. Over time, the koalas began developing metabolic bone disease. \n “We were still keeping the koalas and caring for them the same way we had been taught a couple of decades previously and didn’t realize Australia had changed their ways and found better alternatives,” Moll said. “It made us realize we need to reopen our conversations with the people we know in Australia.” \n When the new space was created in 2013, the zoo made sure all koalas lived outside 24 hours a day to combat this disease. \n “It’s definitely made a great improvement on their quality of life and quality of their health,” Moll said. \n <h2>How do koalas choose a mate? </h2>\n Female koalas at the San Diego Zoo choose their mate. The zoo has a “dating chart” or stud book that keeps track of which koalas can breed with one another to help ensure genetic diversity and a healthy population. Then, the zoo offers her first choice, but the koala may say “no thank you,” so they move down the dating chart to the next koala. \n As far as which koala makes the perfect match? Moll has a theory. \n “We’re starting to believe that female koalas are listening for the sound the male makes and also the scent he leaves behind — kind of his cologne!” Moll said. The female koala, she explains, essentially decides, “Oh yeah, that one smells good and I like the way he sounds. I’m going to go check him out.” \n Keeping genetic diversity strong is about more than the koalas in San Diego. The zoo shares what it learns with other accredited zoos — and partners in Australia — so healthy koalas here help support the future of the species everywhere. \n <h2>What’s the SAFE Koala program? </h2>\n The Koala SAFE program, Saving Animals From Extinction, is run through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), which brings together the expertise of accredited zoos to help save koalas. Formed in June 2026 and led by the San Diego Zoo, it’s one of dozens of SAFE programs working to protect threatened species around the world. \n Koalas are what conservationists call an umbrella species: Protect them, and you protect everything living under their canopy too. \n “Koalas will be the umbrella species that can save the echidna, the wombat, the forest which would house cockatoos and many species,” Boyd said. \n Working alongside other accredited zoos, San Diego shares its research and expertise, so <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/eyes-on-the-wild">conservation wins reach koalas in the wild</a> — not just those in human care. \n “We want people to see how cool and unique they are and drive empathy to help that conservation,” Boyd said. \n “We’re learning so much … we can use that knowledge and apply different strategies and send it to our colleagues in Australia,” Boyd said. \n <h2>Are koalas endangered? </h2>\n Often described as endangered, koalas are officially listed as vulnerable by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) — a category within its broader “threatened” classification. In their home country, the Australian government has gone further, listing koalas as endangered across Queensland, New South Wales and the Australian Capital Territory. The bottom line: Koalas need our help. \n <div id="attachment_5077" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5077" class="wp-image-5077 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-scaled.jpg" alt="Koala sitting on a branch amid dense green shrubs and native vegetation." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images7-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</div>\n <h2>What are the biggest threats to koalas? </h2>\n Koalas face several threats — habitat loss, climate change and wildfires, invasive pests and disease. \n The single biggest threat is the loss of the eucalyptus forest koalas depend on. Because koalas rely almost entirely on eucalyptus for both food and shelter, anything that shrinks those forests puts them at risk. And as land is cleared for development and agriculture, koalas lose the habitat they can’t live without. \n Wildfires are destroying even more of what remains. As the climate warms, <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-wildfires-affect-urban-areas-the-ecosystem-and-wildlife">fire seasons grow more intense</a> and eucalyptus is dangerously combustible. \n “If you’ve ever seen a eucalyptus tree burn, it’s like a candlestick. The sap is very combustible. I do worry about the future for their habitats,” Boyd said. \n The forests face a subtler danger, too. An invasive beetle that eats eucalyptus is damaging the trees in both Australia and San Diego, though Boyd is hopeful nature will find a way to keep it in check. \n “Usually there’ll be a predator that balances out the cycle for invasive pests,” Boyd said. “Hopefully, they’ll be some sort of parasitic wasp or dragonfly that decides that they’re the best thing ever.” \n Beyond their shrinking habitat, koalas also face disease, though it’s one researchers are actively fighting. Koala retrovirus, or KoRV, affects koalas in both human care and in the wild. Different strains can predispose them to other medical concerns like cancers. But there’s real progress. Australian conservationists are developing a vaccine, work San Diego Zoo hopes to support through the SAFE program. At a recent koala conference, researchers showed evidence that vaccinated koalas were doing far better than those left unvaccinated. \n <h2>How does the San Diego Zoo help koalas in the wild? </h2>\n The San Diego Zoo helps wild koalas by funding and supporting conservation work in Australia, following the lead of the <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-aussies-are-saving-koalas">researchers and organizations</a> who know the animals and their habitats best. \n The zoo was an early supporter of the Greater Blue Mountains Koala Program and its Australian partners credit that first decade of funding with getting the research off the ground. \n San Diego’s support extends to putting its researchers in the field. On St. Bees Island off the Queensland coast, a nearly untouched koala population gave scientists a rare chance to study the animals without human interference. \n “There were only three houses on that island … so we got to watch [the koalas] without it being interrupted by the people living there, without people building and destroying the habitat,” Moll said. \n In Tandora, Queensland, the work turned to a bigger question: how to bring koalas back to places they’ve disappeared from. Researchers worked with a local farmer who once had koalas on his property and wanted them back. \n “It was a study on what does it take to repopulate an area with koalas again,” Moll said. \n And when Australia’s devastating bushfires swept through koala habitat in 2020, the San Diego Zoo’s first instinct wasn’t to rush in. It was to ask how it could help those already on the ground. \n “What we realized — they didn’t need us. That’s Australia. That’s where koalas are from … so it was more about how can we support them,” Moll said. \n It’s a philosophy that runs through all the zoo’s work abroad. The koala’s best hope lies in Australia and San Diego’s role is to help <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/rescue-down-under">the people already fighting for them</a>. \n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Koala General Video" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/IQkuQZh6b90" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n