The San Diego Zoo is home to several critically endangered species, and not just animals. We’re talking about plants, too! This week, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Zoo Horticulture Manager Christy Powell and Senior Plant Propagator Heinfried Block about orchids. You can find orchids on every continent except Antarctica, however conditions need to be just right—including having a special fungus around. Find out how our team is saving, protecting, and caring for orchids, the importance of symbiosis, and how you can visit the Orchid House.

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This week, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Dr. Kirstie Ruppert and Dr. Shifra Goldenberg about human and elephant conflict and coexistence. African elephants are invaluable to ecosystems and hold great cultural importance to Kenyans, but sometimes communities come into conflict with these giant mammals. Our guests talk about adaptability training and ways to balance the behavior of elephants and the needs of humans.

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California Panda Day is coming up on August 8th, so hosts Rick and Marco are headed to the Denny Sanford Panda Ridge to get an update on everyone’s favorite black and white bears at the San Diego Zoo. This week, they are speaking with Senior Wildlife Care Specialist Jessica Wagner about caring for Xin Bao and Yun Chuan. Tune in to learn about their pseudo thumbs, their behaviors, and how many pounds of food they can eat in a day (hint: it’s a lot)! 

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Did you know the longest day of the year in the western hemisphere—June 21—is also World Giraffe Day? In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco visit giraffes on the savanna at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park and speak with wildlife care specialist Natalie Sheridan to find out more about the world’s tallest land animal. Tune in to hear about adaptations that help giraffes thrive on the savannas of Africa, their unique behaviors, and the functions of their amazing spots.

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Having never been successfully domesticated, the Przewalski's horse is the only true wild horse of our time. This week, hosts Rick and Marco are speaking with Amanda Lussier about the Przewalski's horse and how the species went from being extinct in the wild to having populations reintroduced in Mongolia. Tune in to learn more about these horses and how zoos, conservation work, and science are helping save these amazing horses.

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In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco are headed back to the Frozen Zoo® to speak with its curator, Marlys Houck. This first-of-its-kind biobank began with a cell, and over the past 50 years it has grown to be the most extensive collection of its kind in the world, preserving living cell lines of mammals, birds, reptiles, aquatic wildlife, plants, and more. Discover how the trailblazing Frozen Zoo is preserving hope for the future of life on Earth.

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Wildlife conservation starts with people—of all ages. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Lisa Biasillo, vice president of wildlife education programs for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. The San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park have numerous programs that inspire and educate youths and adults, empowering them to become active in conservation so they can make a difference in their communities and around the world. Tune in to find out more about what they learn, and the importance of environmental literacy.

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April 26 is International Flamingo Day! To celebrate, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Wildlife Care Specialist Erin Massey to learn more about these long-legged birds. Do their knees really bend backwards? Why do they stand on one leg, and why are most of them pink? Tune in to find out, and learn about their mud nests, how flamingo parents share incubation duties, and how even males can make a form of milk!

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This year marks the 50th anniversary of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s Frozen Zoo®. To learn about its history, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Rolf Benirschke, son of Frozen Zoo founder Kurt Benirschke. Rolf explains the events that inspired his father to start the Frozen Zoo, the creative ways we can all help conservation without being a scientist, and Rolf’s Kicks for Critters, a charity he started during his time in the NFL.

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Welcome back to Amazing Wildlife! We are kicking off season 4 by learning all about meerkats. In this episode, Marco and Rick learn how a specific type of stress can make a meerkat family a more cohesive and healthier group. Senior Wildlife Care Specialist Lacy Pearson tells us about eustress, meerkat mobs, and how these social animals learn to work together.

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