Creature Meets Culture

Debbie and Haley are here for a safari! In 1962, the first (of many) expeditions took off to rescue the Arabian Oryx, a species facing extinction due to excessive hunting. What would follow would be one of the remarkable conservation comeback stories we've told so far on the show. The Arabian Oryx still faces real challenges today, making it an important time to bring this conversation to the forefront.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://e360.yale.edu/digest/species_behind_unicorn_legend_back_from_brink_of_extinction_iucn_says

https://ead.gov.ae/Discover-Our-Biodiversity/Mammals/Arabian-oryx

https://www.phoenixzoo.org/blog/zoo-news/saving-species-arabian-oryx/

https://ead.gov.ae/Discover-Our-Biodiversity/Mammals/Arabian-oryx

https://cob.silverchair.com/jeb/article-pdf/204/13/2301/1238166/2301.pdf

https://iucn.org/sites/default/files/import/downloads/arabian_oryx_factsheet.pdf

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Oryx_leucoryx

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/influence-of-ambient-temperature-on-diurnal-activity-of-arabian-oryx-implications-for-reintroduction-site-selection/8668AE36BF882ABF5726C5D1C0090F67

https://nationalredlist.org/node/35620

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/look-at-threatened-species/24948A019C1F38678154EFA966519092

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300002015

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/operation-oryx-the-three-stages-of-captive-breeding/B027C7538E00A67745D95B776FD39EDD

https://www.cambridge.org/core/services/aop-cambridge-core/content/view/0DD7CF0141DAA537BB80C0846627D25A/S0030605300001769a.pdf/editorial_notes.pdf

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300002404

https://www.phoenixzoo.org/blog/zoo-news/saving-species-arabian-oryx/

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300003136

https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198204/the.yalooni.transfer.htm

https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605300011959

https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/654

https://www.britishomani.org/events/bos/forty-five-years-with-the-harasiis-of-the-jiddat-il-harasiis

https://archive.aramcoworld.com/issue/198204/return.of.the.oryx.htm

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/arabian-oryx-reintroduction-in-oman-successes-and-setbacks/B52D89DD9B8AF520DA9CD5D6A4378C0A

https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/oryx/article/operation-oryxthe-success-continues/3BA98C5AD57D646A321D8972FBE73C50

https://whc.unesco.org/en/soc/2316

Animal shelters are built into the fabric of our society...but how did they get their start? Debbie brings Haley an episode about Britain's first animal shelter, The Temporary Home for Lost and Starving Dogs. When Mary Tealby started the home in 1860, she had no way of knowing she was creating what would become the building blocks for institutions that would save the lives of countless animals. Join us as we travel back in time to the world's first recorded animal shelter and have a lot of good conversations on the nuance of animal rescue and just how far we've come.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/animal/dog

https://www.cam.ac.uk/research/news/how-the-dog-found-a-place-in-the-family-home-from-the-victorian-age-to-ours

https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/22989958.mystery-huntingdon-born-founder-battersea-dogs-cats-home/

https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/22989958.mystery-huntingdon-born-founder-battersea-dogs-cats-home/

https://jvc.oup.com/2015/10/05/philip-howell-mary-tealby-and-the-battersea-dogs-and-cats-home/

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol8/pp29-37

https://www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/our-history

https://branchcollective.org/?p=3031

https://victorianweb.org/history/animals/rescue.html

https://www.londonremembers.com/subjects/58529

https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-vii/page-493.html

https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-vii/page-495.html

https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-vii/page-496.html

https://www.djo.org.uk/all-the-year-round/volume-vii/page-497.html

https://www.huntspost.co.uk/news/22989958.mystery-huntingdon-born-founder-battersea-dogs-cats-home/

https://www.islington.media/news/battersea-dogs-home-founder-to-be-honoured-with-people-s-plaque

https://www.biggleswadehistory.org.uk/research-2/research/people/mary-tealby/

https://www.british-history.ac.uk/vch/middx/vol8/pp29-37

https://www.battersea.org.uk/about-us/our-history

https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/26003/data.pdf

https://warwick.ac.uk/services/library/mrc/collections/digital/unionjournals/railway_review/bread/dogbite

https://wellcomecollection.org/works/uwd7at2q

https://elizabethhawksley.com/a-visit-to-the-battersea-dogs-home-1891/

https://branchcollective.org/?p=3031

https://www.islington.media/news/battersea-dogs-home-founder-to-be-honoured-with-people-s-plaque

