The Wild with Chris Morgan

Japan's bear attacks: we unravel what's going on

Bear attacks in Japan have been in the news a lot recently. There have been over 220 attacks so far this year, and a record 13 people dead.  Why is this happening? And what can be done about it? There’s a lot of information out there, and it’s hard to separate fact from fiction when it comes to conflicts with wildlife. So I made two quick phone calls: one to a reporter from The New York Times and another to a Japanese bear biologist to figure out what’s really going on. Guests: Javier C. Hernández [https://www.nytimes.com/2025/11/20/world/asia/japan-bears-attacks.html], Tokyo Bureau Chief for the New York Times Masahiro (Masa) Ohnishi, Principle Research Scientist at the Wildlife Management Office in Japan Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&reserved=0]  and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&reserved=0]. Thank you. Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/] and Wildlife Media [https://www.wildlifemedia.org/]. It is produced by Matt Martin [https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin] and Lucy Soucek [https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek], and edited by Jim Gates [https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates]. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio]. Fact checking by Apryle Craig [https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/]. Our theme music is by Michael Parker [https://www.michaeltparker.com/]. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

50 years of Jaws: shark myths and misunderstandings

JAWS can only mean one thing! The movie that forever changed how we feel about sharks. It did me, that’s for sure. To commemorate the 50th anniversary of the movie, we thought it might be time to help separate fact from fiction in a fun way……by playing audio clips from the movie and having a real shark expert react to them and tell us the truth about how dangerous they are, how sharks really think, why there’s been a surge in sightings in recent years, and so much more. Spoiler alert: you may or may not sleep better after this episode. Join me as I “dive deep” on sharks with Amani Webber-Schultz. [https://www.amaniwebberschultz.com/] And revisit our conversation with Dr. Rachel Graham on how to love a shark [https://www.kuow.org/stories/how-to-love-a-shark-cce0] Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&reserved=0]  and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&reserved=0]. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/] and Wildlife Media [https://www.wildlifemedia.org/]. It is produced by Matt Martin [https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin] and Lucy Soucek [https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek], and edited by Jim Gates [https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates]. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio]. Fact checking by Apryle Craig [https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/]. Our theme music is by Michael Parker [https://www.michaeltparker.com/]. Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

How our planet came to life with Ferris Jabr

“Life is earth, animated.” When I heard this statement for the first time it made me think about my relationship to our planet differently. That all life on earth is part of a giant feedback loop, a process of self-creation that has been ongoing for billions of years. This is the idea that Ferris Jabr [https://www.ferrisjabr.com/] explores in his book, Becoming Earth: How Our Planet Came to Life. Jabr traveled the world to find examples of this creation: from climbing a colossal tower over the Amazon to tunneling a mile underground towards the core of the earth. Ferris now believes that life doesn’t just exist on this planet, but that the planet itself is alive. Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&reserved=0]  and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&reserved=0]. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/] and Wildlife Media [https://www.wildlifemedia.org/]. It is produced by Matt Martin [https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin] and Lucy Soucek [https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek], and edited by Jim Gates [https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates]. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio]. Fact checking by Apryle Craig [https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/]. Our theme music is by Michael Parker [https://www.michaeltparker.com/]. Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

The story of Whatcom Creek: an explosion, a tragedy, and a rebirth

This is not an easy story to tell. In the town where I live, Bellingham, Washington, there’s a beautiful urban creek. It flows just four miles from a lake, through a city park, down through the town to the sea. But in the summer of 1999, disaster struck. A gasoline pipeline ruptured, causing an explosion. Young lives were lost, and the creek and the ecosystems around it were obliterated.  But amid the destruction, amid all the loss, the creek found a way to find life again. And the people of Bellingham somehow found a way to move forward.  This is a story about the strength of the human spirit and how a community, a creek, and the once-thriving forest that it passed through began to recover after losing so much.  We would like to dedicate this episode to the memory of Liam Wood, Wade King and Stephen Tsiorvas. Our hearts go out to their families. Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&reserved=0] and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&reserved=0]. Thank you. THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/] and Wildlife Media [https://www.wildlifemedia.org/]. It is produced by Matt Martin [https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin] and Lucy Soucek [https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek], and edited by Jim Gates [https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates]. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio]. Fact checking by Apryle Craig [https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/]. Our theme music is by Michael Parker [https://www.michaeltparker.com/]. We'll be back in your feed in two weeks on December 2. Have a happy and safe Thanksgiving holiday! Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.

Sniffs, scratches, sights and sounds: Ed Yong on how animals sense the world

Have you ever wondered why your dog takes such a long time to sniff a patch of grass? Or why flies buzz around so sporadically? It’s because most of what a creature actually senses is invisible to us. They perceive their world as differently as we perceive our own. Pulitzer Prize winning science writer Ed Yong [https://edyong.me/] wrote a book about this called An Immense World: How Animal Senses Reveal the Hidden Realms Around Us. Join me for a fun conversation with Ed about the astonishing ways animals sense the world around us. From birds that navigate the open ocean by smell, to penguins that sense vibrations underground. By learning how animals perceive their world, it just might change the way we perceive them, and make us look at our own world a little differently. Check out our episode about AI and Animal Communication: Digital Dr. Dolittle: decoding animal conversations with artificial intelligence [https://www.kuow.org/stories/digital-doctor-dolittle-decoding-animal-conversations-using-artificial-intelligence]. Enjoy BONUS CONTENT and help us continue to create this special immersive storytelling by joining THE WILD Patreon community at www.patreon.com/chrismorganwildlife [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.patreon.com%2Fchrismorganwildlife&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905088453%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=2p7KcfrLRWd9OZwpuK48wt6m4H6QIBigD8ksBGaU5%2BM%3D&reserved=0] and you can donate to KUOW at kuow.org/donate/thewild [https://nam04.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=http%3A%2F%2Fkuow.org%2Fdonate%2Fthewild&data=05%7C02%7Cjgates%40kuow.org%7C38749ede12834c67efb108ddf619cf0f%7C3d57c1b8f4ae4639adb13312ae3bc827%7C0%7C0%7C638937312905110715%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7C0%7C%7C%7C&sdata=fY%2BfVkv0ijLWRX%2FXqzbV4gTRwyWYG4%2FTkgyud44SUWc%3D&reserved=0]. Thank you. Follow us on Instagram @chrismorganwildlife and @thewildpod for more adventures and behind the scenes action! THE WILD is a production of KUOW in Seattle in partnership with Chris Morgan Wildlife [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/] and Wildlife Media [https://www.wildlifemedia.org/]. It is produced by Matt Martin [https://www.kuow.org/authors/matt-martin] and Lucy Soucek [https://www.kuow.org/authors/lucy-soucek], and edited by Jim Gates [https://kuow.org/authors/jim-gates]. It is hosted, produced and written by Chris Morgan [https://www.chrismorganwildlife.org/bio]. Fact checking by Apryle Craig [https://apryledcraig.wordpress.com/]. Our theme music is by Michael Parker [https://www.michaeltparker.com/]. See omnystudio.com/listener [https://omnystudio.com/listener] for privacy information.