Video courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance\n <h2>Koala fun facts </h2>\n Koalas are full of surprises, and some of the most fascinating are right at their fingertips (and toes). \n They have two thumbs. Each front paw has five digits arranged as two thumbs and three fingers, giving koalas an exceptional grip for climbing and pulling eucalyptus close. \n “They’re not opposable thumbs like ours are, but they help for grabbing that eucalyptus and bringing it down to them,” Moll said. \n They have a built-in comb. On each back foot, two toes are fused together to form a “grooming claw” the koala uses to clean its fur. \n “We call that their grooming claw because it always seems to have lots of hair stuck in it — that’s the one they’re using to help clean themselves,” Moll said. \n They’re built to climb. One toe on each back foot has no nail at all. Koalas use their powerful hind legs to push themselves up tree trunks. \n <div id="attachment_5078" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5078" class="wp-image-5078 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-scaled.jpg" alt="Koala resting on a eucalyptus branch against a bright blue sky." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images8-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</div>\n <h2>How can you help save koalas? </h2>\n You don’t have to be a scientist in Australia to help koalas. The simplest way to help is to support the organizations already working to protect koalas and their forests. \n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Adopt a koala. Through San Diego Zoo’s <a href="https://sandiegozoowildlifealliance.org/adopt/koala">symbolic adoption program</a>, you can help care for koalas and support conservation. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Visit the koalas. Seeing them in person in the Australian Outback area in San Diego, or at other AZA-accredited zoos, is one of the best ways to connect with the species. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="1" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Support Australian groups directly. Organizations on the ground in Australia, such as the <a href="https://www.scienceforwildlife.org/donate">Greater Blue Mountains Koala Program</a> are leading the fight to save wild koalas. </li>\n </ul>\n Every bit of support helps ensure that koalas, and the forests they depend on, are still here for generations to come. \n <h2>Frequently asked questions about koalas </h2>\n <h3>Are koalas bears? </h3>\n No. Despite the nickname “koala bear,” koalas are marsupials — mammals that carry their young in a pouch — not bears. \n <h3>How long do koalas live? </h3>\n Koalas typically live 10 to 15 years. \n <h3>What do koalas eat? </h3>\n Koalas almost exclusively eat eucalyptus. They eat about 1 to 1.5 pounds of eucalyptus a day, and they’re very selective about which ones they’ll munch on. \n <h3>How much do koalas sleep? </h3>\n Koalas sleep around 18 to 22 hours a day. Eucalyptus provides little energy, so koalas conserve it by sleeping most of the day. \n <div id="attachment_5073" style="width: 2570px" class="wp-caption alignnone"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-5073" class="wp-image-5073 size-full" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-scaled.jpg" alt="Sleeping koala curled into the fork of a eucalyptus tree high above the ground." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/08/645518_WK_Article_Koalas_SDzoo_images3-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance</div>\n <h3>How many koalas are at the San Diego Zoo? </h3>\n The zoo is home to 21 koalas — the largest koala colony in the United States, and the largest outside Australia and China. \n <h3>Why are koalas endangered? </h3>\n Koalas are disappearing mainly because they’re losing the eucalyptus forests they rely on for food and shelter. Land clearing, wildfires, invasive pests and disease are all shrinking that habitat, leaving fewer safe places for koalas to live. \n <h3>Do koalas really have two thumbs? </h3>\n Yes, each paw has five digits arranged as two thumbs and three fingers, giving koalas a strong grip for climbing and holding eucalyptus. \n <h3>Can you see the koalas? </h3>\n Yes! You can visit the San Diego Zoo’s Australian Outback section to see their koala colony. \n All photos courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:19 [ …19] "date" => "2026-08-30 20:30:39" "excerpt" => "Expert insights from: Nicki Boyd, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance general curator and Jennifer Moll, lead wildlife care specialist, San Diego Zoo Photo courtesy of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance San Diego Zoo is home to the largest koala colony in the United States, and one of the largest outside of Australia. These iconic Australian […]\n" "id" => 5079 "modified" => "2026-09-02 09:48:12" "screenreader_text" => "Koala perched in a eucalyptus tree, gripping branches and looking toward the camera." "slug" => "inside-the-largest-koala-colony-in-the-u-s" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:4 [ …4] "title" => "Inside the Largest Koala Colony in the U.S." "title_plain" => "Inside the Largest Koala Colony in the U.S." "type" => "article" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/article/inside-the-largest-koala-colony-in-the-u-s/" ] 5087 => array:20 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act.\n In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator of Brave Wilderness, whose alligator content alone has racked up over 100 million views. Together they explain why these “ecosystem engineers” are critical to the health of southeastern wetlands. And they dig into the modern threats that still put the species at risk, from invasive Burmese pythons to human habituation. It’s a story about how fast a species can come back, and how easily that progress can be undone.\n <h3>Explore alligator stories</h3>\n Learn more about alligators through these Wild Kingdom videos and articles.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-alligators-beat-the-endangered-species-list">How Alligators Beat the Endangered Species List</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/american-alligators">American Alligators</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/graduation-day-for-a-gator">Graduation Day for a Gator</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reptile-rescue">Reptile Rescue</a>\n <h3>Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aC_ru54fmo" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n An alligator on a golf course isn’t lurking — it’s living where humans built on top of its habitat. In this episodette, Coyote Peterson and Dr. Rae unpack why feeding or habituating alligators turns them into the most dangerous version of themselves, why a viral golf-course encounter almost went very wrong and how a little “exposure therapy” — visiting alligators at conservation-focused facilities — can replace fear with respect. Watch the full episode for the complete story of the American alligator’s comeback.