Our Wild World

Giraffes have stirred the imagination of man since the earliest times. Painted on rocks by the bushmen, immortalized on tomb walls by the Egyptians, and given as gifts by Arab rulers to kings and emperors in Europe, India, and China, giraffes have long been revered for their gentleness, gracefulness, and beauty. Yet, for an animal that is instantly recognizable, there have been relatively few long-term scientific studies of giraffe compared to other keystone African species. In this podcast, listeners will learn about the sometimes surprising behavioral characteristics of giraffe, their physical attributes, communication skills, and status in the wild. We also give special mention to Dr. Anne Innis Dagg, who completed the first field study of giraffes in the wild in the 1950's.

Hyenas are amongst the most misunderstood and maligned animals, perhaps only rivaled by wolves, coyotes, and wild dogs. For too long, Africans and westerners have despised the hyena, viewing it as an ugly scavenger, when in fact, as we shall see, they are one of the most successful hunters in the animal kingdom. Hyenas possess many of the ethical principles that we admire most in the best human beings. Instead of fearing the hyena, and wanting to kill it, we need to develop a new ethos, based on factual knowledge, and give this amazing predator its due.

In this episode, you'll learn about the most feared animal in all of Africa. No, it isn't a lion, hippo, or crocodile. The Black Mamba, nicknamed Africa's Death Kisser, is legendary for being the world's deadliest snake. Its reputation is well deserved. Considered the world's deadliest snake, the black mamba is extremely fast and aggressive when threatened. It's bite is almost always fatal, and death occurs within 10 to 20 minutes. While effective black mamba antivenin does exist, it isn't widely available in rural Africa where most black mamba deaths occur. Because death can occur in as little as ten minutes after a black mamba bite, antivenom must be administered immediately for it to be effective. It seems that every veteran safari goer has a story or two about the black mamba. I'll share a few, as well as the extremely close encounter my wife and I had with a Black Mamba in 2022. It's one of the best black mamba stories I've ever heard, and we lived to tell it.

In this episode, we will learn all about the three species of zebras – the Plains, Mountain, and Grevy's zebras. We will explore the physical and behavioral similarities between the species. Their social organization, habitats, ranges, diets, and their threats to survival will all be discussed. Finally, no discussion of zebras can be complete without addressing the various theories as to the function of those incredible stripes which make the zebra so endearing.

Cheetahs have long captured our the imagination of humans, and were frequently depicted in the artwork of the ancient Egyptians and San Bushmen of the Kalahari. As the fastest mammal on earth, cheetahs have an athletic body – long legs, a small, round head, slim torso, flexible spine, and semi-retractable claws. They can run breathtakingly fast – up to 70 mph (113 kph) – a speed they can reach astonishingly fast, in just three seconds. Cheetahs are more successful at killing prey than any of the other African cats. They are second only to wild dogs as the most successful predators. Cheetahs are successful at killing their prey about 70 percent of the time, an astonishingly high success rate for predators. Because they most typically hunt alone, cheetahs rarely take down prey larger than themselves. In this podcast, listeners will learn all about this fascinating predator.

In this podcast, we will learn about African buffalo, a formidable animal with a well-deserved reputation for being grumpy and unpredictable. The nicknames given to African buffalo reflect their formidable strength, short-temper, and unpredictability: Black Death, Widow Maker, and the Mafia of the Bush. Some Pygmy groups in Cameroon avoid buffalo because of a commonly held belief that it is inhabited by powerful evil spirits. We will introduce the different species of buffalo, their social organization, behavior, range, physical attributes, and their current status in the wild.

Leopards have the widest range of any of the great cats and can be found in any landscape from sea level to 17,000 feet. Their range includes all of sub-Saharan Africa and west of the Kalahari Desert as well as the Middle East and Asia. Yet, many a safari goer can attest that they are exceedingly hard to find on safari. This is because they are very shy, solitary, and do most of their hunting at night. Because they do not have a pack to depend on, leopards have to guard their kills against both lions and hyenas. Leopards are expert climbers and will drag their carcasses as high as 50 feet into the trees. Listen to this podcast and discover this elusive Prince of Stealth.

In this episode, Part 3 of the Gorillas in Our Midst miniseries, you'll hear about the amazing treks my wife and I made to see the mountain gorillas that Dian Fossey studied at Volcanoes National Park in Rwanda, and the mountain gorillas of Uganda's Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Of course, along the way, we will also learn more about the behavior of mountain gorillas. If you haven't listened to the first two episodes, I encourage you to do so. Part 1 detailed my 1991 trip to see lowland gorillas at Kahuzi-Biega National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, as well as my detention by Rwandan soldiers for taking a picture of the Presidential Palace. Part 2 focused on the life and work of ?Dian Fossey, and explored her still unsolved death detailing my conversations with her former lover, National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell, and her biographer, Canadian conservationist Farley Mowat. Be sure to check out the sister Facebook, Instagram, BlueSky or X pages for pictures accompanying this podcast.

