Animals & Insects

Writer, reporter, and animal rights advocate Roger Caras. Caras has written more than 50 books on pets and wildlife. His latest is called "A Dog Is Listening: The Way Some of Our Closest Friends View Us." Caras recently left his longtime position as a corespondent with ABC news in order to become president of the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals. (Interview by Marty Moss-Coane)

Zoologist Alan Rabinowitz. He spends his time tracking and trying to protect endangered large cats in Central America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. He's written two books about his adventures, "Jaguar" and his latest, "Chasing the Dragon's Tail." (Both are published by Doubleday.)

Investigative journalist Marc Reisner's new book, "Game Wars," chronicles the work of undercover agents trying to stop the illegal hunting and sale of endangered species. According to Reisner's research, this work is more dangerous than being a city cop.

Television David Bianculli reviews two new television shows -- Norman Lear's sitcom "Sunday Dinner," and David Attenborough's nature documentary series "Trials of Life."

Lewis has made two quirky, hilarious documentaries about the problems between humans and animals. His first movie, "Cane Toads: An Unnatural History," chronicles the havoc that ensued after a species of toad was introduced into Australia. His new movie is called "The Wonderful World of Dogs."

Biologist William Jordan has a new book of essays that contemplates the similarities between the animal and human mind by looking at behavior. It's called "Divorce Among The Gulls: An Uncommon Look at Human Nature.

Television critic David BianculliI tells us about two new series premiering on ABC this week: "My Life and Times," by the creator of "Beauty and the Beast," and "Dinosaurs," a comedy that was the last project of Jim Henson.

The biologist, special effects expert, and bug wrangler was responsible for the moths in the movie, "Silence of the Lambs" and the cockroaches in "Creepshow."

Book critic John Leonard reviews "Jurassic Park," the new novel by Michael Crichton. Leonard says it's a boy's adventure story that could sell forever.

Photographer and video artist Wegman is best known for his portraits of Man Ray, his pet dog. Man Ray has since passed away; Wegman has new dog named Faye Ray. A collection of his work is called William Wegman: Paintings, Drawings, Photographs, Videotapes.

The Fresh Air poet-in-residence reads a new work, "The Ivory Novel," in which he dreams of writing a novel about saving African elephants from poachers.

Roy Ahmaogak lives in Barrow, Alaska and during the whaling season hunts bow head whales for food. His father, grandfather and great-grandfather were also whalers. Ahmaogak was the person who spotted the three gray whales trapped in the ice in Barrow that drew such media attention. A recent book by Tom Rose about the trapped whales has drawn criticism from residents of Barrow who feel they were misrepresented by Rose. We talk to Ahmaogak about whaling and native life in Barrow.

Anthropologist Richard Nelson. His new book, "The Island Within," is an account of Nelson's explorations of an uninhabited island near his Pacific Northwest home.

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the new French film, "The Bear." The nature film is a huge hit in Europe, now it's opening in American theaters.

Bioacoustics researcher and field recordist Bernie Krause. Krause has a new album called "Gorillas in the Mix." It features selections from new age to dance tunes. What makes the album remarkable is that every sound on it is from nature. Krause recorded and mixed together whales, apes, insects, the sound of shifting sands, and hundreds of other natural sources. Krause was a Motown session musician in the 60s, before earning a Ph.D. in bioacoustics.

HBO will soon air the animated show Babar, about an elephant and his family. TV critic David Bianculli says the program joins the ranks of other recent, excellent children's programming like Shining Time Station and the Peter Pan musical. More importantly, his kids love it too.

Paleontologist Jack Horner discovered some of the most significant fossil records of dinosaurs, which suggest that the animals cared for their young and traveled in herds.

Folklorist Jan Harold Brunvand discusses the urban legend of a dead rabbit, which someone finds, cleans, and replaces in its cage.

Researcher David Mech tracks and studies wolves. He was able to earn the trust of a pack in the Arctic, which granted Mech and his team unprecedented access to the animals. He witnessed the care of their pups and joined them on their hunt.