1 00:00:10,200 --> 00:00:14,240 Speaker 1: From Meat Eaters World News headquarters in Bozeman, Montana. This 2 00:00:14,320 --> 00:00:22,000 Speaker 1: is Col's Week in Review with Ryan col Kalahan. Here's Cal, one. 3 00:00:21,880 --> 00:00:24,880 Speaker 2: Of the stars of the hit Netflix show Tiger King, 4 00:00:25,239 --> 00:00:27,560 Speaker 2: is about to find himself in a cage of his own. 5 00:00:28,200 --> 00:00:31,880 Speaker 2: Behagavian doc Antl was sentenced last week to one year 6 00:00:31,920 --> 00:00:34,880 Speaker 2: in prison and fined fifty five thousand dollars for trafficking 7 00:00:35,000 --> 00:00:39,920 Speaker 2: protected baby animals and money laundering. Doc Antl pled guilty 8 00:00:39,920 --> 00:00:42,760 Speaker 2: in federal court to a conspiracy to violate the Lacy 9 00:00:42,840 --> 00:00:46,680 Speaker 2: Act and launder more than five hundred thousand dollars. Doc 10 00:00:46,720 --> 00:00:49,960 Speaker 2: Antl was to Joe Exotic as Saul Goodman was to 11 00:00:50,000 --> 00:00:54,080 Speaker 2: Walter White and Breaking Bad. I've heard about him. He's 12 00:00:54,080 --> 00:00:56,920 Speaker 2: an American hero. He appeared in the first season of 13 00:00:56,920 --> 00:00:59,320 Speaker 2: Tiger King, and then starred in his own season of 14 00:00:59,360 --> 00:01:02,680 Speaker 2: the show next year. The show depicted doc Antel as 15 00:01:02,720 --> 00:01:05,440 Speaker 2: another rival to Joe Exotic in the small world of 16 00:01:05,440 --> 00:01:08,840 Speaker 2: big cat sanctuaries. For a small fee of hundreds and 17 00:01:08,920 --> 00:01:12,080 Speaker 2: sometimes thousands of dollars, he would allow visitors to a 18 00:01:12,200 --> 00:01:15,880 Speaker 2: zoo Myrtle beach safari to hold and take pictures with 19 00:01:15,959 --> 00:01:19,360 Speaker 2: baby animals. The problem was he obtained many of these 20 00:01:19,360 --> 00:01:25,000 Speaker 2: critters illegally. The animals trafficked included baby chimpanzees, cheetahs, lions, 21 00:01:25,040 --> 00:01:27,880 Speaker 2: and tigers, all of which are protected under both the 22 00:01:27,920 --> 00:01:32,360 Speaker 2: Endangered Species Act and international treaties. He purchased one newborn 23 00:01:32,440 --> 00:01:35,760 Speaker 2: chimpanzee for two hundred thousand dollars. He tried to hide 24 00:01:35,800 --> 00:01:38,560 Speaker 2: the purchase of these critters by requiring payments as a 25 00:01:38,680 --> 00:01:42,160 Speaker 2: quote donation to a zoo, or buying the animals with cash. 26 00:01:42,480 --> 00:01:45,120 Speaker 2: He got hit with the LACI Act violation for those crimes, 27 00:01:45,280 --> 00:01:47,640 Speaker 2: but his year in prison is mostly due to laundering 28 00:01:47,720 --> 00:01:51,520 Speaker 2: five hundred thousand dollars. An informant for the FEDS told 29 00:01:51,600 --> 00:01:54,400 Speaker 2: Doc he needed to launder the money to sneak people 30 00:01:54,400 --> 00:01:57,800 Speaker 2: across the Mexico US border, and apparently the so called 31 00:01:57,800 --> 00:02:02,480 Speaker 2: the conservationist was happy to apply. Like any good entrepreneur, 32 00:02:02,720 --> 00:02:06,520 Speaker 2: Old Doc Annil was trying to diversify his revenue streams 33 00:02:07,080 --> 00:02:12,400 Speaker 2: human trafficking, baby animal trafficking. See the crossover. Old Doc 34 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:15,919 Speaker 2: will join Joe Exotic in federal prison. Joe was sentenced 35 00:02:15,960 --> 00:02:17,919 Speaker 2: to twenty one years in the slammer for hiring men 36 00:02:17,960 --> 00:02:21,560 Speaker 2: to kill another rival zoo keeper Carol Baskin. I shudder 37 00:02:21,600 --> 00:02:24,880 Speaker 2: at the thought of agreeing with Carole Baskin, who jumped 38 00:02:24,880 --> 00:02:28,200 Speaker 2: into the Mountain Lion hunting band fight in Colorado, But 39 00:02:28,240 --> 00:02:32,799 Speaker 2: in this case, as her husband told TMZ, I'm happy, 40 00:02:32,800 --> 00:02:35,440 Speaker 2: another tiger king star is headed to his own kind 41 00:02:35,440 --> 00:02:39,880 Speaker 2: of enclosure. I'm never going to financially recover from this. 42 00:02:39,880 --> 00:02:43,720 Speaker 2: This week, we've got maba, parasites, bear attack, and so 43 00:02:43,840 --> 00:02:45,120 Speaker 2: much more of it. First, I'm going to tell you 44 00:02:45,120 --> 00:02:49,120 Speaker 2: about my week, and my week was quite interesting. Flew 45 00:02:49,160 --> 00:02:52,560 Speaker 2: down to Austin to talk public lance with my old 46 00:02:52,639 --> 00:02:56,400 Speaker 2: hunting buddy Joe Rogan, which was super fun. Grabbed dinner 47 00:02:56,440 --> 00:02:59,280 Speaker 2: with Chef Jesse Griffiths as his restaurant died Dewey, which 48 00:02:59,400 --> 00:03:03,400 Speaker 2: was