\n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="alligator-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxMul0QOA24" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Coyote Peterson</h4>\n Coyote Peterson is an Emmy Award-winning host and creator of YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness,” where his videos have drawn over 6 billion views worldwide. A lifelong animal lover, he studied video production, writing and film editing at Ohio State University before combining both passions. For over a decade, he’s worked alongside conservationists to protect the planet’s most misunderstood creatures — including a partnership that reintroduced 25 critically endangered black rhinos in South Africa.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2026-09-03 23:45:52" "excerpt" => "By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator […]\n" "id" => 5087 "modified" => "2026-09-04 19:15:46" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "title_plain" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback/" ] ] "relatedPosts" => array:8 [ 4098 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of bison — from their near extinction due to westward expansion to their return to the plains. We also learn why bison rewilding is essential to restoring biodiversity and ensuring the prairie thrives for generations to come.\n Bonus track: Jen Osburn Eliot at Oregon Zoo shares how it’s helping Northwestern pond turtles grow strong in a program that raises and releases them back into the wild.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/rewilding-the-american-prairie/9000414728" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Rewilding the American Prairie” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-04-29 16:36:14" "excerpt" => "Bison may no longer be on the brink of extinction, but their journey is far from over. With dwindling genetic diversity and the absence of natural selection, these prairie ecosystem engineers are not as wild as they once were. In this episode, Dr. Daniel Kinka, director of rewilding at American Prairie, shares the story of […]\n" "id" => 4098 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:44:32" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "title_plain" => "Restoring the Bison, Reviving the Prairie" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-04-29 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/restoring-the-bison-reviving-the-prairie/" ] 4113 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure the future of this incredible species. She discusses the many challenges they face, from rising temperatures disrupting their breeding and growth to surviving in extreme freezing conditions and how the zoo’s breeding program is essential for the survival of this species.\n Bonus track: Jennica King at Sedgwick County Zoo shares how the zoo’s efforts gave two orphaned bears a second chance — not just to survive, but to thrive.\n <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/on-thin-ice/9000414720" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Watch “On Thin Ice” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:30 [ …30] "date" => "2025-05-06 09:32:46" "excerpt" => "As climate change rapidly melts Arctic sea ice, polar bears could face near extinction by the end of the century. But thanks to the work of dedicated conservationists, there’s hope. In this episode, Nikki Smith, curator at the Columbus Zoo and Aquarium, shares her mission to help save polar bears in the wild and secure […]\n" "id" => 4113 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:46:46" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "title_plain" => "The Incredible Resilience of Polar Bears" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-incredible-resilience-of-polar-bears/" ] 4142 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:26 [ …26] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments of up-close encounters with belugas while kayaking in the frigid waters near Churchill, Manitoba.\n Bonus track: Sunny Nelson from Lincoln Park Zoo shares her journey researching the beautiful, and nearly extinct, Bali Myna, a rare bird found only in Bali, Indonesia.\n Watch <a href="https://www.nbc.com/mutual-of-omahas-wild-kingdom-protecting-the-wild/video/canaries-of-the-sea/9000414730" target="_blank" rel="noopener">“Canaries of the Sea” on NBC.com</a>.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2025-05-13 10:55:28" "excerpt" => "Conversations of squeaks, whistles and buzzes are an important way that beluga whales communicate in the dark depths of the ocean. In this episode, Dr. Kristin Westdal of Oceans North chats about her groundbreaking research of beluga behaviors and how noise pollution in the water can impact these beautiful mammals. She shares some unforgettable moments […]\n" "id" => 4142 "modified" => "2026-07-08 22:47:57" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-sounds-of-beluga-whales" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ …1] "title" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "title_plain" => "The Sounds of Beluga Whales" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2025-05-13 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-sounds-of-beluga-whales/" ] 4912 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:3 [ …3] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. \n In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin to unpack green sea turtle’s incredible comeback. After over 30 years of working with sea turtles around the world, Jeff has watched a critically endangered species he once feared we’d lose become, against all odds, an environmental conservation success. It’s a surprising story — told by one of television’s most passionate conservationists. \n <h3>Explore Sea Turtle Stories </h3>\n Discover more sea turtle facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about turtle conservation, rescue and rehabilitation. \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/sea-turtle-stranding-brings-organizations-together-for-rescue">Sea Turtle Stranding Brings Organizations Together for Rescue</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/manatee-and-sea-turtle-conservation">Manatee and Sea Turtle Conservation</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reef-revival">Reef Revival Episode</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/celebrating-world-sea-turtle-day">Celebrating World Sea Turtle Day</a> \n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/why-do-some-species-migrate">Why Do Some Species Migrate?</a> \n <h3>The Green Sea Turtle’s Hidden Life Cycle</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Green Sea Turtles's Hidden Life Cycle" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0zRghzwDh0w" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="turtle-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#turtle-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">\n [Rae] Walk me through that life cycle from where it’s born.\n [Jeff] Yeah, so when the sea turtle, when the mom, she comes out and she excavates that nest out to deposit her eggs and she may during that season, she’ll do multiple nests. She’ll do like a decoy nest to do kind of sloppy that kind of fool the animals.\n Oh, clever.\n The idea is you do multiple nests so your entire clutch isn’t lost. And then, you know, she’s laying between 30 and 70 eggs.\n [Rae] Okay.\n Little bigger than a ping pong ball. And then she goes back to sea. When she comes out to nest, she is nesting on the very beach where she was born.\n Amazing.