This is Wild – Details, episodes & analysis

This Is Wild is a new podcast from WWF-Canada about the incredible species that call Canada home—and the people working to protect them. In each episode, we’re diving into the life of one species to learn all about how it survives, the threats it faces, and the conservation solutions that could change everything. Hosted by Ziya Tong.

For millennia, the members of Katzie First Nation have seen salmon as family. So in 2018, when a landslide put an already endangered population of Chinook salmon in grave danger, they knew it was time to act. In this episode of This Is Wild, host Ziya Tong tells the story of the salmon in B.C.’s Upper Pitt River. Once home to a thriving population of Pacific salmon, numbers have been declining in the area for decades. But how did we reach the point where one landslide can endanger an entire population? And how do we secure a brighter future for these remarkable fish? To learn more about Pacific salmon, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

In the 1930s, wolves were eradicated from Yellowstone National Park…and then the entire ecosystem went haywire. In this episode of This Is Wild, we explore the power of apex predators to impact their environments, both culturally and ecologically. From the ripple effects wolves had on rivers and forests to the deep cultural connections between people and these oft-misunderstood animals, we’ll uncover how their presence (or absence) can shape entire landscapes. To learn more about grey wolves and Algonquin wolves, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

Every fall, monarch butterflies all across Canada start flying south. They travel thousands of kilometres, braving storms and food shortages, to make it to their wintering grounds in Michoacan, Mexico. In this episode of This Is Wild, we’ll meet the iconic little insects that make this extraordinary journey every year. From the monarchs’ remarkable navigation skills to the dangers that put their migration at risk, we’ll uncover what these fragile travellers reveal about the health of the natural world. To learn more about monarch butterflies, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

Just a few years ago, the fin whale, the second-largest animal on our planet, reappeared in the fjords of northern B.C.’s Great Bear Sea after being gone for decades. But in the summer of 2025, a new LNG transport facility put this thriving new habitat in danger. In this episode of This Is Wild, we’re learning all about the elusive fin whale, and the tenuous recovery they’re making on Canada’s north Pacific coast. We’ll explore how these giants of the deep are reshaping life in the Great Bear Sea, and why the recent surge of tanker traffic could undercut their comeback. To learn more about fin whales, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

In the 1950s, scientists noticed a troubling trend: around the world, peregrine falcons were disappearing, and no one could figure out why. Revered for their admirable hunting skills and impossible speed, the potential loss of peregrine falcons was devastating to bird lovers everywhere. In this episode of This Is Wild, we’ll uncover how a powerful combination of amazing science, policy shifts and public outcry led to one of conservation’s biggest wildlife success stories. To learn more about peregrine falcons and DDT, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

For generations, caribou have been at the heart of Inuit life. But in recent years, new infrastructure in the Canadian Arctic has started to block their migratory paths — and threaten a way of life that has lasted for millennia. 

In this episode of This Is Wild, we’ll learn all about how caribou herds navigate the vast tundra, and how Inuit communities are working to protect the animals they rely on. From Inuit knowledge passed down through generations to the modern pressures of industry, we’ll uncover the delicate balance between people, animals and a rapidly changing landscape.

To learn more about barren-ground caribou, you can go to www.wwf.ca/thisiswild. 

If you have any questions or suggestions for the show, you can email us at thisiswild@wwfcanada.org.

While we work hard on season 2 of This Is Wild, we’re bringing you some special bonus content: the first episode of Good Nature with Megan Leslie, a new podcast from WWF-Canada. You can keep up with future episodes on Youtube, Instagram, or wherever you get your podcasts.

To stay up to date on what’s going on at WWF-Canada, sign up for Living Planet News: https://wwf.ca/signup-for-living-planet-news/

Nature is in need right now. More than ever. But who is answering the call?

Good people, that’s who. And there are more of them than you might think. That’s why Megan Leslie, WWF‑Canada’s president and CEO, is chatting with folks who are proving that hope for nature isn’t just alive — it’s thriving. On this podcast, Megan celebrates both the good we find in nature and the good‑natured people working to protect it, proving that real change is not only possible, it’s already happening. 

In the first episode of Good Nature, Megan sits down with Andy Ridley, the co‑founder of Earth Hour, just as the global movement marks its 20th anniversary. Andy reflects on how a simple idea — turning off the lights for one hour — sparked a worldwide expression of collective action. The conversation traces the evolution of the environmental movement over the past two decades and explores what Andy is working on now: protecting coral reefs by empowering everyday people to help monitor and restore them. From Earth Hour’s origins in Sydney Harbour to its little-known Toronto connection and eventual global ignition, this episode is a hopeful look at how creativity and shared purpose can help turn concern into action.

Megan is also joined on this episode by WWF-Canada’s resident botanist, Ryan Godfrey, who answers her call on the orca phone to tell her something good about the weeds in your garden.