really hard. We ate like it was our jobs 49 00:03:04,160 --> 00:03:07,480 Speaker 2: ordered way too much. Everything was amazing. I was so 50 00:03:08,080 --> 00:03:10,079 Speaker 2: in pain when I was trying to go to bed 51 00:03:10,440 --> 00:03:13,120 Speaker 2: that took me hours to fall asleep. But the next 52 00:03:13,160 --> 00:03:17,240 Speaker 2: morning I felt great despite overserving myself, and I think 53 00:03:17,320 --> 00:03:21,160 Speaker 2: that's a testament to great ingredients. They burned clean. I 54 00:03:21,200 --> 00:03:26,120 Speaker 2: also forced myself into the stupid hotel gym, which is 55 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,160 Speaker 2: something that's hard for me to do gang, but that helps. 56 00:03:30,760 --> 00:03:33,320 Speaker 2: One of the most interesting things actually happened on my 57 00:03:33,360 --> 00:03:36,880 Speaker 2: way out of Austin. My flight was delayed, so I 58 00:03:36,960 --> 00:03:40,000 Speaker 2: decided to grab a beer at the airport bar. Of course, 59 00:03:40,040 --> 00:03:43,880 Speaker 2: my phone rang and I was talking public lands and 60 00:03:43,920 --> 00:03:46,800 Speaker 2: recounting some of the sell off story from Utah's lawsuit 61 00:03:46,880 --> 00:03:50,480 Speaker 2: last August. Up until now. This is not an abnormal 62 00:03:50,520 --> 00:03:54,680 Speaker 2: conversation for me. But when the call ended, the bartender 63 00:03:54,840 --> 00:03:58,960 Speaker 2: and two other customers said something along the lines of, hey, 64 00:03:59,200 --> 00:04:02,120 Speaker 2: I heard you talking about public lands and those people 65 00:04:02,200 --> 00:04:06,440 Speaker 2: selling off our national parks. Well, you know, we navigated 66 00:04:06,560 --> 00:04:09,120 Speaker 2: what had actually been on the table for sale, not 67 00:04:09,280 --> 00:04:12,560 Speaker 2: the national parks, and a little bit of where we 68 00:04:12,640 --> 00:04:15,600 Speaker 2: are now and how we got here. But the point is, 69 00:04:15,640 --> 00:04:18,039 Speaker 2: I was just amazed that these three folks, who at 70 00:04:18,120 --> 00:04:21,440 Speaker 2: first glanced just looked like big city airport commuters, had 71 00:04:21,480 --> 00:04:24,360 Speaker 2: public lands and public lands sales on their radar at all, 72 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:29,080 Speaker 2: much less enough interest to easedrop on a conversation and 73 00:04:29,279 --> 00:04:32,440 Speaker 2: follow up with a stranger. The last fella at the bar, 74 00:04:32,640 --> 00:04:35,960 Speaker 2: who was holding two glasses of champagne. I noticed a 75 00:04:36,000 --> 00:04:39,920 Speaker 2: lot of champagne gets drunken airports. I don't know why, anyway, 76 00:04:40,200 --> 00:04:45,039 Speaker 2: fellas holding two glasses of champagne, and before he walks off, says, so, 77 00:04:45,320 --> 00:04:48,080 Speaker 2: what side of this are you on? And I said 78 00:04:48,080 --> 00:04:51,760 Speaker 2: against anti and he just kind of smiled and said 79 00:04:51,800 --> 00:04:55,720 Speaker 2: great and walked off. Good example of the hunting and 80 00:04:55,800 --> 00:05:00,200 Speaker 2: angling community being loud enough to make the nation take notice. 81 00:05:00,520 --> 00:05:03,479 Speaker 2: Lots of groups contributed to shutting down land sales in 82 00:05:03,480 --> 00:05:06,080 Speaker 2: the House and the Senate, But if it hadn't been 83 00:05:06,320 --> 00:05:10,080 Speaker 2: for the hunting community raising the stink early and loudly, 84 00:05:10,800 --> 00:05:13,719 Speaker 2: you just can't convince me that we have seen posts 85 00:05:13,760 --> 00:05:16,760 Speaker 2: from Billie Eilish and public land sales being talked about 86 00:05:16,760 --> 00:05:23,719 Speaker 2: in airport bars in Austin, Texas or anywhere else. Duh. 87 00:05:24,080 --> 00:05:29,560 Speaker 2: Moving on to the Executive Order desk, President Trump hasn't 88 00:05:29,560 --> 00:05:31,719 Speaker 2: been shy about wielding his pen and his phone to 89 00:05:31,800 --> 00:05:34,520 Speaker 2: change public land policy, and last week was no different. 