Posted by Paula MacKay, Living Northwest Conservation
Photos by Paula MacKay
As a child growing up in Boston, most of my wildlife sightings comprised gray squirrels and American robins—maybe the occasional urban raccoon. But on Sunday nights, a silver-haired zoologist named Marlin Perkins came into my family’s living room and transported me to a much bigger world of animals, where close encounters with species I’d never even heard of ignited my imagination and helped seed my future in carnivore conservation. That little girl in yellow feet pajamas, who sat mesmerized watching
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom while her animal-loving mom knit mittens and hats, could never have dreamed that one day she’d be featured on the program. And the wildlife she’d be studying? Wolverines!
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| Photo by Mutual of Omaha |
Fast forward five decades, and I found myself on a flight to Billings, Montana, where my husband (WPZ’s Dr. Robert Long) and I were to be filmed for a future episode of the show’s new iteration,
Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom Protecting the Wild. At ZooMontana, we would meet up with Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant, whose intrepid path to becoming the iconic co-host is a story of hope and inspiration (check out Dr. Rae’s memoir,
Wild Life: Finding My Purpose in an Untamed World). Robert, Dr. Rae, and I would spend several hours engaging with a tenacious trio of wolverines: Ahmari, Sid, and Enda, ZooMontana’s ambassadors for wild wolverine populations like the one Robert and I monitor in the North Cascades.
Could somebody pinch me, please?!
Our goal for that chilly December day was to observe how wolverines would respond to a synthetic scent lure we’d shipped to the zoo in advance. Traditional scent lures, which we pair with remote cameras to entice wildlife to visit, are sourced from animals by the trapping industry. After a futile search for a more humane alternative, Robert and I contracted a team of innovators to create a synthetic concoction that mimics the traditional lure’s scent profile, much like the approach taken by the perfume industry. On a whim, while the TV cameras were rolling, I blurted out to Dr. Rae and Robert that we should name our stinky new perfume, “Let’s Get Wild!”
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| Photo of a wolverine by ZooMontana |
So, what’s it like to have three amped-up wolverines sniffing around at your feet as they explore a novel scent in their zoo environment? And how did their response to “Let’s Get Wild” compare with that to the traditional lure? Tune into Wild Kingdom on Saturday morning, November 29, to see for yourself!
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| Paula MacKay, Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant and Dr. Robert Long |
One scene you probably won’t see on the show is my introduction to Fierca. This friendly Canada lynx, once an ill-advised pet, was surrendered to ZooMontana and now serves as an ambassador for her wild kin. Lynx are another rare carnivore Robert and I monitor in the Cascades—and like wolverines, they are highly threatened by climate change. As I entered Fierca’s enclosure, she sauntered over to the gate to meet me. At first, I was honored to feel her rubbing against my leg: picture a sublime, supersized tabby greeting you at your front door. Then I realized Fierca was doing more than rubbing, the warmth of her spray soaking through my cold pants. You can bet I gave those a good rinse before I got back on the plane.
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| Dr. Rae with Canada lynx Fierca in the background. |
As if a day with Dr. Rae and wolverines wasn’t thrilling enough, Robert and I were later joined by Wild Kingdom’s other renowned co-host, Peter Gros, on a field excursion closer to home. I don’t want to spoil the episode, but here’s just a teaser that you’ll venture with us to Snoqualmie Pass—and that Peter and crew also pay a visit to our very own Woodland Park Zoo.
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| Wild Kindom crew enjoying the PNW scenery! |
On the Saturday morning after Thanksgiving, I’ll be parked in front of a flat screen, waiting for
Wild Kingdom’s airtime and holding my breath. I won’t be wearing feet pajamas, but I will be thinking about all those little girls out there who might see me and Dr. Rae enchanted by wolverines and vow to themselves, “Someday, I’M going to study wild animals so that I can help save them, too!”
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| Paula MacKay, Woodland Park Zoo's Carnivore Conservation Specialist, in her natural habitat! |
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