Our All-Animal Special: Jags, Crocs, Seals and Tasmanian Devils
Baby harp seal
This week: We present you with an all-animal podcast. We have stories about seals in Canada, crocs in Cambodia, Tasmanian devils in Australia, and jaguars in Panama.
Crocs at Risk: The Siamese crocodile was once a key part of Southeast Asia’s wetland ecosystems. Today, it is close to extinction. A new project in Cambodia is trying to bring them back. (You can see researchers wrestling Siamese crocs in this video from the BBC.)
Report: By the World’s Mary Kay Magistad in Cambodia.
Jaguar Corridors: National parks around the world provide important refuge for wildlife, but parks rarely provide enough space to ensure the survival of an entire species. This is especially true for large animals like jaguars. In Central America, scientists are trying to protect jaguars by identifying corridors the cats use to roam from park to park.
Report: By Julia Kumari Drapkin in Panama.
Tasmanian Devils in Trouble: The Tasmanian devil, known to many as a character in Bugs Bunny cartoons, is actually the world’s largest carnivorous marsupial. Already an endangered species, the creatures are now threatened by a killer disease. (For more on why Australia’s giant kangaroo, marsupial lion, and other megafauna went extinct about 50,000 years ago, try these links about overhunting, climate change, and fires.)
Report: By Jake Warga in Tasmania.
Harp Seals on the Ice: Millions of harp seals live in the Magdalen Islands in the Gulf of St Lawrence, off the coast of Quebec, Canada. They’re being affected by global warming, and they’re still being hunted.
Report: By The World’s Jeb Sharp in Quebec.
Music:
Every Beat of My Heart, by Booker T. and the MG’s