This special three part miniseries from Our Wild World explores both lowland and mountain gorillas can be listened to in any order. Part 2 begins with the life and legacy of the American primatologist Dian Fossey – no one loved gorillas more. By the time Dian Fossey began her study of mountain gorillas in 1966, the species was well on the way to extinction due to poaching and habitat loss. Dian Fossey's groundbreaking research of mountain gorillas and her battles to save them will be featured. Fossey's active conservationism gained her much acclaim as well as some fierce enemies. Fossey was murdered the day after Christmas on December 26th, 1985. This episode becomes the only true crime podcast in the series as we investigate Fossey's still unsolved murder. I'll share with viewers my conversation with Fossey's lover, National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell, and my correspondence with her biographer, famed Canadian conservationist and author Farley Mowat, as well as American diplomats stationed in Kigali, Rwanda in the 1990s as to who may have killed her. My conversations with Bob Campbell and Farley Mowat have never appeared anywhere else. Part 2 also includes the fascinating story of Koko the gorilla, and the research Francine Patterson did teaching Koko American Sign Language and proving the intelligence of these amazing sentient beings. Part 1 introduced this misunderstood species. It took listeners back to Rwanda and Zaire in 1991. In Part 1 I told the harrowing story of how I almost became one of the first victims of the Rwandan genocide. Unknowingly, I took pictures of the Presidential Palace in Kigali, Rwanda. I was accused of being the wrong kind of guerrilla, a rebel from Uganda, and detained by soldiers. Then, I shared my trek to see the lowland gorillas at Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Congo (what was then Zaire). While the conservation of mountain gorillas has been a true success story, the lowland gorillas sadly are disappearing fast. They have the bad luck of being located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which has always been a very unstable, war-torn region. Part 1 also featured my meeting with legendary German conservationist Conrad Aveling deep in the bush of the Congo. Part 3 will feature more research on the fascinating lives of mountain gorillas, and I'll share our trek to see the descendants of the mountain gorillas Fossey studied at Volcanoes National Park in 2017. Part 3 then turns to Uganda's Impenetrable Forest and tracking gorillas there. Check out our companion Facebook and Instagram sites for pictures my wife and I have taken in the bush.

In this special three part miniseries from Our Wild World, we will explore the behavior of both lowland and mountain gorillas. For many of us of a certain age, the first gorilla we ever became aware of was King Kong, scaling the Empire State Building and batting airplanes and helicopters like they were no more than bothersome flies. The film reflects the prevailing misconception of gorillas that dated back to their discovery in the mid-19th century as being fierce, even monstrous creatures. Almost as soon as they were discovered, European and American trophy hunters began hunting them. By the time Dian Fossey began her study of mountain gorillas in 1966, the species was well on the way to extinction due to poaching and habitat loss. Part 1 introduces this misunderstood species. I'll take listeners back to Rwanda and Zaire in 1991. I'll tell the harrowing story of how I almost became one of the first victims of the Rwandan genocide. Unknowingly, I took pictures of the Presidential Palace in Kigali, Rwanda. I was accused of being the wrong kind of guerrilla, a rebel from Uganda, and detained by soldiers. Then, I'll share my trek to see the lowland gorillas at Kahuzi Biega National Park in the Congo (what was then Zaire). While the conservation of mountain gorillas has been a true success story, the lowland gorillas sadly are disappearing fast. They have the bad luck of being located in the Democratic Republic of the Congo which has always been a very unstable, war torn region. It was in 1991 as well when I took my trip there. In this episode, I will also describe my meeting with legendary German conservationist Conrad Aveling. Part 2 will explore Dian Fossey's groundbreaking research of mountain gorillas, her battles to save them, and her untimely, still unsolved death. I'll investigate her death by sharing with listeners who Fossey's lover, National Geographic photographer Bob Campbell, suspected was her killer as well as my correspondence with her biographer, famed Canadian conservationist Farley Mowat, and what the American diplomats stationed in Kigali, Rwanda in 1991 told me. Part 2 will also include the fascinating story of Koko the gorilla, and the research Francine Patterson did teaching Koko American Sign Language and proving the intelligence of these amazing sentient beings. In Part 3, I will recount tracking the mountain gorillas, descendants of the family members Fossey studied, at Volcanoes National Park in 2017. Then, I will detail our trek into Uganda's Impenetrable Forest to see mountain gorillas there. This episode will include more research on the complex social behavior and lives of mountain gorillas. Check out our companion Facebook and Instagram sites for pictures my wife and I have taken in the bush.