Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Yun Chuan and Xin Bao have been at the San Diego Zoo for a few months, so hosts Rick and Marco wanted to check out how they are adapting to their new surroundings. To do so, our hosts are visiting Panda Ridge and speaking with Nicki Boyd, curator of mammals, ambassadors, and applied behavior at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to find out more about their new habitats and the benefits of outcome-based husbandry. Additionally, the S...

International Vulture Awareness Day was earlier this month, so hosts Rick and Marco are speaking to Kim Caldwell, wildlife care supervisor at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, about this incredible bird of prey. Learn more about the San Diego Zoo Safari Park’s partnership with vulture rehabilitation organization Vulpro and how they are working to protect this misunderstood bird by finding ways to protect vulture populations from poi...

When most of us are asleep, there is a dedicated team at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park taking care of the wildlife. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Oliver Zirbel, supervisor of the Overnight Wildlife Care Team. What does a shift look like for someone who works overnight at the Safari Park? Tune in to find out more about this emerging program and what our team has learned about the nocturnal behavior of wildlife.

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We recently talked about carnivorous cats and birds, but plants can be carnivorous, too! In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco find out more about insect-gobbling plants from San Diego Zoo lead horticulturalist, Adam Painter. What makes plants like the Venus fly trap so appealing to their prey? Tune in to learn more about the San Diego Zoo’s collection of these beautiful and deadly plants.

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With two new giant pandas at the San Diego Zoo, there is a need for a lot of bamboo! The Horticulture team plays a big role in keeping much of the wildlife at the Zoo well-fed, and that includes the giant pandas. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Adam Graves, director of horticulture for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. How does this team keep up with our giant pandas’ demand for this fast-growing plant? How many kin...

While we have many conservation programs inside the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park, our efforts span the world. This week, hosts Rick and Marco speak with Greg Vicino, vice president of wildlife care at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, about building relationships and working with local communities to strengthen conservation efforts. Tune in to learn more about some of the conservation success stories as well as the on...

The San Diego Zoo has a long history with the giant panda, and there are two pandas coming to the zoo soon! The zoo is working with partners in China to research and promote the sustained recovery of this bamboo-eating species, and Rick and Marco have so many questions about their return. Today they are speaking with Megan Owen, vice president of wildlife conservation science for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to learn more about...

National Capybara Appreciation Day is just around the corner! To celebrate, Rick and Marco speak with Senior Wildlife Care Specialist Kimberly Hyde to find out more about the world’s largest rodent. This South American water-loving mammal might be known for its cuteness factor, but it also helps support a healthy ecosystem. Tune in to find out lots of fun facts, including how long they can hold their breath underwater. 

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When you think of carnivorous birds, you probably imagine an eagle or a falcon, but did you know storks are carnivorous too? Hosts Rick and Marco visit the Bird Conservation Center at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to speak with Senior Wildlife Care Specialist Miranda Estensen. While the milky stork is native to the mangroves of Southeast Asia, it is also endangered. The San Diego Zoo Safari Park has taken the lessons learned from t...

Rick and Marco highlight a rare and unusual species that's known as a “spiny anteater.” It's the egg-laying echidna! Our hosts are joined by San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance senior wildlife care specialists Jen Lebeau and Adam Murdoch to discuss one of the newest species at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We learn about puggles (baby echidnas), how courtship behaviors contribute to the breeding process, and why only the male echidnas...

Endangered Species Day is May 17, and in this episode, hosts Rick and Marco talk about species that need our help. From the ālula plant to the axolotl salamander, many species around the world have seen their numbers drastically decline. There is good news, though, because there are steps we can take to help safeguard ecosystems and create sustainable populations. Tune in to find out how conservationists are coming together to supp...

Spring is fluttering by! It’s April, and that means Butterfly Jungle is currently open at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. In this episode, we are talking with the McKinney Family Curator of Invertebrates, Paige Howorth, about butterflies and butterfly conservation. We know so little about invertebrates in comparison to other wildlife, yet they are the backbone of our ecosystem.The butterfly population faces many challenges, and host...

Who’s in charge here? In this episode we are talking all about the female's role in leading the group, troop, herd, or family with Kristi Burtis, vice president of wildlife care at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Rick, Marco, and Kristi discuss the role of the females in lions, gorillas, elephants, meerkats, lemurs, and even killer whales! We learn how some of these females lead as matriarch or as an influencer. The hosts and Kristi...

Welcome to Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife! Hosts Rick and Marco are joined by a returning friend of the show, Kim Gray, the curator of herpetology and ichthyology (reptiles, amphibians, and fish) at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. Oftentimes, people have some fears around snakes, but Kim shares the misconceptions about the king cobra, who is the top predator in their environment. So, if we can conserve their habitat, we can save a l...

In the season finale, Rick and Marco take a trip to the San Diego Zoo Safari Park Biodiversity Reserve to speak with Charlie de la Rosa, Ph.D., natural lands manager for San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. This 900-acre preserve in San Diego's North County supports large expanses of coastal sage scrub vegetation along two regionally important wildlife corridors. Here, in the most biodiverse county in the continental United States, we ...

Amazing Wildlife spotlights the only native aquatic turtle species in California, the Pacific pond turtle. Rick and Marco are joined by Kim Gray, curator of herpetology and ichthyology at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, to find out why protecting and conserving these turtles will help our ecosystems as well. You’ll hear why this species is also called the Western pond turtle, learn about the riparian zone of an ecosystem, and disc...