The WildLife with Laurel Neme

The WildLife: Wildlife Law Enforcement in Alaska, Al Crane

Al Crane, former FWS Special Agent, remembers his 30+ years in wildlife law enforcement in Alaska’s most remote reaches. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the many challenges he faced protecting walruses, wolves, bears and other creatures. He also discusses working within the Native Alaskan culture and how his involvement with the 1,150 mile Iditarod dog sled race, both as an organizer and entrant, helped him connect with the people and ultimately do his job better. Mr. Crane was a special agent with the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (FWS) and the first such officer stationed in northwestern Alaska. He worked with the state of Alaska’s Fish and Wildlife Protection Division until 1974, when he moved to FWS to implement the then-newly passed federal Marine Mammal Protection Act. For the next 20 plus years, he acted as supervisor, pilot and field operative for that federal wildlife law enforcement agency. He was also one of the early organizers of the Iditarod, and ran that grueling race in 1977. This episode of “The WildLife” aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on January 25, 2010.

The Wildlife: Creature Call Contest & Elephant Seal Update

The WildLife’s first Creature Call Contest lets listeners identify animals based on their sounds. The episode includes a series of 10 creature calls. “The WildLife’s” host, Laurel Neme, plays each sound, provides hints and facts on each animal, and plays the call again. At the end of the show, she replays the calls a final time. Listeners of the radio show and podcast are invited to enter their guesses of the 10 different animals to win a free copy of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS: HOW THE WORLD’S FIRST WILDLIFE FORENSIC LAB IS SOLVING CRIMES AND SAVING ENDANGERED SPECIES (Scribner, 2009). To enter, send an email to: laurel@laurelneme.com. Entries close Monday, February 15, 2010 at 2:00 pm Eastern Standard Time. Please put the words “Creature Call Contest” in the subject line. The text of the email should list your guesses in numerical order. The person who guesses the most creature calls correctly will win a copy of ANIMAL INVESTIGATORS. If several people have the same number of correct answers, the person who emailed their responses first will be the winner. If two or more emailed at the same time, the winner will be drawn randomly. Winner will be notified via email and announced on the February 22, 2010 episode of “The WildLife.” This episode also includes an update on the elephant seals at the Piedras Blancas rookery in California from Christine Heinrichs, a docent there. Ms. Heinrichs tells about the latest antics of newborn pups and also the elephant seal census that was recently released. This episode of “The WildLife” aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on January 18, 2010.

The WildLife: Wildlife Rescue Centers & Illegal Pet Trade, Tracy O'Toole

Tracy O’Toole talks about the illegal international pet trade in Central America and what happens to birds, primates and other animals once they’re confiscated by wildlife law enforcement. She tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme about the challenges facing wildlife rescue centers and what’s required for successful rehabilitation and release of seized wildlife. Listen and hear how parrots rescued from the fate of being illegally shipped around the world must relearn to fly and hunt, why release sites are so important for success, and the psychological impact of the process on the animals.  Ms. O’Toole currently serves as the Director of Wildlife Development Programs for the International Trade and Development Division of Humane Society International.  She oversees programs to build capacity in Central America for enforcement of laws to stop wildlife trafficking and for establishment and running of wildlife rescue centers. She also works on public education and outreach programs to combat illegal wildlife trade throughout the region. Before joining the Humane Society, Ms. O’Toole worked extensively in the fields of international development and conservation for various donor organizations including the U.S. Agency for International Development and Europe Aid. She holds a master’s in International Business, a B.A. in International Relations, and is fluent in French, Portuguese and Spanish.  This episode of “The WildLife” aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on January 11, 2010.

The Wildlife: Whooping Cranes, Matt Mendenhall

Matt Mendenhall uncovers the silly antics of whooping cranes, from their strange “whooping” call to their captivating mating dance. He tells “The WildLife” host Laurel Neme how, as “goats” of the wetlands, whooping cranes will munch on whatever food is available. He also reveals how their large size, about 5 feet tall, lets them bully other creatures yet how one tiny creature, a common fly, annoys the bird so much that it drives these massive birds off their nests. Listen and learn what makes whooping cranes so special, how these endangered birds are making a comeback from a population of just 16 individuals in the 1940s, and what scientists are going through – from dressing up in whooping crane costumes to teaching the chicks their migration route by following ultralight planes -- to turn this story of near extinction of a species into one of hope and success. Matt Mendenhall is Associate Editor of Birder’s World magazine. He has written about all sorts of birds — from the common Northern Cardinal and Varied Thrush to the endangered Whooping Crane and California Condor to the presumably extinct Imperial Woodpecker. He grew up in Omaha, Nebraska, and is a graduate of the journalism program at Marquette University. This episode of “The WildLife” aired on The Radiator, WOMM-LP, 105.9 FM in Burlington, Vermont on January 4, 2010.

The WildLife: Reindeer, Nancy Bazilchuk

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.

The WildLife: Wildlife Crime & INTERPOL, David Higgins

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.

The WildLife: Shark Fin Trade, Rebecca Regnery

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. 

The WildLife: Elephant Seals, Christine Heinrichs

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.