Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

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Did you know that in the world of elephants the females are the ones in charge? Or that a grizzly bear's bite is strong enough to crush a bowling ball? Amazing Wildlife gives a behind-the-scenes look inside the San Diego Zoo and San Diego Zoo Safari Park to gain insight on rare species and to explore the ongoing conservation efforts to save endangered wildlife no matter how big or small. Join us as hosts Rick Schwartz and now Marco Wendt transport listeners around the globe to highlight the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s collaborative efforts with local communities to drive positive change for the future of animals and plants. Through one-of-a-kind stories, you’ll hear what it takes to create a healthy next chapter for not only wildlife, but also for the people that share their habitats.

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Our Editor's Take

Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast celebrates nature and wildlife conservation. The series debuted in 2021 and features stories and facts about nature. Rick Schwartz and Marco Wendt are the animal-loving hosts. They share their love for wildlife in every episode.

Schwartz and Wendt bring decades of experience to this podcast. Schwartz is a spokesperson for the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. He often appears on TV to advocate for conservation. He has had segments on Live with Kelly & Ryan, The Today Show, and The Late Late Show with James Corden.

Wendt has spent more than two decades in animal care and education. He has worked with the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance since 1998. Before he joined in the second season, Ebone Monet cohosted the show.

Amazing Wildlife airs live every two weeks. Each half-hour episode presents fascinating details about the natural world. This podcast also explores conservation efforts and the importance of a diverse ecosystem. Topics have included caterpillar metamorphosis and efforts to protect mane-less lions in Kenya. Other episodes have focused on sleepy koalas and venomous vipers.

The podcast welcomes experts to talk about various nature-related topics. The celebrated conservationist Dr. Jane Goodall discussed the value of preservation efforts. Other guests have included wildlife specialists Breanne Murray and Catie Aubuchon. The hosts have insightful conversations based on their guests’ specialties. They have talked about swimming rattlesnakes, the lives of polar bears, and more.

Amazing Wildlife maintains a balance between education and entertainment. The hosts want to bring the wonder of nature to their listeners. As such, the podcast focuses on finding solutions to problems in nature. Listeners can also read episode summaries at the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance website.

Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast celebrates the beauty and complexity of nature. It blends storytelling, facts, and engaging chats. Each episode offers a new way for listeners to fall in love with the natural world all around them.

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Play Trailer

Announcing Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Announcing Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Amazing Wildlife is returning for season 3 starting Friday March 15! From the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, hosts Marco Wendt and Rick Schwartz will spotlight the heroes working worldwide to care for the species we know and love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Episodes

Standing Tall with Milky Stork Conservation

Standing Tall with Milky Stork Conservation

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 the California condor breeding program to help the current population of milky storks. Tune in to find out how the Bird Conservation Center and Avian Propagation Center have worked together to help our long-legged friend.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Spiny Anteater That’s Not an Anteater

The Spiny Anteater That’s Not an Anteater

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 are Ambassadors at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We also find out more about its prickly spines, which resemble a porcupine’s quills, and how it protects itself in the wild.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Endangered Species Day – Celebrate Conservation Successes

Endangered Species Day – Celebrate Conservation Successes

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 support these plants and animals and how you can make a difference.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Earth Day, Every Day

Earth Day, Every Day

Earth Day is celebrated on April 22, but around here, every day is Earth Day. In this episode, hosts Rick and Marco discuss the origins of Earth Day and why it was first established in 1970. After starting in the U.S., the holiday is now observed in many nations around the world. Listen in to learn how preserving the environment benefits humans and wildlife alike. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Fluttery Friends Need Your Help, Too

Fluttery Friends Need Your Help, Too

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 hosts Rick and Marco learn from Paige about how we can all help our fluttery friends survive and thrive.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Leadership of the Matriarch

Leadership of the Matriarch

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 unpack how it’s the behaviors and actions of a single female and not brute strength that can lead an entire family of animals.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Adventures of a King Cobra