Debbie brings another bird episode to Haley because we just can't get enough! Today we're learning about Rosalie Edge, a fierce advocate for birds who held the Audubon Society accountable in the 1930s. During a time when the conservation group wasn't holding hunting groups accountable and wasn't standing up for species. Join us as we learn about her prolific work for bird advocacy. One of her most lasting accomplishments is Hawk Mountain, a piece of land she purchased to keep gunners from excessively hunting migrating hawks. To this day, they welcome 60,000 visitors a year and hold the longest-running raptor migration count in the world.

Editor's note: At the end of the episode, I state that Rosalie died ten years after the annual Audubon gala in 1962. She died ten days after the event, on November 30, 1962, at the age of 85.

Let's Connect:

Insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/id

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Broad-winged_Hawk/lifehistory

https://www.hawkmountain.org/visit/events/autumn-hawk-migration

https://pabook.libraries.psu.edu/literary-cultural-heritage-map-pa/bios/edge__rosalie_barrow

https://www.hawkmountain.org/download/?id=5359&dl=1

https://montanafreepress.org/2024/09/26/how-rosalie-edge-transformed-yellowstone-predator-revolution/

https://www.audubon.org/florida/about-us/history-audubon-florida

https://archives.nypl.org/mss/2099

https://www.boone-crockett.org/bc-member-spotlight-t-gilbert-pearson

https://www.aba.org/birding_archive_files/v37n2p186.pdf

https://www.adventure-journal.com/2019/11/how-rosalie-edge-became-the-firebrand-conscience-of-american-conservation/

https://www.audubon.org/news/getting-over-rosalie

https://www.lindahall.org/about/news/scientist-of-the-day/rosalie-edge/

https://www.hawkmountain.org/about/who-we-are

https://rachelcarsoncouncil.org/about-rcc/about-rachel-carson/rachel-carson-and-hawk-mountain/

https://www.hawkmountain.org/conservation-science

Debbie brings Haley another bird episode! We've got fancy hate, old time-y drama, and women who change the world for birds! We're diving into the story of Harriet Hemenway and Minna Hall and the birth of the Audubon Society.

Let's Connect:

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.audubon.org/art/birds-of-america/snowy-heron-or-white-egret

https://www.nps.gov/guis/learn/nature/snowy-egret.htm

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Snowy_Egret/lifehistory

https://www.allaboutbirds.org/guide/Great_Egret/overview

https://www.nps.gov/ever/learn/nature/greategret.htm

https://www.vam.ac.uk/blog/projects/female-founders-of-the-royal-society-for-the-protection-of-birds

https://fashionhistory.fitnyc.edu/1880-1889/

https://web.stanford.edu/group/stanfordbirds/text/essays/Plume_Trade.html

https://www.audubon.org/magazine/hat-tip-women-who-started-modern-bird-conservation-us

https://www.massaudubon.org/about/history

https://www.theodorerooseveltcenter.org/encyclopedia/conservation/george-bird-grinnell/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/migratory-bird-act-anniversary-keeping-feathers-off-hats-180969077/

https://www.lindahall.org/experience/digital-exhibitions/drawn-from-nature/04-the-audubon-societies/

https://www.fws.gov/story/2020-03/harriet-hemenway

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/how-two-women-ended-the-deadly-feather-trade-23187277/

https://www.bwht.org/explore/home-of-harriet-hemenway/

https://www.masshist.org/collection-guides/view/fa0368

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/migratory-bird-act-anniversary-keeping-feathers-off-hats-180969077/

https://www.fws.gov/story/how-two-people-saved-millions-birds

https://www.audubon.org/about/history

https://archives.nypl.org/mss/2099

Haley has already told us all about Jackie and Shadow (catch up with episode 30 if you haven't already), but there's been a lot happening with our beloved Big Bear Bald Eagles, and Haley has all the tea for us. Heads up, it's not a very cheery update, but there is a whole lot to get caught up on! So buckle up an join us!

