Wildlife Wire

Tune in each week as wildlife advocates Samantha Miller and Mark Surls deliver the top 4 wildlife stories making waves across the U.S. and chat with humans making a difference for wild animals. From Florida panthers to Washington orcas and Colorado wolves to Montana grizzlies, Wildlife Wire is your go-to podcast for wildlife news and the humans who care about animals.

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Episodes

Monday Mar 10, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top four news stories of the week including:
River otters can be trapped for damage in Wyoming
Wally the beaver saved by advocates
Travel to the Savannah Wildlife Refuge
Wolf pups could be on the way in Colorado
Then, Scott Wilson, Wild Horse Photojournalist and 2022 Sony World Photography Awards Winner joins the pod to discuss wild horses, how we "manage" them, sterilization solutions, and how you can get involved in wild horse solutions.

Monday Mar 03, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top four wildlife news stories of the week, including:
Nutria nuggets?
Super pods of dolphins
UK beaver reintroductions
11 raptors poached in Beaver County, UT
Then, Renee Seacor, carnivore conservation director for Project Coyote, joins the pod to discuss the state of coyotes in 2025 legislative sessions across the United States.

Monday Feb 24, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top four wildlife news stories of the week, including:
Mysterious illness is sickening Florida Panthers
Wildlife crossings for red wolves
DOGE goes after the NPS
Then, Jad Davenport talks about his storied career, from local foxes to war zones, and photographing wolves and polar bears with Nat Geo.

Monday Feb 17, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top four wildlife news stories of the week, including:
Buffalo Restoration with the Tanka Fund
Former Wyoming Game and Fish director nominated by Trump to serve as the director of USFWS
Maybe dogs didn't need us at all to domesticate themselves
Snow fox: enjoy 17 seconds of pure bliss with a gorgeous video of red fox in winter
Then, Mandy Culbertson, communications director for Wildlife for All, joins the pod to discuss why the language we use when discussing wildlife "management" matters. Words matter document.
Frequently, wildlife managers sanitize language when discussing wild animals and during this episode we discuss frequently used words and what we should use instead to shift the narrative around wild animals.

Monday Feb 10, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top three wildlife news stories of the week, including:
Is otter trapping in Wyoming's future?
Avian flu is spreading, affecting wild birds the most
Two right whales make a baffling trip along the US Gulf Coast
Then, Carter Niemeyer joins the pod for an eye opening conversation. From his early years as a paid government trapper to his leadership in Yellowstone wolf reintroduction, Carter Niemeyer reveals how the government kills wild animals for livestock producers and how he turned from a trapper - a killer - into a champion of wolves.
Carter's new book, "The Other Ten Wolves: A Yellowstone Backstory" is coming to brick and mortar and online bookstores soon!

Monday Feb 03, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top 4 wildlife news stories of the week including:
Which is worse for wildlife, wind farms or off-shore drilling?
Montana considers increased wolf killing
Saudi Syndrome and the future of hunting in Colorado
Mountain lion tracking dog stranded overnight; saved by Search and Rescue
Then, an interview with R. Brent Lyles, executive director of the Mountain Lion Foundation. Brent discusses the biggest threats facing mountain lions in America today and how we can work together to help the species thrive.

Monday Jan 27, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top four wildlife news stories of the week, including:
Bobcats in Indiana will be trapped for the first time in over 50 years
Deer in Montana's Flathead County infected with CWD
Mountain lions are being hazed with hounds in Colorado
New pine marten research underway in Wisconsin 
Then, a fascinating discussion with Dr. Larry Taylor, a wildlife biologist, paleontologist, and talented wildlife photographer. During the week, Dr. Taylor is a biology professor, but when class is out, he spends more than 100 days annually photographing the wild animals of Yellowstone. Dr. Taylor discusses animal interactions that have left a lasting impression on him, and why biologists should consider individual animals and populations when making management decisions. 

Monday Jan 20, 2025

Mark and Sam discuss the top four wildlife stories in the United States this week:
A PSA from Mark and Project Coyote: It's coyote mating season!
Fears for border wildlife as Trump takes office
CPW concludes second year of wolf capture and release
An update on Tahlequah the Southern Resident Orca
Then, Mark and Sam are joined by wildlife biologist Gary Skiba of the San Juan Citizens Alliance to discuss his career as an agency wildlife biologist (including bighorn sheep!) and the politics of becoming a Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commissioner. 

Monday Jan 13, 2025

Join Mark and Sam for the top five wildlife news stories in the United States:
Commercial net pen aquaculture banned in the Puget Sound
California wildfires and wildlife impacts
Bald eagles are the national bird and die from lead poisoning
Grizzly bears retain their Endangered Species Act protections
Then, an interview with Dr. Susan Kane Roning, psychologist and co-Chair of the Washington Sierra Club Wildlife Committee, on the psychology behind wildlife abuse.
Why does our culture permit wolf whacking? What is the impact to bystanders? How does the dark triad interface with wildlife cruelty? And how advocates can be "upstanders" in situations of wildlife abuse.

Monday Jan 06, 2025

In this episode, Mark and Sam bring you the top 4 wildlife news stories making waves across the United States. From ensuring panthers can safely cross the road in Florida and grieving orcas to removing grizzly bears from the Endangered Species Act and the spread of ”zombie deer” disease, we explore the latest developments shaping our wild landscapes.
Then, we dive into a compelling interview with renowned ethologist Dr. Marc Bekoff, who sheds light on animal sentience and the emotional lives of creatures big and small. Our conversation takes a closer look at Colorado’s wolves, delving into their family lives, challenges, and what their return means for coexistence in the region.

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