\n Where her life began. And she is the only time a sea turtle, for the most part, with few places like Hawaii will have this phenomenon of sea turtles that actually will sleep in the beach, most sea turtles become plagic. A sea turtle born that hatches out on Florida may find its way, we’ve tracked them to the coast of Africa.\n [Rae] Oh my gosh.\n [Jeff] Sea turtles from Africa have shown up beating in the horn of Cape Cod, Massachusetts.\n [Interviewer] Incredible.\n So they are incredibly adaptive of using the ocean’s currents to go from A to B or go from the new world to the old world.\n And we can find them in all of the oceans essentially, right?\n We even have some sea turtles that go into the Arctic.\n What?\n Think of sea turtles as being cold blooded and not being warm blooded, being endothermic, but they are the only turtle that is megathermic because they are so big they are like their own, they’re a closed loop energy system. So the nest is laid there and she will go back to sea and only the females will come out. Males will spend their whole lives in the ocean.\n At sea, isn’t that something?\n And when they hatch out, you know, if they’re lucky enough, if they’re that one in 10,000 that survive the flood, that survive that high tide, that survive the coyotes of the raccoons, that survive the ghost crabs and all the fish that will eat them, then they’ll come back 20 years later. It will take two decades for that mom to come to the beach, excavate that nest out and bring that next generation in. So that’s kind of how the cycle works.\n The recovery of the green sea turtle didn’t happen by accident, it happened because people decided it would. But the threats that nearly wiped them out haven’t disappeared and some new ones have arrived.\n So green sea turtles were listed on the endangered species list. And that made a big difference at least in the US and in North America in their protection. And you know, and I think it also made a difference worldwide.\n It did because they were protected internationally. The IUCN and other groups and there was a tremendous-. There’s still places where people eat green turtles and other sea turtles. The green turtle is the one that’s actually eaten the most. People don’t eat leatherbacks.\n And they’re eating this green meat.\n Yeah.\n I can’t get over that.\n That’s what they say is, I’ve been to places where I’ve seen it being cooked in the streets of Indonesia and other places. But that was the most hunted sea turtle. They would hunt them for their eggs. And sometimes they would just literally get them all on board, cut them open, remove the eggs. And you look at those old National Geographic photos and you don’t really see that anymore. But they still face future challenges. One is a warming world.\n Yeah.\n And how do we combat that? And the other are plastics.\n Okay, talk to me about plastics in the ocean.\n Yeah, we dump 10 billion pounds of plastics every year into our oceans. And you can see that as blue as a beautiful bluebird morning in New England. I’ve been to the Trash Pacific Gyre and I’ve seen that and where you see something that looks like an island that is hundreds of miles in size of this gyro of trash that has all come together. And there are places where beautiful, Bali for example, you go there and they have to every day, because people have spent all this money to be a tourist in beautiful Bali, they have to come in with excavators and front end loaders every morning just to clean the trash off the beach. And that is a preventable thing. It is something we could mitigate. So that’s the good news. If we decided, we could eliminate almost all of the plastic trash that goes into our oceans, there’s a way we could manage that. But it’s been documented that one like big landscape plastic bag, you know, those plastic bags that’s really tough, can kill five individual sea turtles\n [Rae] Just one.\n Before it’s broken up enough into little pieces that it could pass through. And I have been to so many sea turtle hospitals where that is it. So you have them eating plastics, and then off Florida boat strikes, big problem. And then they have diseases that may be the result of climate change, may be the result of pollution. It’s a papilloma type virus where they get these tumors and they’ll often get them in and they’ll remove the tumors and stuff. So they have challenges. But overall, I don’t like to look at things as good news or success, I would say it’s a promising story.\n Okay.\n It’s a hopeful story. We are at a place of uncertainty and hope with green sea turtles and all the other sea turtles that we have out there. But I would argue we are there where we have this out of sight, out of mind, oh, we fixed it.\n Sure.\n We live in a world now where, whether you like it or not, in the last century, humankind has consumed 70 to 80% of all our planet’s nature. We, whether we like it or not, have been given this responsibility to be our planet stewards. And that is something that will always require vigilancy. (soft music)\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n A sea turtle hatchling has a one-in-10,000 shot at survival. And if it beats those odds, it won’t return to nest for another two decades. In this episodette, Jeff Corwin walks Dr. Rae through the green sea turtle’s remarkable life cycle, from decoy nests to transoceanic migration. Then he turns to the threats still facing the species today: 10 billion pounds of plastic dumped into the ocean every year, boat strikes, disease and a planet where humankind has consumed 70%–80% of nature in the last century. It’s not a fixed problem — it’s an ongoing one. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="turtle-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/4EGtKCuOJrc" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Jeff Corwin </h4>\n Jeff Corwin is a wildlife biologist, conservationist and an Emmy Award–winning producer and host of more than a dozen television series that have been broadcast in more than 100 countries. His shows are featured on networks including Discovery, Animal Planet, Disney, the Food Network, NBC, CNN and Travel Channel. Corwin holds Bachelor of Science degrees in biology and anthropology from Bridgewater State College and a Master of Science degree in wildlife and fisheries conservation from the University of Massachusetts. He’s the founder of the EcoZone, an interactive museum in Norwell, Massachusetts. When not in the field, Corwin resides with his wife and two daughters on a small island off the southeastern coast of Massachusetts. \n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:11:49" "excerpt" => "In the 1970s, the green sea turtle was vanishing. Poaching, egg harvesting and habitat loss had crashed global numbers by 67%, landing one of the ocean’s most treasured wild animals on the endangered species list. Extinction had become a genuine possibility. In the first episode of Back From the Brink, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant sits down with wildlife biologist and TV host Jeff Corwin […]\n" "id" => 4912 "modified" => "2026-08-20 12:08:04" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "title_plain" => "The Green Sea Turtle’s Impossible Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-07-23 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/the-green-sea-turtles-impossible-comeback/" ] 4914 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump.