In a cruel trick of evolution, humans can stand just three feet from a ferocious animal and still be perfectly safe. This hour, Radiolab goes to the zoo.
What's with our need to get close to "wildness"? We examine where we stand in this paradox--starting with the Romans, and ending in the wilds of Belize, staring into the eyes of a wild jaguar.
Is there such thing as a good cage? Happy gorillas, deft landscape architects, and neurologists show us that there just might be. We go back to the late 1970s to relive the moment when zoos began to change. Literally, the moment, that the modern ...
Wanted: Meat. Preferably alive. That is, if you're a carnivore. But most carnivores in zoos find themselves being fed something more along the lines of a hamburger... or in zoo lingo "a meatsicle." And like in the movie "Supersize Me," the result of this diet is a bunch of overweight, ...
We end the hour with the story of boy who feels great sadness at the zoo. He doesn't like cages so he sets out to dedicate his life to keeping animals in the wild. In the end though, he'll find himself back at the zoo, as a zoo employee, to ...
Comments [9]
I really enjoyed the show, thank you. Concerning the caged tigers at the end of the show, I wanted to ask, if the producers or maybe other readers know more about this and if there was any action taken. I understand dealing with china, there is probably nothing one can do, but I just wanted to know, if there is more information about it.
thank you for the great show
I was just wondering if anyone knew what song was used in the musical interlude at 43:50. Thanks
Never have I been so moved by any episode of Radiolab or any NPR show. My heart still hurts when I think of that wild cat meowing behind bars. Thank you so much. RIGHT NOW I am going to research wild cat charities to see how I can help them. Thank you for a brilliant show!!
Chimpanzees and gorillas are not monkeys; they are apes. Monkeys usually have tails, and they are usually not as intelligent as the great apes.
well done, Thank you. The yowling of the tigers trapped and confined has left me sickened, sad and not sure what I can do to help ? Any advice on how to be of assistance from the reporters and authors ?
my goodness, what a goldmine! i have been downloading and listening to your wonderful shows for 2 weeks. Thanks for sharing such remarkable discoveries, matched with unbelievable stories. Inspirational!
The yowling of the tigers in the one portion of this episode brings me nearly to tears, and I'm not sure why. I've listened to this episode twice now, and each time this is the part that gets me. I'm not necessarily inclined to tigers, I find their future grim and that's horribly sad, but I don't stay up at night worrying about it (I probably should). So why it affects me I think is the whole production of the show and the way it's presented- it really makes you feel for the animals- the dichotomy of the circus music going on in the background the laughter and such, clashing with this horrible image of metal bars and the sound of giant cats just agonizing in an everlasting prison of boredom and neglect. It's horrible. Frightening. It makes me want to do more to protect wildlife, makes me wish I was more conscious of my environmental decisions- and that is why Radiolab is so great. It makes you want to act, makes you want to share, and it's not just entertainment- it truly enriches your life. Thank you so much for this!
I spend lots of time outdoors in wild areas, so can appreciate how incredibly rare was Rabinowitz' wild jaguar encounter . Yet, it also has the ring of truth. I've heard versions of stories like that for years about other large predators. They are always told in reverent, hushed tones, accompanied by..."I'll probably never see anything like this again".
Not a big fan of zoos, either , but if they spark such passion in only a few people like him, they are worth it. Only rarely does a piece move me as this one did.
Please pass along my thanks to all involved.
zoölogical: zoh oh logical, please.
similarly oöcyte: oh oh cyte.
The balance of the presentations: KUDOS!
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