Aquarium of the Podcific – Details, episodes & analysis

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If you see oiled wildlife, call the OWCN 24-hour hotline: 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926)

Frankie Lill coordinates wildlife oil spill response for the entire state of California. She also used to work with us, and is making this podcast cooler by the second. In this episode, she breaks down how the Oiled Wildlife Care Network mobilizes within hours of a spill, what it really takes to rehabilitate an oiled bird, why blue dish soap is still the MVP after decades of research, and reminisces on her past work (of being a social media SUPERSTAR) at the Aquarium of the Pacific.

In this episode:

• Frankie's aviculturist background at the Aquarium of the Pacific and her role as Wildlife Planning Specialist on the OWCN team
• How OWCN was created in response to catastrophic spills in the late 1980s and early 1990s
• The four R's of OWCN's work: readiness, response, reaching out, and research
• What happens when a spill is activated, from the planning meeting to boots on the ground within two hours
• The full care journey of an oiled bird: field capture, stabilization, intake and processing, pre-wash care, washing, conditioning, waterproofing, and release
• Why inland oil spills are more common than most people realize
• How the network prepares responders for every species

Get involved:

• Learn about OWCN and find member organizations
• If you see oiled wildlife, call the OWCN 24-hour hotline: 1-877-UCD-OWCN (1-877-823-6926)

Episode resources:

• Aquarium Staff Lend a Helping Hand to Oiled Seabirds in Ventura County
• Aquarium Staff Members Helped Rescue Animals Affected by the Oil Spill
• Aquarium Aids in Rescue Effort to Save Baby Seabirds
• Beautiful turban snail video

Episode photo cover courtesy of OWCN/UC Davis

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

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In this episode, Madeline and Erin sit down with Jeff Flocken, President and CEO of the Aquarium of the Pacific, for his first podcast appearance since joining the institution. Jeff shares the winding path that brought him here, from studying giraffes in Africa, to law school, to nearly two decades of global wildlife policy work, and what it felt like to trade policy campaigns for waders in the San Gabriel River.

We also hear the full story of Porkchop, the Aquarium's three-flippered green sea turtle, from her rescue and rehabilitation to her release back into the river she calls home.

In this episode:

• Jeff's path from field research and law school to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Humane Society International, and the Aquarium of the Pacific
• The campaign to list African lions as endangered under the U.S. Endangered Species Act
• The Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders program (EWCL), what it is, how it works, and why Jeff co-founded it 20 years ago
• Erin's connection to the program as a member of the 11th class
• Jeff's first impressions of the Aquarium and the conservation work already underway
• Porkchop's rescue from the San Gabriel River, her year of rehabilitation at the Aquarium, and her release
• What it felt like for Jeff, a career policy advocate, to release an animal into the wild for the first time
• The Aquarium's current conservation programs: white abalone, sunflower sea stars, sea otter surrogacy, coral restoration, bull kelp, zebra sharks, monarch butterflies, mountain yellow-legged frogs, and more
• Jeff's conservation dream: sea otters reclaiming their historic range from Alaska to Mexico
• The animated short film Save Ralph, and how it helped pass cosmetic animal testing bans in four countries within a year
• Jeff's wildlife hero: Dr. Jane Goodall
• Chewbacca, Jeff's golden retriever, a rescue from a dog meat farm in South Korea

Get involved:

• Southern California Sea Turtle Monitoring Program: first Saturday of each month, 8:30 to 10:30 a.m.
• Los Cerritos Wetlands monthly cleanup
• Donate to the Sea Turtle Rehabilitation Center
• NOAA's Sea Turtle Stranding Hotline: 562-506-4315
• Emerging Wildlife Conservation Leaders (aka EWCL)
• Watch "Save Ralph", Humane Society International’s global campaign to ban animal testing for cosmetics

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

The Aquarium’s CELP (Community, Equity, Learning, Persistence) Scholar Program seeks to broaden participation in marine sciences, help more students find their own community in STEM, and support students’ persistence in the field. This episode features Alie LeBeau, our Director of STEM Pathway Initiatives, and Leslie Nguyen, an Animal Care Specialist. Both Alie and Leslie are integral parts of the development of this scholarship and share more information on the program.

To learn more about our CELP Scholar Program, please visit pacific.to/celp

The Aquarium believes everyone is welcome in the work we do and strives to cultivate a workforce that reflects the diverse communities in which it is situated. Applicants of any race, color, religion, gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin, genetics, disability, age, or veteran status are welcome.

Additional resources:

• CELP Scholar Informational Webinar 2024
• 2024 Scholar Symposium – CELP Scholar Lightning Talks
• Support the CELP Scholar Program

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Happy Halloween! In this episode, Aquarium staff tell spooky stories of situations that can and can't be explained.

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Did you know our crabs get burped? Now you do! It's time to burp the crabs and also listen to Aquarist Melissa talk about the Aquarium's spider crabs.

Thank you for another fun season of Aquarium of the Podcific! Follow @podcific on Instagram for updates and more. We'll sea you soon!

Episode transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Aviculturist Ashley is back to update us on the latest shenanigans of the Aquarium's bird residents in a series we like to call "The Young and the Nestless".

This is a "Low Tide" episode! It's more relaxed, shorter, and maybe even a little sillier than normal. Enjoy!

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

We are often asked how to start a career in animal care, and today we are giving insight into traditional and non-traditional pathways to working in this amazing field. Spoiler alert: it’s a lot of hard but rewarding work. Brett Long, Senior Director of Birds/Amphibians/Mammals, joins us to share advice and stories from his decades-long career in animal care and husbandry. 

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

BORK! It's time to learn about sea lions! Mammalogist Erin Bell joins us today to talk to us about these majestic and sometimes (usually) silly animals.

To report a live marine mammal in need, call the Marine Mammal Care Center’s toll-free hotline at 1-800-39-WHALE. (1-800-399-4253)

TikTok: Who is the loudest sea lion?

Seals & Sea Lions Animal Encounters at the Aquarium of the Pacific

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Enrichment is the word of the week! We are joined by two animal enrichment experts, Alex Lasser-Gold and Alex Bohardt, aka Mammal Alex and Fish Alex. Lasser-Gold (Mammal Alex) is a Mammalogist II and Enrichment Coordinator, and Bohardt (Fish Alex) is our Manager of Aquatic Sustainability. Both have extensive knowledge of enrichment for animals that live above water, below water, and those that spend time in between.

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!

Send us Fan Mail

Everyone is talking about axolotls, but what exactly are these fascinating animals, and how do we care for them? We are joined by Animal Care Specialist America Sahagun who cares for our axolotl squad at the Aquarium to discuss these "water dogs"

We also discuss our newest exhibit, FROGS: Facing a Changing World, which is open now!

Episode Transcript

Stay connected: 

If you enjoyed this episode, make sure you are subscribed to Aquarium of the Podcific wherever you are listening, and leave us a five-star review! It goes a long way in helping new listeners find the show. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Email us at podcific@lbaop.org! Follow the Aquarium of the Pacific across social media (@aquariumpacific) for fun animal videos, conservation updates, and more. Follow the podcast's own Instagram (@podcific) for episode updates and behind-the-scenes content.

Thanks for listening!