90 00:05:34,960 --> 00:05:37,720 Speaker 2: On July third, the President signed two orders he says 91 00:05:37,760 --> 00:05:41,320 Speaker 2: are designed to quote make America beautiful again. The first, 92 00:05:41,400 --> 00:05:46,039 Speaker 2: we'll establish the Make America Beautiful Again Commission. This commission 93 00:05:46,080 --> 00:05:49,000 Speaker 2: will be responsible for advising the President on a variety 94 00:05:49,000 --> 00:05:53,360 Speaker 2: of priorities outlined in the executive Order. These include promoting 95 00:05:53,480 --> 00:05:58,880 Speaker 2: responsible stewardship of natural resources while driving economic growth, expanding 96 00:05:58,920 --> 00:06:03,000 Speaker 2: access to public land and waters for recreation, encouraging responsible 97 00:06:03,080 --> 00:06:08,919 Speaker 2: voluntary conservation efforts, cutting bureaucratic delays that hinder effective environmental management, 98 00:06:09,160 --> 00:06:13,800 Speaker 2: and recovering America's sufficient wildlife populations. Our land management agencies 99 00:06:13,880 --> 00:06:16,480 Speaker 2: already strive to achieve all of these goals, but this 100 00:06:16,560 --> 00:06:20,040 Speaker 2: new commission, composed of the heads of various executive departments, 101 00:06:20,120 --> 00:06:22,640 Speaker 2: will be tasked with putting their heads together and figuring 102 00:06:22,720 --> 00:06:25,880 Speaker 2: out different ways to accomplish them. The order claims that 103 00:06:25,960 --> 00:06:29,760 Speaker 2: years of mismanagement, the regulatory overreach, and neglect of routine 104 00:06:29,800 --> 00:06:34,480 Speaker 2: maintenance have limited outdoor access and threatened conservation funding. This 105 00:06:34,520 --> 00:06:37,400 Speaker 2: commission will be tasked with finding new ways to expand 106 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:41,520 Speaker 2: access to hunters and anglers, protect clean water, recover wildlife populations, 107 00:06:41,640 --> 00:06:45,279 Speaker 2: and improve conservation efforts. These all sound like good things, 108 00:06:45,440 --> 00:06:47,720 Speaker 2: and it's a nice change of pace after the last 109 00:06:47,720 --> 00:06:50,799 Speaker 2: six months of opening up sensitive areas to mineral extraction 110 00:06:51,000 --> 00:06:54,320 Speaker 2: and the attempt to sell millions of acres of public land. 111 00:06:54,760 --> 00:06:57,359 Speaker 2: The Washington Post ran an interesting article about how this 112 00:06:57,480 --> 00:06:59,640 Speaker 2: executive order was in part thanks to the work of 113 00:06:59,680 --> 00:07:03,520 Speaker 2: a con conservative conservationist named Benji Backer. Backer was a 114 00:07:03,520 --> 00:07:06,200 Speaker 2: guest on Mark Kenyon's Wired to Hunt podcast not too 115 00:07:06,240 --> 00:07:09,640 Speaker 2: long ago. Benji is heading up a group called Nature 116 00:07:09,680 --> 00:07:13,760 Speaker 2: Is Nonpartisan. Nature Is Nonpartisan has only been in existence 117 00:07:14,280 --> 00:07:20,560 Speaker 2: technically speaking since let's say the inauguration. Their platform ethos 118 00:07:21,080 --> 00:07:25,120 Speaker 2: angle is it shouldn't be a mind blower to anybody 119 00:07:25,360 --> 00:07:27,440 Speaker 2: after what we just went through on the public land sales, 120 00:07:28,000 --> 00:07:31,800 Speaker 2: would be to combine enough parts of the political spectrum 121 00:07:31,920 --> 00:07:36,400 Speaker 2: under one group, so your liberals and your conservatives to 122 00:07:36,800 --> 00:07:41,120 Speaker 2: advocate for the right things basically hit the middle of 123 00:07:41,160 --> 00:07:45,160 Speaker 2: the Venn diagram. Now, when this press release came out, 124 00:07:45,440 --> 00:07:47,920 Speaker 2: I was kind of like, Okay, this is an executive 125 00:07:48,000 --> 00:07:51,400 Speaker 2: order to talk about some things. The proof will be 126 00:07:51,440 --> 00:07:54,080 Speaker 2: in the pudding, and it will, but it's a good start. 127 00:07:54,920 --> 00:07:57,360 Speaker 2: At the same time, the President is still pushing to 128 00:07:57,400 --> 00:08:00,760 Speaker 2: open up the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge for drilling, and 129 00:08:01,040 --> 00:08:04,960 Speaker 2: there's no inkling that there's going to be restored budgets 130 00:08:05,000 --> 00:08:09,040 Speaker 2: for personnel in the Forest Service or the BLM. Contradiction 131 00:08:09,280 --> 00:08:12,400 Speaker 2: became especially apparent in the second executive order the President 132 00:08:12,440 --> 00:08:15,880 Speaker 2: signed on July third. This one was titled Making America 133 00:08:15,920 --> 00:08:19,640 Speaker 2: Beautiful Again by improving our National parks. Now, you might recall, 134 00:08:19,680 --> 00:08:22,240 Speaker 2: because you are more than six months old, that the 135 00:08:22,320 --> 00:08:26,200 Speaker 2: President and his doge team have been systematically slashing staff 136 00:08:26,240 --> 00:08:28,920 Speaker 2: at the National Park Service. In fact, the National Park 137 00:08:29,000 --> 00:08:32,760 Speaker 2: Conservation Association announced earlier this month that the staffing crisis 138 00:08:32,800 --> 00:08:35,880 Speaker 2: has reached a quote breaking point. They say the permanent 139 00:08:35,880 --> 00:08:38,960 Speaker 2: workforce is down twenty four percent, which has left bare 140 00:08:39,000 --> 00:08:41,920 Speaker 2: bones crews struggling to keep up with the busy summer season. 