Nature's Secret Service

Епизоде

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  Guilty! - The True Story Behind the Cody Roberts Case (Part 2) 15.09.2026 52мин

  In 2026, Cody Roberts was convicted of felony animal cruelty in Sublette County, Wyoming after he took an injured wolf into a bar and tormented it. Tune in to this episode to hear directly from Clayton Melinkovich, the prosecutor who brought the case. Learn the true facts, what was happening as they prepared for trial, the circumstances that led to a conviction, and the impacts of the outcome. The truth is not necessarily what was told through social media.
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  The Prosecutor Speaks - The True Story Behind the Cody Roberts Case (Part 1) 08.09.2026 1ч 1мин

  Cody Roberts, the man who infamously took an injured wolf into a Daniels, Wyoming bar with its mouth duck taped shut then tormented it for hours before shooting it, was charged in Sublette County Court with animal cruelty by elected County Prosecutor Clayton Melinkovich. Join Ed for his conversation with Melinkovich about the true facts behind the case and his decision to file charges. The truth is not necessarily what was told through social media.
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  The McKittrick Policy Must Go! - Judy Calman, JD 01.09.2026 1ч 7мин

  In 2012, Judy Calman joined an elite team of environmental lawyers who decided they'd had enough of the McKittrick Policy. Hear the story of the most successful attempt to date to attack the policy that runs counter to Congressional intent.
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  Jail Time! - Special Agent Doug McKenna 25.08.2026 1ч 7мин

  Making cases against people who illegally kill Mexican gray wolves has been notoriously difficult but some agents have the grit and tenacity to make something happen. Join Ed for his discussion with former USFWS Special Agent Doug McKenna to hear how Doug actually sent a Mexican gray wolf poacher to jail!As Ed likes to say, "If you commit a federal wildlife crime, a US Fish and Wildlife Service agent will pursue you, they will catch you, and they will put you in jail."
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  The Mexican Gray Wolf - with Sherry Barrett 18.08.2026 1ч 3мин

  Meet the former coordinator of Mexican wolf recovery in Arizona and New Mexico. What's the number one cause of death among Mexican gray wolves? You guessed it -- poaching. This week, we jump into the world of the Mexican gray wolf. A slightly smaller subspecies of Canis lupus, the Mexican gray wolf once roamed throughout the Southwestern United States, into Mexico, and as far north as Colorado. Completely extirpated from their natural range by the 1940's, a very small population remained in the wild in Mexico. They were captured and brought into a captive breeding program. Beginning in 1998, the first of those captively bred wolves were reintroduced in New Mexico with additional reintroductions occurring in Arizona in subsequent years. This week's guest, Sherry Barrett, talks to Ed about her experience as the Mexican gray wolf reintroduction coordinator.
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  Wolves of the Great Lakes - Special Agent Steve Stoinski 11.08.2026 1ч 21мин

  Are the gray wolves in the Great Lakes area any less persecuted than the wolves in western states? Nope. Join Ed in a conversation with Special Agent Steve Stoinski and hear about his investigation of a Wisconsin landowner who took it upon himself to rid his area of wild wolves protected by the Endangered Species Act. Steve also gives us some insight into what happened to the very first wolves that naturally migrated into Colorado long before that state's effort to reintroduce them. You won't believe it! Well, you probably will believe it.
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  Idaho Wolf Wars - Wildlife Officer Tony Latham 04.08.2026 1ч 2мин

  Can you kill a wolf in self-defense? One of the very few exceptions to the prohibition against killing endangered or threatened species is self-defense - if you have to kill the animal to save yourself or others. Although wolves have a ferocious reputation in folklore, there are almost no documented cases of wolves attacking human beings. Even when human biologists raid a wolf den to study pups, the adult wolves will not attack. Sit down for a discussion with Tony Latham, one of the most respected state wildlife officers in the west to talk about Idaho's "Wolf Wars." You'll be fascinated to learn about a 'self-defense' case involving two deer hunters in Idaho who shot a wolf and claimed it was attacking them. Tony was assigned to investigate whether or not that claim was true.
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  The Wildlife Forensic Crime Lab - Dr. Ed Espinoza 28.07.2026 1ч 4мин

  Where do agents turn when they have a case like last week's poison meatball investigation? Well, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Clark Bavin National Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, was the first crime lab established in the United States that was totally dedicated to assisting with wildlife crime investigations. A fully accredited crime lab, the FWS Lab provides assistance to federal and state wildlife investigators as they tackle some of the most complex investigations. This week, join Ed for his discussion with Dr. Ed Espinoza, the former deputy director of the FWS Lab to learn more about what the lab can do and how it helps agents solve cases and bring violators to justice.
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  The Poison Meatballs - Special Agent Scott Bragonier 21.07.2026 56мин

  Ed Newcomer tells the incredible story of Special Agent Scott Bragonier's investigation of a expansive crime scene in the wilds of Idaho. What happened at the crime scene? It appears to Agent Bragonier as if someone has tried to poison wild wolves that are protected by the US Endangered Species Act. Join Ed and Sheryl McCollum, the host of the Zone-7 podcast, as they talk about the case and the important role played by forensic evidence and good crime scene processing. This case was the first case where someone was successfully convicted for attempting to take an endangered or threatened species.Special thanks to Sheryl McCollum and the team at Zone-7 for giving us permission to replay this episode on Season 3 of the Nature's Secret Service podcast.
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  The Omak Wolf - Special Agent Corky Roberts 14.07.2026 1ч 16мин

