Get Out Alive

Timothy Treadwell (aka Grizzly Man) was renowned for his extremely close relationships with the brown bears in Katmai National Park. He spent 13 summers living amongst the bears, and in his last 5 years got over 100 hours of footage of the bears and red foxes in the park. But his close relationship with the bears ultimately led to a fatal attack on him and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard. You can w...

Sy Montgomery is the author of many bestselling books, including The Soul of an Octopus , How To Be A Good Creature , and her latest book, Of Time and Turtles: Mending The World Shell By Shattered Shell . You can find her books anywhere, but we highly recommend you support local bookstores (and of course, her book will be featured on our website's book club page ). Episode 64 of our podcast discus...

In this episode, we had the pleasure of speaking with Jess Anderson, a wildlife rehabilitator who works at Blue Ridge Wildlife Center  in Virginia. We talk all things wildlife rehab - what to do, what not to do (*cough* don't give out mange medication *cough*), and how sometimes, wildlife rescues don't go according to plan. You can find Jess on Twitter (X) @ Jess_inthewild , Instagram @ JessInTheW...

We're back after a short break with our first episode of 2024, so why not start the year off by talking about one of the most controversial topics in wildlife: Wolves and the Endangered Species Act. In late December of 2023, Colorado released 10 wolves into the state, marking the first time in decades that wolves have called the state home, but this was met with a fair share of controversy. We tal...

Dr. Vikram Baliga, the Plant Professor, joins us this week to discuss the dangers that plants can pose to people. He's a professor in Horticulture, the author of the new book Plants to the Rescue! , and host of the podcasts Planthropology and In the Grow . You can find Vikram's personal twitter @ThePlantProf , on Instagram at @the.plant.prof , and on Tiktok @ThePlantProf . You can follow his unive...

This episode was voted on by our Patrons ! Although tapirs are often docile animals, there are a handful of cases of them seriously attacking humans. Join us on this episode as we recount every attack on a human that we could find, and discuss why these attacks may have happened. Studies mentioned in episode : Jaguar’s Predation and Human Shield, a Tapir Story by Flores et. al Crop-raiding Baird’s...

This week's story is close to home for us: We discuss the "Free Town" (now known better as the "Free State") Project, which consisted of a mass of libertarians moving to Grafton, New Hampshire, to liberate the town. What the residents of Grafton (both new and old) didn't expect was the explosion of conflicts that ensued with resident black bears, including a handful of bear attacks. A majority of...

Last year we did vampire bats, which some people consider spooky and scary, so this year we decided we’re going to do a non-traditional episode: Cryptids! We go over what constitutes a cryptid, animals once believed to be cryptids but have been confirmed to exist, and two cryptids who have been accused of attacking people. Support the show for free by leaving a 5-star review wherever you're listen...

This episode was inspired by the book Spell of the Tiger: Man-Eaters of the Sundarbans by Sy Montgomery. We cover past and present conflicts between tigers and the people of the Sundarbans. Studies mentioned in episode: Female tiger Panthera tigris home range size in the Bangladesh Sundarbans: the value of this mangrove ecosystem for the species’ conservation by A. Barlow et al. Understanding carn...

Thank you to everyone who contributed stories to this episode! We start by discussing a brutal attack on a Georgia man earlier this year by 3 dogs that nearly ended in his death, and we end with a special story written in by someone who knew our last victim. Report coyote sightings in Cape Breton Highlands National Park to 1-877-852-3100. In British Columbia, report coyote sightings or unsafe wild...

Somehow it took us 62 episodes to talk about these host's least favorite animal: Monkeys. You can find out more about the Elizabeth R. Griffin Research Foundation at their website ergriffinresearch.org . Support the show for free by leaving a 5-star review wherever you're listening , or on GoodPods or Podchaser (where we can respond to your comments). Follow us on Instagram , Facebook , Tiktok , c...

This week we had the pleasure of talking to Dr. Rebecca Helm, a renowned jellyfish biologist and associate professor at Georgetown University. What is a jellyfish? Are they dangerous? How can we avoid them, and how can we help them (safely)?   You can find out more about her research at www.helmlab.org or jellybiologist.com , and follow her on Twitter at @RebeccaRHelm . You can also check out her...

To celebrate 60 episodes, we're talking about one of Ashley's favorite animals: Owls. We start by discussing the most common conflict people could have with raptors, and take a deep dive on a very popular case in which an owl was accused of murder. You can see more about this case on the Netflix documentary "The Staircase" or the dramatized HBO miniseries "The Staircase". Ashley also appeared on e...