141 00:08:42,240 --> 00:08:46,600 Speaker 2: The understaffing has left visitors frustrated, delayed maintenance, and reduced 142 00:08:46,720 --> 00:08:51,160 Speaker 2: education programs that park goers depend on. The President's executive 143 00:08:51,240 --> 00:08:54,680 Speaker 2: order is not reversing any of those previous decisions. Instead, 144 00:08:54,679 --> 00:08:57,120 Speaker 2: it aims to increase funding for the national parks by 145 00:08:57,160 --> 00:09:01,400 Speaker 2: charging foreign visitors a higher entrance fee. The order says, quote, 146 00:09:01,440 --> 00:09:03,920 Speaker 2: it is the policy of my administration to preserve these 147 00:09:03,960 --> 00:09:08,120 Speaker 2: opportunities for American families and future generations by increasing entry 148 00:09:08,200 --> 00:09:11,840 Speaker 2: fees for foreign tourists, improving affordability for United States residents, 149 00:09:11,840 --> 00:09:16,520 Speaker 2: and expanding opportunities to enjoy America's splendid national treasures. Now, 150 00:09:16,559 --> 00:09:19,199 Speaker 2: I don't mind increased fees, but we have to keep 151 00:09:19,200 --> 00:09:22,000 Speaker 2: in mind here is the Park Service reports that the 152 00:09:22,240 --> 00:09:25,600 Speaker 2: deferred maintenance portfolio for our national parks is are about 153 00:09:25,640 --> 00:09:28,880 Speaker 2: twenty three billion dollars. Only about one hundred of the 154 00:09:28,920 --> 00:09:32,079 Speaker 2: four hundred national parks charge to any kind of entrance fees. 155 00:09:32,559 --> 00:09:36,200 Speaker 2: Those fees range from thirty dollars to seventy dollars. Already, 156 00:09:36,480 --> 00:09:40,800 Speaker 2: about fourteen million foreign visitors visit national parks every year, 157 00:09:41,080 --> 00:09:44,880 Speaker 2: so increasing their fee by fifty dollars would generate about 158 00:09:44,920 --> 00:09:48,680 Speaker 2: seven hundred million, which is great, but it's still a 159 00:09:48,720 --> 00:09:53,360 Speaker 2: long way from putting a dent in the deferred maintenance backlog. 160 00:09:54,720 --> 00:09:59,880 Speaker 2: Moving on to the parasite desk, wildlife and livestock managers 161 00:10:00,120 --> 00:10:02,680 Speaker 2: bracing for a new wave of a parasitic worm that 162 00:10:02,760 --> 00:10:05,680 Speaker 2: could have a massive impact on the hunting and cattle industries. 163 00:10:06,200 --> 00:10:09,240 Speaker 2: The New World screwworm fly is native to the Americas, 164 00:10:09,240 --> 00:10:12,160 Speaker 2: but we eradicated the nasty little insects between the fifties 165 00:10:12,160 --> 00:10:14,520 Speaker 2: and the sixties. The flies lay their eggs on the 166 00:10:14,600 --> 00:10:17,240 Speaker 2: open wounds of animals, and when those eggs hatch, the 167 00:10:17,280 --> 00:10:20,840 Speaker 2: maggots feed on the exposed flesh. They burrow or screw 168 00:10:21,160 --> 00:10:23,880 Speaker 2: their way into the wound, opening it more and more 169 00:10:23,960 --> 00:10:26,520 Speaker 2: until they reach their adult phase and fly away. But 170 00:10:26,640 --> 00:10:29,680 Speaker 2: since female flies lay between two hundred and three hundred 171 00:10:29,679 --> 00:10:32,680 Speaker 2: eggs in a wound, and multiple flies can lay eggs 172 00:10:32,720 --> 00:10:35,280 Speaker 2: in the same wound, the prospects for the host if 173 00:10:35,400 --> 00:10:38,960 Speaker 2: left untreated, are not good. The flies need a relatively 174 00:10:39,000 --> 00:10:41,600 Speaker 2: warm climate to thrive, so animals in the southern US 175 00:10:41,640 --> 00:10:45,320 Speaker 2: are especially susceptible. Any mammal or bird can become a host, 176 00:10:45,400 --> 00:10:49,440 Speaker 2: including cattle, humans, dogs, cats, and deer. Whitetail bucks are 177 00:10:49,480 --> 00:10:52,600 Speaker 2: more susceptible than dose. They often get the parasite during 178 00:10:52,600 --> 00:10:55,480 Speaker 2: the rut, when they sustain wounds around their antlers. We 179 00:10:55,559 --> 00:10:58,400 Speaker 2: know this because the already endangered key deer in Florida 180 00:10:58,440 --> 00:11:02,240 Speaker 2: lost twenty percent of their population during a recent screw 181 00:11:02,320 --> 00:11:06,160 Speaker 2: worm outbreak in the summer of twenty sixteen. The maggots 182 00:11:06,200 --> 00:11:09,439 Speaker 2: can be eradicated with treatment, so human and pets almost 183 00:11:09,520 --> 00:11:12,280 Speaker 2: never die from an infestation, but any animal that lives 184 00:11:12,320 --> 00:11:15,040 Speaker 2: most of its life without any kind of veterinary care 185 00:11:15,520 --> 00:11:18,800 Speaker 2: can be killed by screwworms. At this