\n In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and bear biologist Wes Larson uncover the unlikely turning points, bold conservation efforts and the passionate people who refused to give up on the grizzly. Discover how science, collaboration and persistence helped restore one of North America’s most powerful predators to the wild landscapes it once ruled.\n <h3>Explore Bear Stories</h3>\n Discover more bear facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about bear conservation, rescue and rehabilitation.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/black-bear-fun-facts">Bear Fun Facts</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/interactive/how-well-do-you-know-black-bears">How Well Do You Know Black Bears Quiz</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/into-the-bears-den">Into the Bear’s Den Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/do-all-bears-hibernate-in-winter">Do All Bears Hibernate in the Winter?</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-we-can-prepare-for-bear-hibernation">How We Can Prepare for Bear Hibernation</a>\n <h3>Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Before the Recovery of Grizzly Bears, There was a Reckoning" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8xsd_aNNxU8" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="grizzly-bear-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#grizzly-bear-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">– Yellowstone was a stronghold for grizzly bears, still is, but in the ’70s, they had all of these, like, garbage piles. Do you wanna talk a little bit about, like, how trash attracted bears and what that meant for tourism, and then how quickly they actually changed that?- In the decades leading up to 1970, they had these big, open-pit garbage dumps scattered throughout Yellowstone. There was four or five of them. And they had literal bleachers set up around these dumps, and people would gather every night and watch the bears come up and eat all this food waste. And it was a reliable way to see grizzly bears. They got huge and fat. They were very happy bears where they didn’t really have to compete and they just kinda sat there, and they weren’t very wild anymore. I mean, these were essentially just, you know, garbage-dump bears. And that continued for a while, and the park kind of started realizing they were having a lot of conflicts every year with bears. They were having about 50 incidents every year of people being bitten or injured by bears, which was a lot, and they thought, “We need to do something about this.” So they slowly were kind of starting to make changes, planning to close dumps. And then in 1967, in Glacier National Park, two women were killed on the same night by two different grizzly bears. It’s often referred to as the Night of the Grizzlies. We did a three-part series on it on “Tooth & Claw.” That incident echoed throughout the national park system. People really realized, “Okay, this is an animal that has some potential danger to it that we need to treat a little bit differently than we’ve been treating.” And they quickly closed the dumps then. The last one closed in 1970. And we were left with these bears that were so used to human food and didn’t really know where to go now that they didn’t have access to these dumps. And in the following years, they had to either euthanize or relocate a lot of those bears. And it was kind of this cleansing period in Yellowstone where, unfortunately, a lot of these bears that were totally food conditioned had to be removed from that population, and that left the wild bears, the ones that weren’t food conditioned or totally habituated to people. And that’s where all of our bears we currently have in Yellowstone stem from, was that population that was left after they changed that policy with the dumps.\n – We have very few grizzly bears in Montana and in Yellowstone, you know, because of some of the policies that have been in place for decades. Like, there’s some bad news going on, so how do things start to get a little bit better?\n – So, in ’75 was kind of the first big step forward for grizzly bears, and that’s when they received protections under the Endangered Species Act. And then the next really great thing that happened was in 1983, the Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team was formed, and that consisted of people in the National Park Service and USGS, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service that essentially decided they were gonna combine this, you know, amazing pool of knowledge to figure out how to properly conserve this animal and give them the kind of things they need to spread across the West in ways that they used to. So they had six kind of recovery zones that they outlied, the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem being one of them. And I was lucky enough to work when I was in Yellowstone under Kerry Gunther, who is, like, the guy when it comes to Yellowstone grizzly bears. He’s done, you know, more for them than anyone that I know of personally. And a lot of those early days was just really hazing bears that were too, you know, habituated or food conditioned, moving bears that were problem bears or getting rid of ones that, you know, had gone too far and kind of, you know, cleaning out that population, making it wilder. And over time, those kind of processes and the ways that they hazed got better and better and better. And now in Yellowstone, where they used to have, like, 50 conflicts a year that were injuries to humans, now they average one per year, which is a huge step in the right direction, you know? We’d love it if there wasn’t any, but they respond quickly to any bears that are food conditioned. They allow for some habituation. That’s why people are able to do what you did last week, go up and see these bears and these meadows and get some incredible photos and experiences. But the whole outlook kind of toward grizzly bears has changed, and that’s allowed these strongholds to really grow. And now in Yellowstone, there’s probably over 1,000 grizzly bears just in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.\n </div>\n </div>\n </div>\n Before Yellowstone had over 1,000 grizzly bears, it had bleachers. Every night, people would gather around open pit garbage dumps to watch bears eat food waste — reliable, safe and nothing like the wild. It took a single catastrophic night in 1967 to change everything. Wes Larson breaks down the uncomfortable turning point that forced Yellowstone to close its dumps, remove its food-conditioned bears, and start over — and how that painful reset became the foundation for one of conservation’s greatest comebacks. \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="bears-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/x15sfkKFdzw" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Wes Larson</h4>\n Wes Larson is a bear biologist whose work centers on human-bear conflict. He hosts “Tooth & Claw,” a podcast that unpacks true accounts of the most dramatic wildlife encounters on record. Much of his work focuses on helping people understand wild animals and coexist with them safely.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2026-07-08 21:14:39" "excerpt" => "Not long ago, grizzly bears were on the edge of extinction in the lower 48 states. Fewer than 1,000 bears remained after decades of illegal hunting, poisoning and habitat loss. So how did this iconic species make an extraordinary comeback? Surprisingly, the story begins at a garbage dump. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, […]\n" "id" => 4914 "modified" => "2026-08-21 11:03:51" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "title_plain" => "What It Actually Took to Bring Grizzly Bears Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-20 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/what-it-actually-took-to-bring-grizzly-bears-back/" ] 4941 => array:24 [ "attachments" => array:5 [ …5] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Premiering July 23, Back From the Brink is a wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom celebrating conservation comeback stories. Hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, the video podcast airs on YouTube, with audio episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. \n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4936" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant interviews a podcast guest seated across from her in a studio recording space. Both speakers sit in armchairs with microphones positioned between them and a small table in the center." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images3-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Back From the Brink premieres July 23 on YouTube and all major podcast platforms as an all-new wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant hosts and Peter Gros narrates, bringing the wildlife expertise from Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild to the podcast. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Every episode spotlights a single species and the scientists, conservationists and unexpected heroes behind its comeback story.</li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Expert guests appear across the season, including Jeff Corwin, Coyote Peterson and Philippe Cousteau. </li>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="3" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"multilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Featured animals range from green sea turtles to grizzly bears, focusing on conservation efforts saving species from extinction </li>\n </ul>\n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4937" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant participates in a remote podcast interview displayed on a computer screen. A guest appears in a video call window beside her while recording equipment and an online meeting interface are visible." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images4-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n Join Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom for an all-new podcast, Back From the Brink, celebrating incredible wildlife comeback stories. Every episode is a deep-dive into a single species and the scientists, conservationists and unexpected heroes who fought to save them. \n Hosted by Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild’s Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, Back From the Brink premieres July 23. The video podcast will stream on YouTube, with an audio-only version wherever you get your podcasts. \n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4939" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant speaks with a podcast guest in a recording studio. The two sit across from each other with microphones and a small table between them, while a video camera in the foreground captures the conversation." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images6-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n <h2>Podcast episode lineup </h2>\n Back From the Brink features the following guests speaking on these wildlife species: \n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="1" data-aria-level="1">Jeff Corwin from Wildlife Nation on green sea turtles </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="2" data-aria-level="1">Kirstin Hill from the Smithsonian Institution on North American songbirds </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="3" data-aria-level="1">Bear biologist Wes Larson on grizzly bears </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="4" data-aria-level="1">Coyote Peterson from Brave Wilderness on American alligators </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="5" data-aria-level="1">Philippe Cousteau from EarthEcho International on coral reef restoration </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="6" data-aria-level="1">Jeff Ewelt from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo on saltwater tiger beetles </li>\n </ul>\n <ul>\n <li aria-setsize="-1" data-leveltext="" data-font="Symbol" data-listid="2" data-list-defn-props="{"335552541":1,"335559685":720,"335559991":360,"469769226":"Symbol","469769242":[8226],"469777803":"left","469777804":"","469777815":"hybridMultilevel"}" data-aria-posinset="7" data-aria-level="1">Bailey Cadena from Cincinnati Zoo on Mexican gray wolves </li>\n </ul>\n <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4938" src="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-scaled.jpg" alt="Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant conducts a virtual podcast interview shown on a computer screen. A remote guest appears in a separate video window while the online meeting interface and recording setup are visible." width="2560" height="1003" srcset="https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-scaled.jpg 2560w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-300x118.jpg 300w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-1024x401.jpg 1024w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-150x59.jpg 150w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-768x301.jpg 768w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-1536x602.jpg 1536w, https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/files/2026/07/645510_WK_Podcast_images5-2048x802.jpg 2048w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px" />\n Follow <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/the-podcast">Back From the Brink’s podcast page</a> for more upcoming featured animals and guests. \n """ "custom_fields" => array:19 [ …19] "date" => "2026-07-09 10:00:59" "excerpt" => "Premiering July 23, Back From the Brink is a wildlife podcast from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom celebrating conservation comeback stories. Hosted by Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and narrated by Peter Gros, the video podcast airs on YouTube, with audio episodes available wherever you get your podcasts. Back From the Brink premieres July 23 on YouTube and all major podcast platforms as […]\n" "id" => 4941 "modified" => "2026-07-27 16:21:08" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "new-podcast-back-from-the-brink-airs-july-23" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:2 [ …2] "thumbnail" => null "thumbnail_images" => [] "thumbnail_size" => "thumbnail" "title" => "New Podcast Back From the Brink Airs July 23" "title_plain" => "New Podcast Back From the Brink Airs July 23" "type" => "video" "updated_date" => "2026-07-09 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/video/new-podcast-back-from-the-brink-airs-july-23/" ] 4943 => array:21 [ "attachments" => array:4 [ …4] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant is joined by Kirstin Hill of Smithsonian Bird Friendly to explore a hopeful solution taking root in an unexpected place — coffee farms. Discover how shade-grown coffee is creating vital habitat, helping bird populations rebound and restoring one of nature’s most iconic soundtracks.