Adventures of a King Cobra

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 lot of species! Our hosts and Kim share a story with a positive ending about San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance saving king cobras from wildlife trafficking and explain why it's an important element for conservation.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Announcing Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Announcing Season 3 of Amazing Wildlife: A San Diego Zoo Podcast

Amazing Wildlife is returning for season 3 starting Friday March 15! From the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, hosts Marco Wendt and Rick Schwartz will spotlight the heroes working worldwide to care for the species we know and love. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Bringing It All Back to Biodiversity

Bringing It All Back to Biodiversity

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 take a look at the importance of native plants including the prickly pear cactus, and Charlie gives us insight on technology used to study the movement of mountain lions and other wildlife. We also discuss how conservation is all about people, our connections to one another, and to the delicately balanced ecosystems that we all share.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Talking Turtles: Pacific Pond Turtles, a Species of Special Concern

Talking Turtles: Pacific Pond Turtles, a Species of Special Concern

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 discover a special program that helps these camouflage experts grow, so they can avoid being preyed upon by invasive species.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Cold Penguin, Warm Penguin, and More from the Oceans Conservation Hub

Cold Penguin, Warm Penguin, and More from the Oceans Conservation Hub

Amazing Wildlife is on grounds at the San Diego Zoo to highlight the polar opposite of the polar bear—the penguin! (Fun fact: they don’t live together, despite what you may see on TV or in cartoons). While many species of penguins do spend time around Antarctica, Rick and Marco discuss the different types of penguins that do not. Discover how penguins’ bodies have adapted to survive in cold temperatures, and what makes a penguin’s beak different from that of a hawk, a flamingo, or a parrot. We’ll find out about African penguin conservation, and how zoos have worked together to solve nesting problems—plus, what you can do at home to help penguin conservation!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Polar Bears: Diving into the Oceans Conservation Hub

Polar Bears: Diving into the Oceans Conservation Hub

For the first time this season, Amazing Wildlife highlights the Oceans hub, with a “deep dive” into the icy waters of the Arctic to look at polar bears! Rick and Marco are joined by Kelly Murphy, lead wildlife care specialist for the Polar Plunge habitat at the San Diego Zoo. Kelly introduces us to the three polar bears at Polar Plunge—Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq—and explains the reasoning behind their names, which are from the Inuit language. We discover why polar bears are considered a marine mammal, and how they thrive at the San Diego Zoo. We’ll also hear how Chinook, Kalluk, and Tatqiq have helped scientists better understand polar bears and the different ways climate change poses a threat to their existence—and what we can do to help.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Spending Koala-ty Time in the Australian Forest

Spending Koala-ty Time in the Australian Forest

Amazing Wildlife is spotlighting the Australian Forest Conservation Hub by highlighting a favorite tree-dwelling marsupial: the koala! Rick and Marco are joined by Jen Tobey, a researcher at San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, who explains why marsupials are raised in a pouch—and the truth about why koalas sleep so much. The San Diego Zoo has the largest breeding colony of koalas outside of Australia, and Jen shares details about two field researchers in Queensland and the Blue Mountains region of New South Wales, working with the Alliance in koala conservation. The hosts and Jen also discuss the challenges and successes the Alliance is having in reintroducing koalas to lands they once inhabited.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Hidden in San Diego's Backyard: Burrowing Owls of the Southwest

Hidden in San Diego's Backyard: Burrowing Owls of the Southwest

Amazing Wildlife focuses on the Southwest Conservation Hub to take a closer look at the burrowing owl, found in San Diego County—one of the most biologically diverse counties in the United States. Marco attempts to mimic the sound of this unique bird that is about the size of a stick of butter! Rick and Marco chat with Colleen Wisinski, conservation program manager of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance’s burrowing owl recovery program, who shares how these active-in-daylight owls differ from nocturnal owls, and how they confuse potential predators. Colleen details her work with western burrowing owls, as we find out how they got their name and the importance of burrows. Finally, we get the inside scoop on the Wildwatch Burrowing Owl program, which is a way you can get involved in helping these birds!See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A Ton of Rhino Facts and Conservation Conversations for World Rhino Day