point, you might 186 00:11:18,840 --> 00:11:21,319 Speaker 2: be asking yourself, if we got rid of New World 187 00:11:21,320 --> 00:11:24,520 Speaker 2: screwworm flies in the sixties, why are we suddenly worried 188 00:11:24,520 --> 00:11:28,200 Speaker 2: about them again? Writing for the Wildlife Society author Joshua 189 00:11:28,280 --> 00:11:30,680 Speaker 2: rapp Learn explains that it's a bit like a car 190 00:11:30,720 --> 00:11:33,040 Speaker 2: when you take your foot off the gas. It'll roll 191 00:11:33,080 --> 00:11:35,960 Speaker 2: for a long ways, but eventually it'll slow down. We 192 00:11:36,000 --> 00:11:39,200 Speaker 2: eradicated screwworms for the US, but they still exist in 193 00:11:39,240 --> 00:11:42,240 Speaker 2: other parts of the world, including South America. It was 194 00:11:42,280 --> 00:11:44,960 Speaker 2: always possible that the flies would make their way back here, 195 00:11:45,080 --> 00:11:47,560 Speaker 2: and that became even more likely when we shut down 196 00:11:47,559 --> 00:11:51,040 Speaker 2: the fly sterilization facilities in the US. We got rid 197 00:11:51,080 --> 00:11:54,840 Speaker 2: of screwworm flies by raising male flies in controlled environments 198 00:11:54,960 --> 00:11:59,079 Speaker 2: and then sterilizing them with radiation. Then we released millions 199 00:11:59,120 --> 00:12:01,800 Speaker 2: of these little infra dudes into the world, but they 200 00:12:01,800 --> 00:12:05,920 Speaker 2: were shooting blanks. Their attempts at procreation failed, and over 201 00:12:05,960 --> 00:12:09,320 Speaker 2: the course of many years, the populations dwindled down to nothing. 202 00:12:09,679 --> 00:12:12,560 Speaker 2: But we didn't continue releasing these sterol flies because we 203 00:12:12,600 --> 00:12:16,400 Speaker 2: didn't have to. In recent years, reports of screwworm flies 204 00:12:16,440 --> 00:12:19,920 Speaker 2: have been slowly making their way north from Mexico. When 205 00:12:19,960 --> 00:12:23,480 Speaker 2: screwworms were detected in Wahaka and Veracruz, in an area 206 00:12:23,640 --> 00:12:26,880 Speaker 2: only seven hundred miles from the US border. US Secretary 207 00:12:26,920 --> 00:12:29,920 Speaker 2: of Agriculture Brook rawlins closed the border to live cattle 208 00:12:30,040 --> 00:12:33,680 Speaker 2: as well as horse and buy some imports. She since 209 00:12:33,720 --> 00:12:38,320 Speaker 2: reported those imports under closely monitored conditions and unveiled a 210 00:12:38,440 --> 00:12:41,520 Speaker 2: multi pronged plan to stop the invasion in its tracks. 211 00:12:41,920 --> 00:12:45,840 Speaker 2: This includes close collaboration with Mexico, enhanced border protection, and 212 00:12:45,880 --> 00:12:49,680 Speaker 2: building a new steril fly production facility capable of generating 213 00:12:49,760 --> 00:12:53,800 Speaker 2: up to three hundred million sterol flies weekly. Hopefully those 214 00:12:53,840 --> 00:12:57,120 Speaker 2: efforts will be successful. For more on this topic, check 215 00:12:57,120 --> 00:12:59,559 Speaker 2: out episode three eighty three, where I sit down with 216 00:12:59,679 --> 00:13:02,400 Speaker 2: Jason Sawyer and James Powell of the East Foundation in 217 00:13:02,440 --> 00:13:10,920 Speaker 2: South Texas. Over to the roadside assistance Desk. After a 218 00:13:11,000 --> 00:13:14,240 Speaker 2: hit and around traffic collision in Humboldt County, California last week, 219 00:13:14,280 --> 00:13:17,600 Speaker 2: a good samaritan approached the scene to offer medical assistance, 220 00:13:17,800 --> 00:13:20,680 Speaker 2: but was attacked by the accident victim before he could 221 00:13:20,720 --> 00:13:23,880 Speaker 2: start first aid. In this case, the ungrateful patient had 222 00:13:23,880 --> 00:13:26,439 Speaker 2: a good excuse for his bad temper. He was, in 223 00:13:26,480 --> 00:13:30,000 Speaker 2: fact a black bear. The four hundred pound mail bruin 224 00:13:30,120 --> 00:13:33,640 Speaker 2: was attempting to cross Cheesham Road near Fernwood, California when 225 00:13:33,640 --> 00:13:36,360 Speaker 2: he was struck. The vehicle fled the scene leaving the 226 00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:38,840 Speaker 2: injured bear on the roadway. A fifty nine year old 227 00:13:38,920 --> 00:13:42,240 Speaker 2: passerby stopped, exited his car, moved toward the bear, and, 228 00:13:42,280 --> 00:13:44,800 Speaker 2: in the words of the highway patrol officer at the scene, quote, 229 00:13:44,880 --> 00:13:49,200 Speaker 2: attempted to administer care for his trouble. He received several 230 00:13:49,200 --> 00:13:53,000 Speaker 2: deep bites on his left forearm. Luckily, yet another samaritan, 231 00:13:53,080 --> 00:13:55,520 Speaker 2: an off duty EMT, was driving by the scene and 232 00:13:55,600 --> 00:13:58,080 Speaker 2: did not try to come to the aid of the bear. Instead, 233 00:13:58,080 --> 00:14:00,000 Speaker 2: he applied a tourniquet to the fifty nine year old 234 00:14:00,160 --> 00:14:03,840 Speaker 2: injured arm and waited for an ambulance to arrive. Unfortunately, 235 00:14:03,880 --> 00:14:07,280 Speaker 2: but unsurprisingly, the bear died of his injuries shortly thereafter. 