The Wild with Chris Morgan

Like so many carnivores around the world, through history the Iberian lynx was persecuted as a menace or a threat to livestock and lifestyle: they were shot, poisoned, trapped, hunted. And misunderstood. The cats have those really characteristic long tufted ears, black spots dappled across their tawny coat and an old fashioned beard that can stretch down in two long triangles each side of their ch...

Shark reputations have never quite been the same since the movie Jaws came out nearly 50 years ago. Sharks face some very direct threats. They are killed for their prized fins and caught in fishing nets all over the world. 99% of some populations have already been wiped out. So how do you change hearts and minds about these feared but endangered creatures nearly half a century after the movie Jaws...

Anne Innis Dagg is a tough, straight-talking, trailblazing woman, dedicated to science and social justice. In 1956, she went to South Africa to study giraffes. She wrote a book after her time in Africa that is still considered to be the giraffe bible by many in the field. But there’s a good chance you don’t know her. She was actually in Africa observing wildlife before Jane Goodall. So why has she...

“So there are two important days in your life, the day that you're born, and the day you find out why. I know why I was born, for the owls. So I'm going to work with owls until my very last breath.” - David Johnson David is founder of the Global Owl Project to protect endangered owl species all over the world. And one lucky owl species that’s been David’s main focus for these past 12 years is the...

I do love a good border crossing, so join me as I travel to Northeast Portugal, into the Coa River Valley, to witness a really interesting story that is unfolding there. The dense old forests that were there are now mostly gone. Cut down and replaced with pastures for sheep and olive groves generations ago. And now the shepherds and other farmers are abandoning this region in droves. This checkere...

We’re back! I am so excited to share our new season with all of you. New episodes of THE WILD begin on Tuesday, January 18th. My team and I have been hard at work finding stories and interviewing passionate people who are making a difference for nature….and our planet. We’ve traveled the world this season to bring you stories about lynx in Spain, Caribbean sharks, owls that live underground and ev...

I hope you are having a lovely summer so far. Or winter if you’re south of the equator. THE WILD team is busy working on episodes for the next season. But I wanted to share something special with you that I think you’ll like. This is an episode from the podcast Living Planet from Deutsche Welle. They tell environment stories from around the world. In this episode they explore efforts to bring life...

Hey everybody….. I just wanted to say thanks for tuning into our third season of THE WILD. It’s been such a pleasure to share these stories and hear your reactions.  We’ve already started working on season 4. I am really  excited to bring you even more wonder from the natural world. It’s very rewarding tracking down interesting species, human characters and amazing places and turning the...

Rattlesnakes have long been persecuted, even killed for sport or having their entire dens burned. I head out with two wildlife biologists to look for rattlesnakes as they emerge from hibernation and learn about the important role these snakes play in our ecosystem. Take our listener survey by clicking the link here . You could be selected to get a WILD sticker. THE WILD is a joint production of my...

For an ecologist like me, Santa Cruz island is a bit of a dream. It is home to a quite famous fox. It is like no “apex predator” I’ve ever seen before. These aren’t the type of foxes you might see on the mainland. These island foxes are small, very small.  These foxes are endemic to the Channel Islands, meaning they are found here and nowhere else in the world. But about 20 years ago, people...

Hundreds, maybe even thousands of people have been involved in saving the California condor. We meet some of them in this episode, including a former gang member who has made it his life’s mission to help the birds he loves. California condors are so iconic that when I finally saw one in person, it felt a bit like meeting a movie star. Condors were one of 78 species listed on the original endanger...

Today, I’m talking with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant. Rae is a large carnivore ecologist and a fellow with the National Geographic Society . She is also a Research Faculty member at the Bren School of Environmental Science and Management at the University of California at Santa Barbara and the blend of her work is really fascinating. For 15 years she’s studied the behavior and ecology of black bears and afr...

Northern Sumatra is a magical tropical home to the endangered orangutan. But their rainforest home is being cut down, and many are orphaned as their habitat is lost. Researchers are working hard to understand how orangutans process and learn, while others rehabilitate young individuals for a life back in the wild. THE WILD is a joint production of myself and KUOW Public Radio. One way to support t...

The shrill calls of billions of Brood X cicadas emerging from the earth have captured the nation’s ears and attention this spring. But what do these noisy insects DO for the 17 years they live underground? In this episode we dig deep into that question. THE WILD is a joint production of myself and KUOW Public Radio. One way to support this vital work is through my wildlife organization, Chris Morg...

I hope you're enjoying spring wherever you are. I just wanted to let you know that we're taking a short break to work on some new episodes. We just got back from an incredible trip in California for two stories. One is about California condors, North America's biggest bird that almost became extinct and island foxes on the Channel Islands. We'll be back in June, which means that now is the perfect...

Something a little different this week everyone - WILD producer Matt Martin found a surprising story about an opportunity to do something good for one of the pacific northwest’s most important creatures....the salmon. In this episode, Matt uncovers what one city has done to help salmon. How they redesigned their built environment to benefit not just humans but wildlife too. And how it was all made...

Being a “bird brain” is a complement if you’re talking about ravens. They are smart. Their intelligence allows them to empathize and read emotions, which helps them survive. But it’s their ability to manipulate others, and even plan for the future that allows them to really thrive in the wild. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy i...

It’s springtime which means sunshine, picnics and flies. But you might think twice about reaching for that fly swatter. Flies are amazing creatures that possess the fastest visual systems in the world, use gyroscopes for precision flying, and can see almost 360 degrees. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This is a tough story to tell. In 2019 the last of the mountain caribou in the lower 48 states disappeared. Extinct. Deforestation threatens those that are left. Professional Wildlife tracker and photographer David Moskowitz takes us to the frigid mountains of British Columbia to learn about the ancient but fragile ecosystem these majestic reindeer call home. Support the show: https://www.patreon....

Over 60% of Belize is in a natural, wild state, but development is threatening the movements of the jaguars. In this episode, I'll meet the people who are trying to help protect these jungle cats. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There are only 350 scarlet macaws left in the wild in Belize. They face the threats of poaching and habitat lose. But let us introduce you to the passionate people determined to save these colorful birds. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

New episodes start on April 6th. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hi everyone. We’ve missed bringing you new episodes of The Wild, but that’s about to change. We’re kicking off our third season on April 6th. We’ve got lots of exciting wildlife adventures to share including a trip to Central America and the country of Belize. The  jungles are teaming with wildlife there. It’s one of the most bio-diverse places on the planet. I don’t want to give too much awa...

A few moments of reflection during these stressful times with the help of meditative sounds from nature. Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/c/ChrisMorganWildlife See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

We are all going through some challenging times, a pandemic, for Americans, an election whirlwind...or maybe other things in life. So, we wanted to give you a break, a chance to step away from the stress and into the wild. On this special episode of THE WILD we listen to a dawn chorus in Eastern Washington and ravens off the fog drenched shores of the Oregon coast. These sounds were recorded by Go...