The Wolf Connection – Details, episodes & analysis

Taylor Rabe has been a Wildlife Technician in Yellowstone National Park for the Wolf, Cougar and Elk Projects for over 2 1/2 years. She is also the Inaugural Fellow for Conservation Nation.

Taylor updated us on what's happening inside Yellowstone National Park, the new Bioacoustics Program they are using to help identify populations of wolves, cougars and other animals, how they're dealing with wolf, bear and elk habituation issues and touched on the upcoming conference, Wolves Across Borders, taking place in The Netherlands in June of 2025.

Conservation Nation: Taylor Rabe

@taylorlrabe

@thewolfconnectionpod

Marc Bekoff is a professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder. Marc has published 31 books and has won many awards for his research on animal behavior, animal emotions (cognitive ethology), compassionate conservation, and animal protection. He has worked closely with Jane Goodall as co-chair of the ethics committee of the Jane Goodall Institute, and is a former Guggenheim Fellow.

Marc spoke at length about one of his books, The Emotional Lives of Animals: A Leading Scientist Explores Animal Joy, Sorrow, and Empathy - and Why They Matter, his research throughout the course of his career, and the relationships between humans and animals in many settings.

Marc Bekoff Website

Psychology Today Blog

Colorado's Wolves: Good News for Their Future as Wild Animals

@thewolfconnectionpod

Screenwriter, director and producer Ashley Avis came back to Wolf Connection for the second time in 2 weeks! Ashley filmed at Wolf Connection for the new initiative, A Cry for the Wild, which will culminate in a 3-day event & rally for wolves and wildlife in Washington, D.C. this month. She also disclosed information about the next steps in the new film project, American Wolf.

Ashley is the President of The Wild Beauty Foundation, wrote, directed and edited Black Beauty  on Disney+ and directed the award winning documentary Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the West.

**More details about "A Cry for the Wild" rally in Washington, D.C. below**

Cry for the Wild Website

@ashleyavis

@thewolfconnectionpod

Kira Cassidy has been a Biologist and Research Associate for Yellowstone Forever for over a decade. Connor Meyer is a PhD Student in Wildlife Biology at the University of Montana.
 
They are working on new research pertaining to Toxoplasmosis in wolves around Yellowstone National Park.

Kira and Connor discussed what Toxoplasmosis is, the relationship between cougars and wolves with this disease, and the effects of it on wolf behavior.

@kira_cassidy

@connor__meyer

@thewolfconnectionpod

Julia Huffman is an award winning independent documentary filmmaker who produced Medicine of the Wolf. Her latest works include the animated story Today As I Run, andThe Wild One, based on an excerpt from Jim Brandenburg's book Brother Wolf.

We caught up with Julia about her recent projects, how she handled the creative process during the pandemic, and how she hopes both films will help the relationship between humans and wolves. 

@directorjuliahuffman

@thewolfconnectionpod

@wolfconnection

Bridgett VonHoldt is the Associate Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology at Princeton University. She has been studying ecological epigenomics which address the ecological and evolutionary questions regarding animals adaptations & response to selection.

Bridgett spoke to us about her work regarding the genomic & phenotypic diversity between dogs and wolves, and how captured coyotes in the Gulf Coast of the United States could be harboring red wolf genes in their populations.

Coyotes with Dog Genomic Ancestry

Population Structure and Gene Flow in Grey Wolf Populations of the Northern Rockies

'Ghost' DNA Red Wolves in Texas

The VonHoldt Lab

@thebeeps

Ryan Devereaux has been an investigative journalist for The Intercept for almost a decade. His piece titled "Rocky Mountain Massacre", details the events leading up to, during, and after the recent wolf hunt in Montana.

We discussed the article at length, discussing how he got involved in the story and what he learned from his time in Montana around Yellowstone National Park.

Rocky Mountain Massacre

Ryan Devereaux at The Intercept

@thewolfconnectionpod

Aaron Bott is a Wildlife Biologist and a PhD student at Utah State University studying wolves across the American West. He has recently become an Associate Researcher for the Northern Rockies Conservation Cooperative. Aaron's family roots in the American West date back into the mid-1800's where they have lived ever since. 

Aaron talked to us about his family heritage, where his passion for wolves came from and his research that is spanning from Yellowstone National Park to the Northern Rockies.

Aaron Bott Bio

@c_aaronbott

Wolf Connection Website

Bernd Blossey has been a Professor of Natural Resources and the Environment at Cornell University for almost 30 years. His research has involved assessing impacts of deer on ecosystems and how large carnivores may, or may not, aid in ecosystem recovery.  Another focus of Bernd’s work is addressing the responsibility and accountability of humans on the conservation and management of these species.

Our discussion touched on Bernd's early work in Germany, his research on the deer population in the ecosystem and how the perceived impact of wolves across the landscape has shaped our views on them.

Myths, Wishful Thinking and Accountability in Predator Conservation and Management in the United States

Bring back the wolves - but not as heroes or villains (Cornell Chronicle)

Bernd Blossey Bio

Arthur Lefo is a French-American wildlife and conservation photographer, writer, nature guide and storyteller. His inspiring visual arts work has captured the attention of global audiences and has been featured by acclaimed outlets such as National Geographic & World Wildlife Fund.

Arthur spoke to us about his personal journeys into photography & guiding, described his experiences while photographing wolves and how he hopes to make a conservational impact with those who see his work and join him on a guided experience.

Arthur Lefo Photography

@arthurlefo

Mother Wolf Gallery (Coming Soon!)