I talk with two filmmakers who got up close and personal with Antarctic penguins.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

I take a journey up the Columbia River, where people, sea lions, orcas and salmon have a complicated relationship.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn how you can support The Wild and can get early access to new episodes and bonus content by going to our donation page.

In the 1800’s over 10 million salmon would return to the Columbia River that borders Washington and Oregon. Today that number is closer to two million. Many factors account for this change including lower water quality, a warmer climate and sea lions. Hundreds of sea lions gather at the base of the Bonneville Dam eating salmon that are trying to make their way up river to spawn. Humans are going to great lengths to scare off the sea lions in hopes of preserving the salmon run. Chris examines the tensions between man and animal, telling the story from the point of view of the sea lion.

I explore the ideas and controversies behind reintroducing grizzly bears to the North Cascades.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

There’s a big part of us that still is wild, a bigger part than we might imagine in this crazy modern world we’ve built around ourselves.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn how you can support The Wild and can get early access to new episodes and bonus content by going to our donation page.

Nature can lower your blood pressure, reduce depression and may even help fight cancer. Chris takes a walk in woods with forest therapist Julie Hepp and learns about the powers of nature. He also chats with author Florence Williams who has written extensively about the health benefits of forests and research being conducted in this growing field of study.

Just two hours from Rome is one of the richest ecosystems in Europe, a little island of mountains that to this day is home to wolves, wild boar and bears.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn how you can support The Wild and can get early access to new episodes and bonus content by going to our donation page.

Italy’s Lazio e Molise National Park, just two hours outside of Rome, has an incredible variety of wildlife: wolves, boar, red deer, roe deer, goat-antelope. It’s also home to about 50 European brown bears, the smaller cousins of the grizzly, and the world’s rarest subspecies of brown bear. Chris meets up with the “Italian Chris Morgan” for a tour of this island of wilderness.

I don't look for trouble, but I've gotten in enough to share how to stay safe in the wild.

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Learn how you can support The Wild and can get early access to new episodes and bonus content by going to our donation page.

When you’re outside hiking or camping and you encounter an animal, it’s important to understand what’s going on from the animal’s perspective. On today’s episode Chris will share people’s real life interactions with animals and discuss what they did right and what they should have done differently.

Here are links to the videos discussed on the episode capturing people’s surprising encounters with other creatures:

Brown bear encounter

Hiking with bears

Mountain biker meets mountain lion

Sea lion drags girl off dock

Gorillas in Uganda