As Earth Day turns 55 this year, it seemed like a good moment to reflect on WCS’s mission to protect wildlife and wild places. Why does the protection of biodiversity carry with it so many other benefits for people and the planet? What are the approaches that work and what are the challenges? And what can the average person do to make it a priority in their lives? WCS Wild Audio knew just the right person to ask.

Reporting: Nat Moss

Guest: Dr. Elizabeth Bennett

In Part 3 of our series featuring the inaugural REEL WILD New York Film Festival, which launches in New York City this week, we talk to the hosts of the popular television series Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom “Protecting the Wild.” They’ll be on hand for the screening of several of the show’s episodes in an exciting and inviting family-friendly program on Saturday, April 5. 

Reporting: Nat Moss

Guests: Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, Peter Gros

To learn more about the festival and purchase tickets, go to https://www.wcs.org/reelwild

In the second episode of our three-part series on WCS's REEL WILD New York Film Festival, we go behind the scenes to uncover the inspiration behind this inaugural event celebrating remarkable filmmakers and extraordinary wildlife stories from around the globe. 

From Namibia’s resilient desert lions to a massive annual walrus gathering in the Russian Arctic, this year’s lineup aims not only to captivate audiences but also to spark meaningful conservation action. Hannah Kaplan has this report.

Get your tickets for The REEL WILD™ NEW YORK Film Festival: reelwild.org

Reporting: Hannah Kaplan

Guests: Natalie Cash, John Calvelli 

This spring, the inaugural WCS-curated REEL WILD New York Film Festival comes to Manhattan. Taking place April 4-5, this two-day event showcases award-winning natural history films and offers a unique chance to hear directly from the filmmakers and experts behind the stories. In the first of a 3-part series on the festival, we look at one of those films, the 2022 Oscar-nominated documentary “Haulout,” which explores the impact of climate change on walrus habitat in the Arctic.

Reporting: Nat Moss

Guests: Evgenia Arbugaeva, Martin Robards, Jonathan Slaght, Natalie Cash

Learn more about the festival and purchase tickets at: https://www.wcs.org/reelwild.

[Parts of this episode originally aired in March 2023.]

The Bronx Zoo’s Herpetology Team cares for a number of venomous snakes at the zoo’s World of Reptiles. As professionals, they know what they’re doing. Just in case, though, the zoo team keeps antivenom on site and a thorough plan in place to address any potential emergencies. Fortunately, it hasn’t been needed any time in recent memory. Instead, that antivenom, and the team, are helping to save lives outside the zoo through an impactful partnership with nearby NYC Health and Hospitals–Jacobi.

Reporting: Dan Rosen

Guests: Kevin Torregrosa, Dr. Joshua Z. Silverberg