\n <h2>Explore Bird Stories</h2>\n Discover more bird facts through Wild Kingdom videos and articles about North American songbirds, birds of prey and more.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/your-guide-to-north-american-songbirds">Your Guide to North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-organizations-protect-north-american-songbirds">How Organizations Protect North American Songbirds</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/10-tips-for-backyard-birding">10 Tips For Backyard Birding</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/birds-of-a-feather">Birds of a Feather Episode</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/birds-the-word-discover-birds-of-prey">Discover Birds of Prey</a>\n <h2>The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow</h2>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="The Bird-Friendly Checklist Everyone Can Follow" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/XTZNYwmfocE?si" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <div class="Accordion Container">\n <div id="coffee-video-transcript" class="Accordion-panel">\n <div class="Accordion-panelHeader"><a class="Accordion-panelTrigger" href="#coffee-video-transcript" data-accordion-trigger=""> \n Show Transcript<img decoding="async" src="https://cdn.mutualofomaha.com/wildkingdom/v3/icons/explore/down_arrow_WK-reveal.svg" alt="arrow" /> \n </a></div>\n <div class="Accordion-panelBody">(lighthearted music) \n – Our Migratory Bird Center was founded in the 1990s, \n but the work for migratory bird conservation \n kind of started long before that. \n And in the 1980s, the person who then went on \n to kind of be the founder of the Migratory Bird Center, \n Dr. Russell Greenberg, he was noticing a decline \n in migratory songbird populations in North America. \n So if you think about, you know, 40 years ago, \n we’re in the ’80s and he’s noticing \n and trying to figure out sort of like, \n “Where are these birds going? \n I know they’re here in North America during part of the year \n and then they disappear and then sometimes they come back \n and sometimes they don’t.” \n And we’re starting to see fewer and fewer of these birds. \n So he kind of said, “All right, I’m going to try \n to figure out where it is that these birds are going.” \n He went down to Mexico to conduct a bit of research there \n and to try to see if he could find those same birds \n and figure out where it was that they were going \n when they left our areas in North America here. \n What he kind of found while he was down there \n was that there were lots and lots of birds \n in undisturbed forest. \n And he’s looking around, he’s trying to figure out, \n okay, what are the types of habitat that they’re utilizing? \n He was on one area of a valley and heard a lot of bird calls \n and things like that happening. \n And he looked over and it looked like an area \n that appeared to be sort of like an undisturbed forest. \n Went over to check it out, \n and what he realized is that it was a coffee farm. \n So there was coffee growing in the understory \n and then lots of native trees providing high shade \n for birds, really high-quality habitats \n and lots of this, you know, this area \n that effectively looked like a forest \n but was actually a coffee farm. \n And he said, “Hmm, this seems like this could be \n a really important habitat measure for migratory birds \n and providing a healthy over wintering habitat for them.” \n And so that kind of led to just this concept \n that coffee could be grown in a way that was friendly \n to birds and biodiversity. \n And that sort of went on to become \n the Smithsonian Bird Friendly certification program. \n – I mean, this is just such a serendipitous story, right? \n And I think probably the biggest shock to Dr. Greenberg \n was thinking he’s looking at what we’re saying, \n like pristine, untouched, you know, old growth forest, \n going in and actually seeing like, “Oh, this is a farm.” \n (chuckles) Who knew a farm could look like this? \n Because certainly in North America, we, \n at that time, didn’t have those examples. \n Many of us in the West are quite detached \n from the things we consume. \n Can you help me understand what does coffee look like? \n Like it’s apparently not a tree. (chuckles) \n How does coffee grow \n and how can that fit into a forest ecosystem? \n – So coffee is kind of like a shrub. \n When it’s ripe, it’s these nice, beautiful \n bright red cherries that kind of grow out \n on the coffee shrub itself. \n And the shrubs, they can get to be quite tall. \n And so they can grow in the understory. \n So coffee is a unique crop in that it is perfectly happy \n to grow under the shade of trees. \n And that’s actually how it was originally grown. \n And it was only actually up until the 1970s that coffee, \n most coffee was grown that way. \n And then around the ’70s, that’s when we saw the conversion \n of a lot of coffee farm from this agroforestry \n where there’s the agriculture kind of in the understory \n of the forest above to the removal of a lot of the trees \n and a lot of the, kind of the native plants \n and things like that that are in there \n to grow coffee in the sun instead. \n And there are a number of different reasons \n why that change kind of happened. \n There’s rising number of people who were drinking coffee \n and the governments are kind of saying, \n “Hey, we want to make sure that we can keep up \n with this demand.” \n And there was this idea that if you eliminated \n some of the shade trees, that you could, in theory, \n grow more coffee in that way, \n that the cherries would ripen faster \n and that that would be a higher yield \n for the producers there. \n There ended up being a big conversion of the way \n that coffee was grown from the agroforests, \n how it originally grew, into just this \n kind of clear cut monoculture where the coffee \n is just kind of baking in the sun \n and you’re just seeing rows and rows of crops \n and very little space for birds and biodiversity \n to coexist in that way. \n – So we have a scientist who traveled down with the team \n and discovered, okay, there is habitat fragmentation \n and habitat loss, but it looks like there’s also solutions \n at the same time. \n And then what stemmed from there? \n – What we ended up kind of seeing was, you know, \n when Dr. Greenberg came back and was trying to figure out, \n you know, what do we do with this information \n that we now have. \n So I now, you know, we have made this association \n that the agroforests can provide really high-quality habitat \n for birds and biodiversity. \n The question then became, how do we incentivize producers \n to grow their coffee in this way? \n So for those remaining folks that have kept \n this high-quality habitat on their land, \n how can we make it so that they feel \n there’s a reason for them to continue growing coffee \n in this way, how do we incentivize that? \n – And let me interrupt you here just for me to get a sense. \n Like tell me a little bit about the economics of this. \n Is it somehow like cheaper \n to do the monoculture where it’s just coffee? \n Is it somehow more expensive for landowners \n to continue with the polyculture? \n