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.ojairaptorcenter.org/

https://friendsofbigbearvalley.org/

We've got a special guest today, people! Debbie is joined by her lovely and very supportive Max, who listens to the story of the time in history when government employees brought 76 beavers up into a plane and dropped them in parachutes! What started as a project to relocate beavers out of populated areas without killing them turned into a conservation tactic to restore ecosystems back to their intended condition that is only made possible with the presence of beavers.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

Heter's scientific record:

https://archive.org/details/Transplanting_Beavers_By_Airplane_And_Parachute_Elmo_W_Heter_1950.pdf

General:

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/beaver

https://www.britannica.com/animal/beaver

https://www.fws.gov/story/beavers-work-improve-habitat

https://www.nwf.org/Educational-Resources/Wildlife-Guide/Mammals/American-Beaver

https://animaldiversity.org/accounts/Castor_canadensis/

https://defenders.org/blog/2023/06/original-ecosystem-engineers-beavers

https://esajournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/eap.2225

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/air-space-magazine/beavers-on-parachutes-144129480/

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/why-beavers-were-parachuted-into-the-idaho-wilderness

https://www.spokesman.com/stories/2023/dec/18/its-been-75-years-since-idaho-parachuted-beavers-i/

https://methowbeaverproject.org/get-involved/

https://www.beaverinstitute.org/help-us-help-beavers/donate/

https://www.slobeaverbrigade.com/2024/02/01/cdfw-beaver-restoration-program-needs-our-help/

Debbie brings Haley a story about whales that helped bring us whale protection laws we still depend on today. When an album exclusively comprised of whale songs was released in 1970, only a few biologists understood the impact the project could have internationally. Their predictions and hope became a reality as people around the world connected with the unique, relaxing, and sometimes melodic sounds of humpback whales.

The album resonated with enough people to incite change for whaling laws. In 1982, the International Whaling Commission voted to pause commercial whaling of all species and populations, with the ban officially taking effect for the 1985/86 whaling season. That moratorium technically remains in effect today.

Let's connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

How to Get Involved:

Ocean Alliance: https://whale.org/adopt-a-whale/

Happywhale: Take a picture of a whale and upload it. Their system matches it against a database to identify a speicifc whale and track its movements over time! https://happywhale.com/

NOAA's Ocean Alert app (to report whale sightings) https://oceantoday.noaa.gov/help-whales/

Entanglement Hotline: https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/marine-life-distress/report-entangled-marine-mammal

Support Responsible Whale Watchers: https://whalesense.org/

General Sources:

https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/species/humpback-whale

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/humpback-songs-archival-save-the-whales-ceti-roger-payne

https://mauinow.com/2021/02/08/a-whale-of-a-tale-roger-paynes-album-of-humpback-songs-still-resonates-50-years-later/

https://www.npr.org/2015/08/06/427851306/it-took-a-musicians-ear-to-decode-the-complex-song-in-whale-calls

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1439-0310.1988.tb00718.x

https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.173.3997.585

https://www.loc.gov/static/programs/national-recording-preservation-board/documents/Songs-of-the-Humpback-Whale.pdf

https://whale.org/history-and-legacy/dr-payne/

https://www.greenpeace.org/international/story/60218/roger-payne-whale-songs-listening-remembering/

https://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/what-is-on-voyagers-golden-record-73063839/

https://iwc.int/management-and-conservation/whaling/commercial

https://iere.org/which-countries-hunt-whales/

https://uk.whales.org/2026/06/22/fin-whaling-in-iceland-resumes/

Debbie brings Haley a true rags-to-riches story. When American Serviceman Lee Duncan rescued a littler of puppies and their mother from a bombed German kennel center in France in 1918, no one could have predicted that one of those puppies would become a world-renowned silent film star. Lee Duncan adopted Rin Tin Tin and took him back to Los Angeles when the war ended, starting the pup's famous movie career. Join us as we take a trip to 1920's Hollywood and the wild (but true!) story of Rin Tin Tin.

