HumaNature

Josh King grew up in small town Wyoming. So he never imagined that one day he would end up being a night shepherd in the Swiss Alps.

In September, 2014 writer Ben McGrath had a chance encounter with Dick Conant; a 63 year old man on a solo paddling trip from Canada to Florida. Months later, Ben received a phone call from an unknown number which set him off on a journey of his own.

When Jeff Bonhert's dog didn't come home one day he feared the worst. Two months later he got a phone call that changed everything, and Jeff realized his dog may have been closer to home than he realized.

Mike Sarvey was an experienced hunter who felt confident in his outdoors skills. But one day he ventured in the Wyoming wilderness and lost his bearings. As the sun began to set, he realized he had made a huge mistake and that you can never be too prepared.

When Brady Brandwood decided to see what would happen when he bought a lobster to keep as a pet, he never expected it to change his life. This is the story of Leon the Lobster and his unlikely journey from grocery store tank to social media sensation.

In 2022, Bob Salem broke a very unusual record. He now holds the fastest time for pushing a peanut up Pikes Peak Mountain with his nose. Hear Bob's story and the history of this unusual feat on this week's episode.

David Lindo always loved nature, but he grew up in the middle of the city and didn't feel like he had access to it. Until one day he realized that nature is everywhere. He started looking up, looking around, and inadvertently found a career in the process. 

Join us as we gear up for season 8 of HumaNature.

As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.

As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.

As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.

As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.

As we ring in our 100th episode, current and former HumaNature producers and hosts share their favorite episodes.

Emma Harper lives in Cornwall, England. She's a wife, a mother, and...a real-life mermaid! Emma spends hours each week in the Cornish seas frolicking in the waves. But she also uses her platform to speak up for our oceans and why they need protecting. 

For the 100th episode of HumaNature, we're bringing you two stories! In the first, a man plays the ultimate prank on his brother. In the second, a man out doing trail maintenance finds something odd at his campsite.

This time, almost 4000 Beagles are rescued and given a second chance at life.

After months of isolation during the pandemic one Vermont family, and their dog Moshi, decides to thru-hike a 272-mile trail for the very first time.

Kirk Speckhals spent most of his summers in Wyoming mountain biking. He lives in Jackson Hole and always felt comfortable venturing into bear country. But that all changed on a beautiful August day when Kirk found himself face-to-face with a grizzly bear. 

In the early 2000's Los Angeles became obsessed with a new celebrity – a six foot alligator named Reggie. And when city officials set out to capture him, Reggie went on the lam. 

A HumaNature update.

It's late spring and animals are on the move. Sometimes their paths cross with people. For our last episode of the season, here are two stories…this time from the deep.

Justin Murray and his brother Jason spent their childhoods in Florida. They did everything together: fishing, surfing, making their own surfboards. But when they grew up, they forgot about their old dreams and got corporate jobs--until something happened that reminded Justin what life was all about.

Greg Mills and his best friend Rob adventured together in the Alaska wilderness. Their dream was to run the Iditarod Trail Invitational Trail together. A wild river seemed to present an insurmountable obstacle. Despite everything, Greg kept going.

Introducing Montana Public Radio's new podcast, Fireline. When Lily Clarke arrived at the August Complex Fire, it was a fire of sensational size. The blaze eventually burned more than 1 million acres, becoming the largest recorded wildfire in California history. Across the country in 2020, flames charred an area nearly 5 times the size of Yellowstone National Park — the largest swath of land burned since reliable records began. Wildfires across the country are getting bigger, hotter and more devastating. But what's all this fire really mean — for the west, for firefighters and for everyday folks? And what's it really like to fight fire on the ground?

Shermin de Silva was an elephant researcher looking for a sign. Then she met a king.

Wyn Wiley thought they had to pass for straight, even in their beloved outdoors. But then a special pair of boots came into their life.

Damen Bell-Holter faced a lot of trauma growing up in his small village in Alaska. He formed a goal to play professional basketball. But reaching for his dreams revealed an even larger purpose.

How has your relationship with nature changed during the pandemic? The HumaNature community weighs in.

