Asian elephants have been captured and tamed by people in Southern Asia for thousands of years as war machines, beasts of burden, and part of religious festivals. It’s a practice that continues to this day, but some activists are beginning to rethink its impact on this endangered species.
For more information on this episode, visit natgeo.com/overheard.
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Jul 2023
Trapped in the icy waters of the Northwest Passage
For centuries, the Northwest Passage, the long-sought sea route connecting the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans through northern Canada, was a holy grail of Arctic exploration. Even now, sailing through it isn’t guaranteed. Mark Synnott, a National Geographic Explorer, writer, and adv ... Show More
34m 16s
Jul 2023
Playback: Modern Lives, Ancient Caves
There’s a lost continent waiting to be explored, and it’s right below our feet. We’ll dig into the deep human relationship to the underground—and why we understand it from an instinctive point of view, but not so much from a physical one. (Hint: We’re afraid of the dark.) In an e ... Show More
28m 39s
Jun 2023
Playback: This Indigenous Practice Fights Fire with Fire
For decades, the U.S. government evangelized fire suppression, most famously through Smokey Bear’s wildfire prevention campaign. But as climate change continues to exacerbate wildfire seasons and a growing body of scientific research supports using fire to fight fire, Indigenous ... Show More
29m 8s
Feb 2024
Assignment: Botswana - living with elephants
The battle to keep the peace between people and elephants in northern Botswana.
The earth’s largest land mammal, the elephant, is an endangered species. Poaching, habitat loss and disease have decimated elephant populations. But not in Botswana, which has the world’s biggest popu ... Show More
27m 54s
May 2023
BONUS: Cast Interview: Icelandic Wedding & Creepy Dolls
Our lovely cast members got married this month at their beautiful home in Iceland. They met while recording Dark Dice & The White Vault. In this episode we chat about Iceland, Vestmannaeyjar (Westman Islands), wedding hijinks, a bird called the Hrossagaukur (https://en.wikipedia. ... Show More
50m 41s
Apr 2024
Bear Encounters in Nevada and Chasing Poachers on the Masai Mara
Traveling everywhere from the savannahs of Tanzania to the mountains of Montana, Dr. Rae Wynn Grant is on a mission to save the world’s most endangered species. Lale chats with the wildlife ecologist, podcaster, author and co-host of Mutual of Omaha’s Wild Kingdom to hear stories ... Show More
31m 45s
Mar 2024
How is climate change affecting animal migration?
Every year, the great migration sees hundreds of thousands of wildebeest, gazelles, zebras and antelopes migrate from the Serengeti plains in Tanzania to the Maasai Mara in Kenya, in search of water and juicy grass. But rising temperatures and unpredictable weather are changing t ... Show More
27m 2s