Menagerie

For decades, the US Navy has used specially trained dolphins to monitor and secure the waters around their ships. Today, these cetacean sailors are on a search and rescue mission that could save one of their cousins - the critically endangered vaquita - from extinction. The Day of the Dolphin is episode 12 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

When cows, pigs, and dogs are connected to the internet, it can help their owners keep track of them and manage their health and safety. But the rise of wearable tech for animals—and a lack of digital protections to go with it—means these animals could become targets for hackers. That's a problem for everything from the stability of streaming video sites to your own home security. The Internet of Cows is episode 11 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

In many corners of the animal kingdom, shells are a time-honored way of preventing predators from sinking their pointy parts into an animal's most sensitive bits. Sometimes, though, shells can hinder a creature's ability to defend itself. And new research has found some animals that put their shells to use in perhaps the least expected ways. The Best Defense is Episode 10 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

Whether it's an eviction notice served to a family of rats or a murder trial for a French pig, court systems have seen more animal defendants than you might expect over the years. Hear a surprisingly well-considered legal defense for an insect swarm, learn how to rid your home of mice with a strongly worded letter, and more. Due Process is is Episode 9 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

Islands around the world are home to unique species--unique species that evolved on one tiny landmass over the course of countless generations, and are found nowhere else. Unfortunately, these habitats are also notoriously fragile, and many of these one-of-a-kind species have already been wiped out. Sometimes, though, extinction isn't the end of an animal's story. The Lazarus Bug is Episode 8 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

Icelandic mythology is full of whale sorcerers, Christmas tricksters, and elves that are taken surprisingly seriously. Around the holidays, though, folks need to beware of one animal in particular - Jolakotturinn, the giant, man-eating Yule Cat. The Yule Cat is Episode 7 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

How did Santa start getting around in a sled pulled by flying reindeer? With the help of a retail giant, an annual parade, and some clever marketing by an Alaskan meat magnate known as The Reindeer King. Santa Claus and The Reindeer King is Episode 6 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

Every year, just before Thanksgiving, the President of the United States uses the powers of the highest office in the land to spare the lives of a pair of turkeys. This episode is a brief history of this strange tradition, and what it means for the birds that are spared. Let This One Grow is episode 5 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

Timothy the tortoise was a mascot, a veteran of the Royal Navy, and, until his passing in 2004 at the age of 160 years (give or take) one of England's oldest and most famous pets. I Am Very Old, Please Do Not Pick Me Up is episode 4 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.

In 1925, an outbreak of diphtheria struck Nome, Alaska in the dead of winter. Against all odds, more than 20 teams of sled dogs carried the cure over hundreds of miles in just five days, saving untold lives. The Great Race of Mercy is episode 3 of Menagerie, a podcast about animals, their stories, and how we interact with them.