236 00:14:07,800 --> 00:14:12,320 Speaker 2: Wildlife vehicle collisions or wvc's for you folks in the know, 237 00:14:12,840 --> 00:14:16,360 Speaker 2: involving bears are much less common than those involving deer 238 00:14:16,400 --> 00:14:19,240 Speaker 2: and other animals, but populations of bears have been booming 239 00:14:19,320 --> 00:14:22,680 Speaker 2: across the country. Humboldt County in particular, has one of 240 00:14:22,680 --> 00:14:26,000 Speaker 2: the densest populations of bears in the state of California. 241 00:14:26,520 --> 00:14:29,200 Speaker 2: Early summer is also the time when bears travel the most, 242 00:14:29,360 --> 00:14:32,080 Speaker 2: often bring them into harm's way. Juvenile male bears have 243 00:14:32,120 --> 00:14:34,280 Speaker 2: been kicked out of their dens and have set out 244 00:14:34,320 --> 00:14:37,080 Speaker 2: to find a new area with stable food sources, shelter, 245 00:14:37,240 --> 00:14:40,120 Speaker 2: and eventually a mate. Mama bears are also on the 246 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:42,640 Speaker 2: move as they seek more and more food to feed 247 00:14:42,640 --> 00:14:46,080 Speaker 2: their rapidly growing cubs. The adult male bear in our 248 00:14:46,120 --> 00:14:50,400 Speaker 2: traffic story was very likely commuting between mates. Early summer 249 00:14:50,520 --> 00:14:53,600 Speaker 2: is primetime on the earth signed dating scene, and the 250 00:14:53,640 --> 00:14:58,240 Speaker 2: black bears amorous pursuits can actually produce litters with multiple 251 00:14:58,400 --> 00:15:02,160 Speaker 2: genes present. Each within a litter can actually have a 252 00:15:02,160 --> 00:15:06,840 Speaker 2: different father, a dynamic called multiple paternity. A female bear 253 00:15:06,920 --> 00:15:09,960 Speaker 2: typically stays put within a limited range, and her various 254 00:15:09,960 --> 00:15:14,040 Speaker 2: male suitors will travel to her, often visiting multiple geographically 255 00:15:14,120 --> 00:15:17,160 Speaker 2: dispersed females over the course of a few weeks. Talk 256 00:15:17,200 --> 00:15:19,680 Speaker 2: about an urgent reason to hop a guard rail and 257 00:15:19,760 --> 00:15:21,600 Speaker 2: try to get to the other side of a busy road. 258 00:15:22,200 --> 00:15:26,440 Speaker 2: California currently has several wildlife crossings under construction in order 259 00:15:26,480 --> 00:15:29,200 Speaker 2: to assist these furry romeos as well as all the 260 00:15:29,240 --> 00:15:31,080 Speaker 2: other critters who need to get from point A to 261 00:15:31,120 --> 00:15:34,040 Speaker 2: point B. Two of these new wildlife crossings are just 262 00:15:34,080 --> 00:15:37,680 Speaker 2: a few miles northeast and northwest of the cheesem road accident, 263 00:15:37,960 --> 00:15:41,480 Speaker 2: one in Stone Lagoon and one in Siskiyu County. In 264 00:15:41,600 --> 00:15:44,680 Speaker 2: case you're interested in learning more about California is existing 265 00:15:44,760 --> 00:15:48,480 Speaker 2: in future wildlife crossings, go visit the interactive map created 266 00:15:48,480 --> 00:15:55,000 Speaker 2: by the Wildlands Network over at Wildlandsnetwork dot org. Supporting connectivity. 267 00:15:55,240 --> 00:15:58,840 Speaker 2: Animal migration is definitely a safer way to help bears 268 00:15:59,040 --> 00:16:01,480 Speaker 2: than trying to administer mouth to mouth on the side 269 00:16:01,480 --> 00:16:05,920 Speaker 2: of the road. Over to what goes around comes around. 270 00:16:06,640 --> 00:16:09,160 Speaker 2: This week, a traditional hunting weapon was revealed to be 271 00:16:09,280 --> 00:16:13,400 Speaker 2: much much more traditional than previously thought. In nineteen eighty five, 272 00:16:13,480 --> 00:16:16,840 Speaker 2: a boomerang carved out of a mammoth tusk was discovered 273 00:16:16,880 --> 00:16:20,320 Speaker 2: in the Obelizawa Cave in southern Poland. This thing is big, 274 00:16:20,440 --> 00:16:25,239 Speaker 2: more than two feet long, perfectly semi circular, and extremely sleek. Ironically, 275 00:16:25,320 --> 00:16:28,200 Speaker 2: it looks like a boomerang from the distant future. Although 276 00:16:28,200 --> 00:16:30,880 Speaker 2: the mammoth ivory itself was too delicate to be sampled 277 00:16:30,880 --> 00:16:34,680 Speaker 2: for carbon dating, the surrounding