A Ton of Rhino Facts and Conservation Conversations for World Rhino Day

It’s World Rhino Day (September 22)! For this special day to raise awareness about rhino conservation, Amazing Wildlife is joined by Gavin Livingston, the curator of mammals at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. Rick and Marco discuss the five different species of rhinos and offer some interesting facts about their hair color—and how much their head weighs (hint: it’s three times the size of something in your kitchen!) Gavin gives insight into rhino conservation science at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, as well as threats to rhinos in their native habitats, and why they are vital to their ecosystems. We also learn the importance of diversity in rhino conservation, in addition to Gavin’s predictions for conservation’s future.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

The Value of Vultures—Why They Are Vital to Ecosystems

The Value of Vultures—Why They Are Vital to Ecosystems

Join us, as Amazing Wildlife gets ready to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day (September 2). Rick and Marco visit Jenna Stallard, wildlife care manager of birds at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park. We’ll learn about Old World vultures (from Europe, Africa, and Asia) and New World vultures (from the Americas and the Caribbean), in addition to what makes vultures unique, and why they are vital to their ecosystems. The hosts and Jenna debunk myths about vultures—who have great personalities, despite popular belief. We also find out more about vulture breeding at the Safari Park, the threats to vultures—including poisoning—and how Egyptian vultures are surprisingly skilled at using tools.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Getting to Know Gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Getting to Know Gorillas at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park

Get to know one of the largest species of the great apes, the gorilla! In this episode of Amazing Wildlife, Rick and Marco visit the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to speak with Breanne Murray, a senior wildlife care specialist. After discussing some popular gorilla terminology, the hosts learn about one of the world's oldest silverbacks, who lives at the Safari Park. They also get an “inside scoop” on how two young male gorillas are learning how to become silverbacks. Breanne explains the three stages of being a gorilla, and how gorillas explore their curiosity at the Safari Park.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Trunks, Tusks, and a Ton of Facts for World Elephant Day!

Trunks, Tusks, and a Ton of Facts for World Elephant Day!

In honor of World Elephant Day (celebrated on Saturday, August 12), Amazing Wildlife visits the San Diego Zoo Safari Park to highlight the world’s largest living land mammal. Rick and Marco chat with Catie Aubuchon, a wildlife care specialist, to unpack pachyderm facts and get a better understanding of all that goes into caring for elephants, from getting to know individual personalities to understanding the dynamics of the herd at the Safari Park. We also find out how many pounds of food an elephant eats in a day, and the surprising number of teeth they have—and we debunk some myths about their trunks and tusks.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Stripes & Whiskers—Celebrating International Tiger Day

Stripes & Whiskers—Celebrating International Tiger Day

Happy International Tiger Day—also known as Global Tiger Day—on July 29! For this very special episode of Amazing Wildlife, Rick and Marco are joined by Lori Hieber, lead wildlife care specialist for the primate and carnivore team. Lori, who has worked with tigers for 15 years, describes the different subspecies of tigers and their various sizes. In addition, Lori tells us more about the four tigers currently at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, and how the team can identify them through their unique markings and personalities.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Can AI Benefit Wildlife? Conservation Technology Says Yes!

Can AI Benefit Wildlife? Conservation Technology Says Yes!

Calling all tech lovers! Amazing Wildlife is joined by the head of San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance's Conservation Technology Lab, scientist Ian Ingram. He shares with Rick and Marco how the latest technology is being used to help wildlife, and how we hope to implement it in the Asian Rainforest Conservation Hub. The trio discusses the use of artificial intelligence (AI), how cameras know what they should or shouldn't record in native habitats, and how sensor systems can detect things that people cannot. Ian also describes how, in the not-too-distant future, scientists might use drones and four-legged robots to set cameras.See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.