  If you illegally kill an endangered wolf that naturally migrated into the United States but want to keep the pelt, how do you launder it so it appears to be 'legal?' Tune in to this week's episode with former USFWS special agent Corky Roberts to hear about his investigation of a Washington resident who did just that.
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  Red Wolves, Mexican Grays, and Colorado Wolves - Mike Phillips (Part 2) 07.07.2026 55мин

  Join Ed for part two of our conversation with renowned wolf biologist Mike Phillips. In this week's episode, Mike takes us through the history of red wolf reintroduction in the Southeastern US, Mexican gray wolf reintroduction in the Southwest, and the recent efforts to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. Although Mike is an ardent supporter of wolf reintroduction across the US, he is a realist and speaks to us honestly about the reintroduction efforts and the likelihood of success under current circumstances.
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  Yellowstone Wolves Reborn - Mike Phillips (Part 1) 30.06.2026 1ч 3мин

  Join the conversation with Mike Phillips, former head of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park as he talks with us about wolf reintroduction, wolf biology, the way wolves interact with their environment, and how misplaced anti-wolf sentiments are threatening one of the greatest wildlife recovery success stories in US history.
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  Jack Booted Thugs - When a Wolf Poaching Investigation turned on the Investigators 23.06.2026 1ч 14мин

  What happens when you head out to conduct a wolf poaching investigation and the local sheriff threatens to arrest you? Wolf Number 10 in Montana wasn't the only reintroduced wolf killed in 1995. Wolf Number B13 was released in Idaho in early 1995 and by Spring, it was dead. Shot and killed on a private rancher's property in central Idaho. Special Agents Paul Weyland, Steve Magone, and Tom Riley were put on the case but what they encountered at the crime scene would send chills down the spine of any federal law enforcement officer. Join the conversation this week with Ed, Paul Weyland, and Steve Magone and they take you through the story.
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  The McKittrick Memo - Elinor Colbourn 16.06.2026 58мин

  Join Ed for his conversation with former federal prosecutor Elinor Colbourn about the infamous McKittrick Policy and its impact on wolf poaching cases. Elinor was a senior federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division where she prosecuted some of the country's most important criminal cases involving environmental law. She was the prosecutor on the "Friday Night Lights" case discussed with Special Agent Keith Swindle in Season 1, Episodes 4 and 5.
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  Wolf 10 and the Lawman: Special Agent Tim Eicher 09.06.2026 1ч 13мин

  Wolf Number 10 was the first of the reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone National Park to be illegally shot and killed by a poacher. US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Tim Eicher was the agent assigned to solve the case. Join Ed and Tim for their conversation about that case and learn how Tim identified a suspect and brought him to justice. Hear, too, how the case was the spark for long-lasting policy at the US Department of Justice that has hampered Endangered Species Act criminal cases for the past 30 years.
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  The Wolf Guru - Rick McIntyre 02.06.2026 1ч 7мин

  In the premiere episode of Season 3, join Ed for his conversation with Rick McIntyre, nicknamed "The Wolf Guru" by the late Jane Goodall. Rick has spent more time observing and documenting wild wolves and their behavior than any other person. He was working as a ranger in Yellowstone National Park when wolves were reintroduced in 1995 and, since then, has recorded more than 100,000 personal sightings of wild wolves inside the park. He is an award winning author of a series of books detailing his observations of Yellowstone's wolves. The best place to start that reading is with his book "The Rise of Wolf 8: Witnessing the Triumph of Yellowstone's Underdog."
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  S2E15: Season 2 Finale - The Prosecutors 06.01.2026 1ч 16мин

  The number and quality of investigations, arrests, and cases mean nothing without good prosecutors willing to file charges and move forward with trials when necessary. For more than 20 years, the United States Attorney for the Central District of California (Los Angeles) has maintained a unit of prosecutors who are dedicated to handling cases involving environmental crime. Sit down with Ed for his discussion with Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA's) Matt O'Brien, Dennis Mitchell, and Mark Williams, three of the most experienced federal wildlife prosecutors in the country, to talk about some of their favorite cases and to learn about how the US Attorney's Office works with agencies like the US Fish and Wildlife Service.This is the final episode of Season 2 of Nature's Secret Service. Get ready for Season 3, which will premiere in early 2026.
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  S2E14: A Night on Patrol 30.12.2025 50мин

  Get ready to go on patrol in Los Angeles with Ed the Fed and Captain Michele Budish of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Get a feel for what it's like to work the front line with a hard charging game warden. Will it be a night of non-stop action and excitement or routine patrol work? You'll find out as you join us for ... A Night on Patrol.CORRECTION: At 14:04 and 15:28 minutes, Michele and I reference checking a boat with five people on it. The boat called "Gotta Habit" had three people on board, not five. During the same incident at the dock, we checked another fishing boat that did have five people on it. That contact was edited out of the final episode for time so the final narration and dialogue created some confusion.
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  S2E13: AMBUSH! 23.12.2025 37мин

  In 1962, USFWS Agent Vic Blasevic was ambushed by poachers and shot twice at close range. Join Ed and retired Special Agent Jerry Smith as they talk about who Vic was, what he was like, and how he survived those harrowing events on a dark and cold Illinois cornfield.CORRECTION - This episode references the Central Flyway but should have referenced the Mississippi Flyway.
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  S2E12: The Untouchables 16.12.2025 57мин

  Did you know that the very first federal law enforcement officer to ever conduct undercover work was a US Fish and Wildlife Service officer? It makes sense because the US Fish and Wildlife Service is among the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. Join Ed and his guest Mark Madison, historian for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to hear about the earliest Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement pioneers.