Let's Connect:

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/dog-breeds/german-shepherd-dog-history/

https://gsdca.org/breed-history/

https://www.webmd.com/pets/dogs/cm/what-to-know-about-german-shepherds

https://www.mwdtsa.org/german-shepherd-dogs-military-brief-historical-overview/

https://www.military.com/daily-news/investigations-and-features/2025/10/22/rescued-wwi-battlefield-dog-became-hollywoods-biggest-star-and-saved-warner-bros-bankruptcy.html

https://www.npr.org/2011/09/24/140746523/rin-tin-tin-from-battlefield-to-hollywood-a-story-of-friendship

https://www.britannica.com/topic/Rin-Tin-Tin

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/object/nmah_1802879

https://www.thewrap.com/rin-tin-tin-oscar-win-first-best-actor/

https://www.npr.org/2011/09/29/140808201/rin-tin-tin-the-dog-who-never-died

https://www.npr.org/2012/11/02/164131783/rin-tin-tin-a-silent-film-star-on-four-legs

Debbie brings Haley a story that is so unfathomable you will either think 1. they had to have made this up (we didn't) or 2. how haven't I heard about this yet?

In 1981, a ranch dog named Shep killed a small animal likely burrowing in his owner's backyard. But that small animal was a black-footed ferret, a species that had been believed to be extinct for years and that biologists had dedicated decades to trying to revive.

Join us as we tell this story in awe of the persistence of conservationists, scientists, and the species that just wouldn't give up.

Let's Connect!

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

Adopt a Ferret: https://gifts.worldwildlife.org/gift-center/gifts/Species-Adoptions/Black-footed-Ferret

Ferret Cam: https://nationalzoo.si.edu/webcams/black-footed-ferret-cam

Support Ferret Organizations:

https://defenders.org/wildlife/black-footed-ferret

https://www.blackfootedferret.org/donations.html

https://www.fws.gov/office/national-black-footed-ferret-conservation-center/visit-us/locations/national-black-footed-ferret-conservation-center

Travis Livieri: https://prairiewildlife.org/

General:

https://www.fws.gov/species/black-footed-ferret-mustela-nigripes

https://www.fws.gov/sites/default/files/documents/historic-news-releases/1981/19811106B.PDF

https://www.fws.gov/story/new-hope-ferrets

https://www.fws.gov/story/cloned-black-footed-ferret-kits-offer-hope-species

https://www.fws.gov/story/2023-05/partnership-brings-black-footed-ferret-back-home

https://www.fws.gov/office/national-black-footed-ferret-conservation-center/visit-us/locations/national-black-footed-ferret-conservation-center

https://www.azgfd.com/2026/03/16/endangered-black-footed-ferrets-released-in-northern-arizona/

https://nationalzoo.si.edu/animals/black-footed-ferret

https://reviverestore.org/projects/black-footed-ferret/

https://www.blackfootedferret.org/donations.html

https://defenders.org/blog/2013/10/endangered-ferrets-return-fort-belknap

https://www.worldwildlife.org/species/black-footed-ferret/

https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1049&context=gpwdcwp

In this week's episode, Savanna brings Debbie a story most of us have seen images of Smokey the Bear in fire-prone areas across the country. But the true tale dates back to the 1940s and involves a large team dedicated to reducing the number of wildfires.

Let's Connect:

insta: @creaturemeetsculture

[email protected]

Sources:

https://www.britannica.com/animal/black-bear

https://smokeybear.com/