artifacts led scientists to place 278 00:16:34,680 --> 00:16:37,920 Speaker 2: the boomerang at around eighteen thousand years old, but the 279 00:16:37,960 --> 00:16:41,680 Speaker 2: cave had been occupied over a much longer period, starting 280 00:16:41,680 --> 00:16:45,160 Speaker 2: way back with the Neanderthals and continuing up through the 281 00:16:45,200 --> 00:16:48,840 Speaker 2: Middle Ages. Recently, a team of scientists carbon dated a 282 00:16:48,880 --> 00:16:52,080 Speaker 2: series of human finger bones from the archaeological layer around 283 00:16:52,120 --> 00:16:55,640 Speaker 2: the boomerang and made a shocking discovery. The bone, and 284 00:16:55,720 --> 00:17:00,000 Speaker 2: by extension, the boomerang, was in fact, forty thousand years old. 285 00:17:00,240 --> 00:17:04,320 Speaker 2: News has absolutely rocked the boomerang world. Researchers had theorized 286 00:17:04,320 --> 00:17:07,520 Speaker 2: that the earliest boomerangs were from only around twenty thousand 287 00:17:07,600 --> 00:17:10,480 Speaker 2: years ago, based on the dating of rock art from Kimberly, 288 00:17:10,520 --> 00:17:14,760 Speaker 2: Australia that depicts people wielding the weapons. The earliest example 289 00:17:14,760 --> 00:17:17,480 Speaker 2: of a boomerang was discovered in nineteen seventy three in 290 00:17:17,520 --> 00:17:20,879 Speaker 2: the Wiry Swamp of South Australia and danced from about 291 00:17:20,920 --> 00:17:24,160 Speaker 2: ten thousand years ago. Some headline writers have been using 292 00:17:24,200 --> 00:17:26,920 Speaker 2: the new date of the oboz A artifact to claim 293 00:17:26,920 --> 00:17:30,600 Speaker 2: the boomerangs in general are European, not Australian. But that 294 00:17:30,640 --> 00:17:34,400 Speaker 2: seems pretty beside the point. Now, what you really want 295 00:17:34,400 --> 00:17:37,640 Speaker 2: to know? Can this forty thousand year old boomerang fly? 296 00:17:38,480 --> 00:17:41,040 Speaker 2: Glad you asked? In nineteen ninety four, a group of 297 00:17:41,080 --> 00:17:45,360 Speaker 2: German researchers made a plastic replica of the Obozova specimen 298 00:17:45,520 --> 00:17:48,000 Speaker 2: and gave it to a professional boomerang thrower to see 299 00:17:48,000 --> 00:17:50,960 Speaker 2: if it had the right stuff. And yes, apparently there 300 00:17:51,000 --> 00:17:53,840 Speaker 2: is such a thing as a professional boomerang thrower. Turns 301 00:17:53,880 --> 00:17:56,120 Speaker 2: out whoever made this thing really knew what they were doing. 302 00:17:56,440 --> 00:17:58,720 Speaker 2: The replica flew as far as one hundred and sixty 303 00:17:58,760 --> 00:18:01,840 Speaker 2: five feet at speeds of almost fifty miles per hour. 304 00:18:02,320 --> 00:18:06,120 Speaker 2: Here's a quote from the throwing study. The average trajectory 305 00:18:06,240 --> 00:18:09,640 Speaker 2: was nearly ideal from a hunting perspective. Thrown from hip height, 306 00:18:10,000 --> 00:18:13,359 Speaker 2: the projectile never rose above approximately one and a half 307 00:18:13,440 --> 00:18:16,720 Speaker 2: meters at the apex of its arc, and consistently dropped 308 00:18:16,760 --> 00:18:19,280 Speaker 2: to the ground only during the final three meters of 309 00:18:19,320 --> 00:18:21,760 Speaker 2: its flight. Now, I don't know if I'm going to 310 00:18:21,760 --> 00:18:25,560 Speaker 2: trade my shotgun anytime soon, but in my opinion, an 311 00:18:25,600 --> 00:18:29,280 Speaker 2: afternoon going after pheasants with a huge mammoth ivory boomerang 312 00:18:29,480 --> 00:18:32,720 Speaker 2: seems like time well spent. However, if I won't really 313 00:18:32,720 --> 00:18:34,960 Speaker 2: want to put meat on the ground, I'd be going 314 00:18:35,000 --> 00:18:39,639 Speaker 2: after the jack rabbits. Moving on to the skunk desk. 315 00:18:41,440 --> 00:18:45,240 Speaker 2: Police in Honolulu, Hawaii, rushed to Cacaco Waterfront Park last 316 00:18:45,240 --> 00:18:48,600 Speaker 2: week after receiving calls that an unwanted intruder had been 317 00:18:48,640 --> 00:18:52,359 Speaker 2: spotted in the area. Once they arrived, officers called in 318 00:18:52,480 --> 00:18:55,480 Speaker 2: further backup to make sure the threat was contained. Threat 319 00:18:55,520 --> 00:18:59,280 Speaker 2: in this case was mafitis mafitis, or a striped skunk. 