Like why would someone choose one over the other? \n – So for each individual farmer that can be a, \n or a landowner or producer, \n there’s different motivating factors, \n and it kind of boils down to how you want \n to sell your coffee. \n So there’s coffee that can be sold as specialty grade \n and that’s when we think about, \n you know, high quality, high-end specialty coffees \n versus your commodity coffee, which I kind of refer to \n as like your gas station coffee where it’s just like a mix \n of a bunch of beans and we’re not really sure \n where it’s coming from and maybe the qualities \n is a bit lower. \n So there’s a lot of different factors that can go into \n how a producer can sell their coffee \n and how much money they can get for it. \n So that was kind of what led to the creation \n of the Bird Friendly program was trying to find a way \n to provide this incentive for producers \n that they could get more money for their coffee. \n And Smithsonian will prove, we will vouch for them that, \n yes, this coffee is grown in a way \n that’s really good for birds. \n (uplifting music)</div>\n </div>\n </div>\n <h6></h6>\n From window decals to your morning coffee order, there are more ways to help migratory songbirds than you might think. In this episodette, Kirstin Hill walks through seven simple actions anyone can take — safer windows, keeping cats indoors, native plants, pesticide-free yards, less plastic, bird-friendly coffee and simply paying attention. Plus, she gives an update on how far the movement has come: over 110 coffee roasters and more than 4,000 producers now protect habitat worldwide. Watch the full episode for the complete story behind the movement. \n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="coffee-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/gxpIYlGxbBI?si=H8kVlDWiggxzYqnx" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n  \n <h3>About Kirstin Hill</h3>\n Kirstin Hill has spent more than 15 years in wildlife conservation, teaching people why wild animals and their habitats are worth protecting. Today she’s the Smithsonian Institution’s Bird Friendly Program Manager, leading an innovative effort to preserve habitat and protect songbirds. Through forest-friendly farming practices, Bird Friendly farms grow coffee and cocoa in ways that keep their surrounding ecosystems healthy.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:31 [ …31] "date" => "2025-07-01 13:28:59" "excerpt" => "Each spring, North America comes alive with a familiar and magical sound — the dawn chorus of songbirds returning home after journeys spanning thousands of miles. But behind that beauty lies a stark reality: nearly 3 billion birds have vanished since 1970. In this episode of Back From The Brink from Mutual of Omaha’s Wild […]\n" "id" => 4943 "modified" => "2026-08-10 17:54:12" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "title_plain" => "How Coffee Is Bringing Songbirds Back" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2026-08-06 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/how-coffee-is-bringing-songbrids-back/" ] 5087 => array:20 [ "attachments" => array:2 [ …2] "author" => array:8 [ …8] "categories" => [] "comment_count" => 0 "comment_status" => "closed" "comments" => [] "content" => """ By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act.\n In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator of Brave Wilderness, whose alligator content alone has racked up over 100 million views. Together they explain why these “ecosystem engineers” are critical to the health of southeastern wetlands. And they dig into the modern threats that still put the species at risk, from invasive Burmese pythons to human habituation. It’s a story about how fast a species can come back, and how easily that progress can be undone.\n <h3>Explore alligator stories</h3>\n Learn more about alligators through these Wild Kingdom videos and articles.\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/how-alligators-beat-the-endangered-species-list">How Alligators Beat the Endangered Species List</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/article/american-alligators">American Alligators</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/graduation-day-for-a-gator">Graduation Day for a Gator</a>\n <a href="https://www.mutualofomaha.com/wild-kingdom/video/reptile-rescue">Reptile Rescue</a>\n <h3>Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do</h3>\n <div class="iframe-video"><iframe loading="lazy" title="Why Feeding an Alligator Is the Worst Thing You Can Do" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/7aC_ru54fmo" width="1263" height="710" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n An alligator on a golf course isn’t lurking — it’s living where humans built on top of its habitat. In this episodette, Coyote Peterson and Dr. Rae unpack why feeding or habituating alligators turns them into the most dangerous version of themselves, why a viral golf-course encounter almost went very wrong and how a little “exposure therapy” — visiting alligators at conservation-focused facilities — can replace fear with respect. Watch the full episode for the complete story of the American alligator’s comeback.\n  \n <div class="iframe-portrait"><iframe loading="lazy" title="alligator-video-social" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SxMul0QOA24" width="488" height="867" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></div>\n <h4>About Coyote Peterson</h4>\n Coyote Peterson is an Emmy Award-winning host and creator of YouTube’s “Brave Wilderness,” where his videos have drawn over 6 billion views worldwide. A lifelong animal lover, he studied video production, writing and film editing at Ohio State University before combining both passions. For over a decade, he’s worked alongside conservationists to protect the planet’s most misunderstood creatures — including a partnership that reintroduced 25 critically endangered black rhinos in South Africa.\n """ "custom_fields" => array:29 [ …29] "date" => "2026-09-03 23:45:52" "excerpt" => "By 1967, the American alligator — a reptile whose lineage predates the dinosaurs — had been hunted, skinned and pushed to the edge of extinction. Twenty years later it was thriving again, making a full recovery under the Endangered Species Act. In this episode, Dr. Rae sits down with Coyote Peterson, wildlife educator and creator […]\n" "id" => 5087 "modified" => "2026-09-04 19:15:46" "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:6 [ …6] "title" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "title_plain" => "From Near Extinction to 5 Million: The American Alligator’s Comeback" "type" => "podcast" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/from-near-extinction-to-5-million-the-american-alligators-comeback/" ] ] "screenreader_text" => null "slug" => "a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper" "status" => "publish" "tags" => array:1 [ 0 => array:5 [ "description" => "" "id" => 72144 "post_count" => 31 "slug" => "podcast" "title" => "Podcast" ] ] "title" => "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" "title_plain" => "A Day in the Life of a Zookeeper" "type" => "podcast" "updated_date" => "2024-09-10 00:00:00" "url" => "https://blogs.mutualofomaha.com/wknewsroom/podcast/a-day-in-the-life-of-a-zookeeper/" ]]

Updated on September 10, 2024

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