We're on a holiday break until January 20. In the meantime, here's a dramatic story from the archives. In December 2016, Karen Klein got trapped in a snowstorm near the Grand Canyon. But she pushed through it to save her family.

HumaNature's taking a holiday break. We'll be back with a fresh new episode on January 20. In the meantime, we'd like to introduce you to Life Raft, an upbeat podcast about living with climate change. In this episode, they take us on a journey from a famous oyster bar in New Orleans to a lab that’s trying to prepare oysters for a more turbulent future.

Muyambi loved biking, so when his friends asked him to plan a cycling trip across his home country of Uganda he was thrilled. But challenges arose one late night when they had to get creative for dinner.

Mo Beck was a professional climber who regularly won gold in competitions. But when she joined a team on a long expedition in the remote Cirque of the Unclimbables, she was amused to witness the tension between two of her fellow teammates...and the stinky solution.

Mikah Meyer grew up the son of a pastor and secretly struggled with his sexuality. But on a record-setting road trip to all of America's national parks, he realized its success hinged on being open about who he was.

The leaves are scattering down the sidewalk and fog touches the tips of the trees. It’s that time of year again when the shadows lengthen and we bring you stories that aren’t quite human or all the way natural. Welcome to a most haunted theatre.    

The leaves are scattering down the sidewalk and fog touches the tips of the trees. It's that time of year again when the shadows lengthen and we bring you stories that aren't quite human or all the way natural. Welcome to a most haunted theatre.

Sharon Ross wanted to be prepared for anything. But when she joined others getting ready for the end of the world, she found herself the odd one out.         Header photo by Sera Lindsey Additional links https://blackpdx.com/destination/portland/afrovivalist/  Music Blue Dot Sessions

A glimpse of some of the stories coming your way this season, starting October 14.    

Climate change is all over the news, from burning forests to melting ice sheets. But it can seem like a big, abstract problem. Writer Manasseh Franklin wanted to make the melting of glaciers more real to people. So on an Alaskan rafting trip, she followed water to its source. It’s a story from our archives that’s […]

As summer wanes, we’re reaching into the archives for a story about a classic summer activity: a leisurely river float. At least, that’s what it was supposed to be. But when they lost their guide, a group of tourists got more than they bargained for.      Bambi Meets Godzilla   Music Rollin at 5 […]

While we work on new stories for this fall, here’s a summer favorite from 2019. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho paddled thousands of miles in a canoe from Minneapolis to the shores of the Hudson Bay. The journey tested their physical strength – and the strength of their friendship.         align=”aligncenter”     […]

South Africans Chris Diedericks and Anna Calitz wanted to go on a romantic getaway, but their adventure broke down before it even began.             Music Blue Dot Sessions

Juan Martinez grew up in South Central L.A. in the early nineties. He was struggling to find his way until he traded detention for a pack of jalapeño seeds. Those led him all the way to the stars.       Juan at Yosemite National Park with Fresh Tracks with the Aspen Institute   Juan […]

Boyd Varty lives on a game reserve in South Africa near Kruger National Park. After his family began returning the land to its wild state, it awakened something wild in him, too.       Photography by Amanda Ritchie     Connect with Boyd Varty: Website | https://boydvarty.com/ Instagram | https://www.instagram.com/boyd_varty/ Find out more about Londolozi Website […]

After cycling across America, Taylor Thibodeau had a lifetime of adventures ahead of him…until a mysterious illness cut that short. Then he decided to adventure anyway.         Photos from their trip across America  

Morley Nelson delighted in watching raptors in aerial combat as they fought over nesting sites. And he made it his life’s mission to protect the part of Idaho’s Snake River with the highest nesting density of birds of prey in North America. This time, we’re bringing you a story from the new podcast Common Land […]

It’s springtime and Earth Day! Animals are on the move, and sometimes their paths cross with people. Here are five stories to help you get outside while you’re stuck at home.       Learn more about Nate Summers’ book, Primal: Why We Long to Be Wild and Free. Find out more about Ellen Prager’s […]

Michael Benanav studies nomadic people as a writer and photographer. So when he was invited to accompany the Van Gujjar of northern India on their annual migration with their water buffalo, he jumped at the chance. Turned out, they wanted a journalist along that year for reasons he hadn’t expected.           […]