From New York City to the San Francisco Bay area, these stories are about heroes who go to extraordinary lengths to save the local wildlife they love.
This special broadcast is hosted by Vanessa Lowe, host of KCRW's Nocturne podcast.
First, Vanessa introduces us to an episode of KCRW’s Here Be Monsters, a podcast about the unknown.
New York City is quieter than usual these days, with so many people staying at home. But there is one population that’s still occupying the streets: the city’s pigeons. This story is about a woman who calls herself Mother Pigeon — she’s a defender of New York’s quote “maligned animals”— those are the animals strong enough to survive in our urban environments, but not charismatic enough to become our pets.
On a trip to NYC, host Jeff Emtman follows Mother Pigeon on her daily mission to protect the pigeons.
While humans have been sheltering inside houses and apartments, there have been reports around the world of animals coming out in full force. Mountain goats roam a town in Wales. Meanwhile, wild boar are hitting the streets of Barcelona. And a puma visited downtown Santiago, Chile.
This second story in our podcast spotlight is about a person who’s always noticed and appreciated the wildlife in her neighborhood, even before the pandemic. It’s about a rancher in Northern California and the lengths she goes to to save the salamanders and newts in her area.
You can listen to more episodes here or wherever you get your podcasts