320 00:18:59,480 --> 00:19:02,399 Speaker 2: Policeman to trap the skunk under a trash can and 321 00:19:02,440 --> 00:19:05,320 Speaker 2: three inspectors from the Hawaii Department of Agriculture then took 322 00:19:05,359 --> 00:19:08,760 Speaker 2: control of the scene and euthanized the threat. You might 323 00:19:08,800 --> 00:19:10,960 Speaker 2: be a bit surprised by the magnitude of the law 324 00:19:11,040 --> 00:19:14,320 Speaker 2: enforcement response to Old Pepe Lapu, but their actions had 325 00:19:14,320 --> 00:19:17,720 Speaker 2: good justification. There are no skunks in Hawaii, and Hawaiians 326 00:19:17,880 --> 00:19:21,040 Speaker 2: very much want to keep it that way. Skunks stink, 327 00:19:21,400 --> 00:19:24,400 Speaker 2: of course, but there are also prolific egg eaters, which 328 00:19:24,480 --> 00:19:28,200 Speaker 2: make them a particular threat to Hawaii's native wildlife, especially 329 00:19:28,200 --> 00:19:32,400 Speaker 2: its ground nesting birds. Because Hawaii is so geographically isolated, 330 00:19:32,480 --> 00:19:35,280 Speaker 2: a large number of its species are endemic to Hawaii, 331 00:19:35,480 --> 00:19:38,240 Speaker 2: meaning the Aloha State is the only place you'll find them. 332 00:19:38,560 --> 00:19:41,719 Speaker 2: That makes them very vulnerable to invasive species because they 333 00:19:41,760 --> 00:19:44,960 Speaker 2: often can't keep up with their off island competition. The 334 00:19:45,000 --> 00:19:47,800 Speaker 2: story of Hawaii wildlife has been the story of abrupt 335 00:19:47,920 --> 00:19:51,440 Speaker 2: changes due to introduced animals from the roundly unpopular rat 336 00:19:51,480 --> 00:19:53,920 Speaker 2: and mosquito all the way up to the axis deer 337 00:19:53,920 --> 00:19:57,920 Speaker 2: and wild pig, which hunters just love to go after. Notably, 338 00:19:58,080 --> 00:20:00,680 Speaker 2: there are no apex predators in Hawaii like wolves or 339 00:20:00,720 --> 00:20:03,560 Speaker 2: mountain lions, meaning that those deer and pigs face no 340 00:20:03,680 --> 00:20:07,440 Speaker 2: existing threats. Adding one more miso predator, a mid sized 341 00:20:07,480 --> 00:20:10,560 Speaker 2: animal that preys on smaller animals, would be especially bad 342 00:20:10,600 --> 00:20:13,800 Speaker 2: news in Hawaii or native mammals, birds, bats, reptiles, and 343 00:20:13,840 --> 00:20:16,600 Speaker 2: insects are all in a precarious position as it is. 344 00:20:16,960 --> 00:20:20,159 Speaker 2: Skunks are also a common carrier of rabies, a disease 345 00:20:20,200 --> 00:20:22,800 Speaker 2: which has not yet come to Hawaii. Why is in 346 00:20:22,840 --> 00:20:24,840 Speaker 2: fact the only state in the nation and one of 347 00:20:24,840 --> 00:20:28,399 Speaker 2: the few places on Earth that is free of rabies. Again, 348 00:20:28,800 --> 00:20:32,040 Speaker 2: you really really do not want to introduce rabies in 349 00:20:32,080 --> 00:20:34,800 Speaker 2: a place that doesn't have it. The virus, transmitted from 350 00:20:34,840 --> 00:20:38,760 Speaker 2: saliva to blood through a bite or scratch, leads to fever, nausea, vomiting, 351 00:20:38,840 --> 00:20:42,720 Speaker 2: or aggression, and almost always, once the subject begins to 352 00:20:42,760 --> 00:20:47,600 Speaker 2: show symptoms death. Rabies used to be called hydrophobia, or 353 00:20:47,600 --> 00:20:50,159 Speaker 2: if you've seen old, the other the hydrophobia because the 354 00:20:50,240 --> 00:20:53,840 Speaker 2: dramatic increase in saliva production causes subjects to panic when 355 00:20:53,840 --> 00:20:57,840 Speaker 2: they try to drink anything. Anyway. Skunks have been spotted 356 00:20:57,960 --> 00:21:02,120 Speaker 2: in Honolulu in February of twoy eighteen, January of twenty one, 357 00:21:02,240 --> 00:21:05,480 Speaker 2: July of twenty one, in June of twenty two. All 358 00:21:05,480 --> 00:21:08,440 Speaker 2: the animals were captured, euthanize it and tested for rabies, 359 00:21:08,480 --> 00:21:10,960 Speaker 2: and all the tests came back negative. You might be 360 00:21:11,040 --> 00:21:13,879 Speaker 2: wondering where these stripe skunks are coming from. It turns 361 00:21:13,880 --> 00:21:17,919 Speaker 2: out Cocaco Waterfront Park is adjacent to Honolulu Harbor and 362 00:21:17,960 --> 00:21:20,600 Speaker 2: the skunks have been still aways on cargo ships docking 363 00:21:20,600 --> 00:21:24,720 Speaker 2: in the port. I just can't imagine that's the real reason. 364 00:21:25,240 --> 00:21:28,439 Speaker 2: But perhaps if you're on a slow boat in the 365 00:21:28,440 --> 00:21:32,680 Speaker 2: middle of the Pacific Ocean, that skunk smell isn't worth investigating. 366 00:21:33,920 --> 00:21:35,560 Speaker 2: That's all I got for you this week. Thank you 367 00:21:35,600 --> 00:21:38,560 Speaker 2: so much for listening. Remember to write in to ask 368 00:21:38,800 --> 00:21:42,199 Speaker 2: cl that's Ascal at themeeteater dot com. Let me know 369 00:21:42,240 --> 00:21:44,119 Speaker 2: what's going on in your neck of the woods. You 370 00:21:44,160 --> 00:21:46,560 Speaker 2: know I appreciate it. Thanks again. I'll talk to you 371 00:21:46,600 --> 00:21:56,639 Speaker 2: next week.