In the early 1900s, the Garhwal region of India was plagued with a single male leopard, who, in the end, caused over 100 human deaths. This is one of Jim Corbett's most famous tales - you can read an online version of his book about this leopard here . Links to our other Jim Corbett/leopard episodes : Ep. 44: Living with Leopards (feat. Dr. Babu Ram Lamichhane) Ep. 39: The Thak Man-Eater Ep. 1: Th...

The week this episode is released coincides with Discovery's Shark Week , so we're covering the Shark Week line up and some recent (and horrifying) shark attacks around the world. Studies mentioned in ep : North Pacific warming shifts the juvenile range of a marine apex predator Trends in Global Shark Attacks Forensic genetic identification of sharks involved in human attacks Other great shark res...

In this episode, we cover all of the recent (as in, all within the past month) black bear attacks that have been happening around the United States. Join us on Patreon to hear Ashley's quick phone interview with Stan Cunningham , a black bear biologist in Arizona. If you are experiencing a problem with a black bear, please call your local state wildlife department for assistance or further guidanc...

Content Warning: Harm and death to children/infants In the finale of our two part series on Azaria Chamberlain's disappearance, we cover all of the evidence for the case, all of the resulting inquests, Azaria's official cause of death, and more. Sources mentioned in episode: The diet of the dingo (Canis lupus dingo) in north-eastern Australia with comments on its conservation implications , 2011,...

Content Warning: Harm to children and infants This week is Part 1 of our two part coverage of the story of the alleged dingo attack on Azaria Chamberlain, and the investigation and trial that followed her disappearance.  Sources mentioned in episode: Social Dynamics of a Captive Dingo Pack: Population Regulation by Dominant Female Infanticide , 1988, by Laurence Corbett Could Direct Killing by Lar...

This week we're rolling with Nick's idea: Bighorn Sheep ( Ovis canadensis ) and Mountain Goats ( Oreamnos americanus ). Mentioned in ep: Evidence of traumatic brain injury in headbutting bovids , 2022, by N. Ackermans et al. Ologies with Alie Ward episode: Bovine Neuropathology (HEADBUTTING) with Dr. Nicole Ackermans GOat Sheep GOat video by Parks Canada Ologies with Alie Ward episode: Oreamnology...

Content warning: Animal abuse and suffering, miscarriage, incest and eating disorders. In this episode, we discuss the many attacks on humans by captive killer whales, especially within SeaWorld parks, and what could have led to these attacks. To learn more about Morgan the captive orca, visit freemorgan.org . Check out John Hargrove's book Beneath the Surface at your local library or bookstore. S...

Today's episode covers the 2007 brown bear attack on Katie Evans in Romania. This story is best told in episode 227 of the podcast "This is Actually Happening" - to differentiate our telling of the story, we discuss Romanian relationships with bears (past and present), and what types of animals call Romania home. To understand John's perspective more or to read his writing on the attack, see his p...

Content Warning: Descriptions of wounds and traumatic medical complications We had the pleasure of talking to Stephanie Martinez (she/they), a naturalist that works in environmental policy and GIS for endangered/threatened species. A few years ago, Stephanie was conducting fieldwork for the Rio Grande Ground Squirrel (Ictidomys parvidens), when she was bitten by one. Stephanie quickly learned firs...

Our Patrons voted, and this week we're talking about recent animal attacks in the news. Support our Earth Day clean-up by buying one of our new "Don't Litter...Or Else!" Shirts , designed by Smeesh ! First Animal Attack Covered: A polar bear attack in Wales, Alaska (and for those curious, the majority of people there are Inupiaq) Second Animal Attack Covered: A blacktip shark bite in Hobe Sound, F...

This week we're talking about all things Rhino, including rhinos attacking people and people attacking rhinos. We cannot talk about rhinos without talking about the incredible people who risk and sometimes give their lives in the name of rhino conservation, especially Anton Mzimba . You can learn more about the documentary he stars in, Rhino Man, here . We highly encourage you to follow @TheBlackM...

Our patrons voted: Walruses! Walruses ( Odobenus rosmarus )  are large pinnipeds that can be up to 11 feet long and weigh nearly 2 tons, with tusks up to a meter long extending from their mouths. They typically live in the arctic, meaning their interactions with humans are limited... But there are early accounts of walruses attacking humans, and even captive walruses are known to attack humans. We...