Episodes
Tuesday Dec 29, 2009
The WildLife: Reindeer, Nancy Bazilchuk
Tuesday Dec 29, 2009
Tuesday Dec 29, 2009
Nancy Bazilchuk reveals reindeers’ special adaptations as she describes her dramatic cross country ski trek across Hardangervidda Plateau in one of Norway’s most famous national parks in search of this elusive animal. Traveling the same route that nearly defeated legendary explorer Roald Amundsen, she tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the slow seasonal waltz from east to west as the wild reindeer let winter storms expose the lichens they depend on for 80 percent of their winter diet and also divulges whether reindeer really can fly. Nancy Bazilchuk is a freelance science writer and editor living in Norway. She used to work the environmental beat at Vermont’s Burlington Free Press, where she covered a range of topics such as land use controversies, invasive species and hazardous waste sites. She’s written for numerous publications, including the New Scientist, Scientific American and Audubon Magazine. This episode of "The WildLife" aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on December 28, 2009.
Monday Dec 21, 2009
The WildLife: Wildlife Crime & INTERPOL, David Higgins
Monday Dec 21, 2009
Monday Dec 21, 2009
David Higgins discusses INTERPOL and wildlife trafficking and reveals the many challenges facing law enforcement in stopping it. He explains to “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how INTERPOL, the world’s largest international police organization, fights wildlife crime and describes several INTERPOL-assisted undercover operations. Listen as he takes us inside Operation Baba, a five-country sting that targeted the illicit ivory trade in five African countries, and Operation Oxossi, a joint investigation with the Brazilian Federal Police that stopped a massive trafficking ring smuggling live macaws, their eggs and other wildlife out of Brazil into Europe for the pet trade dead in its tracks. David Higgins is a criminal intelligence officer specializing in wildlife crime as part of the INTERPOL Environmental Crime Programme. Previously he worked for the Australian Government Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts as an Assistant Director of Compliance and Enforcement. Before that, he served in Cambodia as an Environmental Law Enforcement Advisor and in Tasmania, Australia as a Wildlife Ranger for the Tasmania Parks and Wildlife Service and Police Officer for the Tasmania Police Service. Since August 2008, he has led INTERPOL’s efforts against wildlife crime. This episode of "The WildLife" aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on December 21, 2009.
Tuesday Dec 15, 2009
The WildLife: Shark Fin Trade, Rebecca Regnery
Tuesday Dec 15, 2009
Tuesday Dec 15, 2009
Rebecca Regnery explains how shark finning is threatening the world's sharks. In her conversation with "The WildLife" host Laurel Neme, she tells how the value of shark fins combined with limited space on fishing vessels encourages many shark fishermen to cut off the fins and toss the rest of the animal back into the water. In many places shark finning is legal and the regulations that do exist are difficult to enforce. But that might change as the US Congress seeks to stop this practice by requiring sharks to arrive in port with fins attached and the March 2010 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) Conference of Parties considers proposals to protect several additional shark species. Rebecca Regnery is the Deputy Director for Humane Society International, part of The Humane Society of the United States. She is responsible for managing the wildlife programs of the Humane Society International and also the organization’s involvement in international treaties and agreements. She co-chairs the Species Survival Network (SSN) Sea Turtle and Marine Fish working groups and leads international efforts to develop policies to put an end to shark finning. This episode of "The WildLife" aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on December 14, 2009.
Wednesday Dec 09, 2009
The WildLife: Elephant Seals, Christine Heinrichs
Wednesday Dec 09, 2009
Wednesday Dec 09, 2009
Christine Heinrichs exposes elephant seals’ captivating habits and bizarre lifestyle as she takes us to Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery on California’s central coast. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how elephant seals spend 8 to 10 months a year in the open ocean and that, to find food, they dive incredibly deep, up to a mile underwater. Twice a year they migrate thousands of miles to their land-based rookeries to give birth, breed, molt and rest. Listen as we meet some of these fascinating creatures — such as bull elephant seals who battle rivals for months only to lose out when the females finally come ashore and a courtly male who escorts his lady friend through hoards of suitors so that she can safely reach the ocean — and find out just how much we still have yet to learn. Christine Heinrichs is a docent with Friends of the Elephant Seal (www.elephantseal.org) who works at Piedras Blancas elephant seal rookery where she helps protect these large marine mammals and educate visitors about their unique characteristics. She enjoys animals of all kinds, wild and domestic, and has written two books on domestic poultry, How to Raise Chickens and How to Raise Poultry, which focus on raising traditional breeds in small flocks. This episode of THE WILDLIFE aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on December 7, 2009.