Latest / Cyrus Webb's tracks / Mike Daniel of the Johnny Morris Foundation discusses Wonders of Wildlife

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Mike Daniel of the Johnny Morris Foundation discusses Wonders of Wildlife · Cyrus Webb's tracks

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  Speaker 1: Hello, everyone, and welcome back to Conversations Live. I'm your host,
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  Speaker 1: Cyrus Webb. Glad you all could join us once again
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  Speaker 1: for a radio audience tuning in at WYAD 94.1 FM
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  Speaker 1: and WYADonline.com. We're glad that you all can be with us.
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  Speaker 1: Also showing us online worldwide via our podcast at iHeartRadio
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  Speaker 1: and Amazon Music. We're glad you all could be with
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  Speaker 1: us as well. This is part of a news to
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  Speaker 1: the news segment here at WYAD, and it is that
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  Speaker 1: time of year. The holiday has just got a splash
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  Speaker 1: of magic. Wonders of Wildlife, or WOW, has flipped the
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  Speaker 1: switch on year two of its Sea of Lights and
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  Speaker 1: Tan at Christmas, transforming all 350,000 square feet of WOW,
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  Speaker 1: both of America's best aquarium by USA Today, into a
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  Speaker 1: glowing winter wonderland. It's something that all of you can
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  Speaker 1: be able to experience. And here to talk to us
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  Speaker 1: more about it, we're excited to welcome Mike Daniel to
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  Speaker 1: our broadcast today. Mike is the Director of Animal Care
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  Speaker 1: at the Johnny Morris Foundation. He's going to talk to
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  Speaker 1: us not only about what you can expect from WOW,
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  Speaker 1: but also what they're doing when it comes to conservation
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  Speaker 1: efforts as well. Mike, thank you again for stopping by.
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  Speaker 1: I really appreciate it.
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  Speaker 2: Oh, glad to be here, Cyrus. Love to tell our
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  Speaker 2: story and share about this fantastic opportunity for guests to
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  Speaker 2: come see us.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah. So let's start off with those who may just
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  Speaker 1: be hearing about WOW, as I mentioned, celebrating its second year.
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  Speaker 1: Tell us about the experience.
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  Speaker 2: So as you said, it's our second year welcoming guests
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  Speaker 2: to come visit us during our Sea of Lights Enchanted Christmas.
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  Speaker 2: And what the guests will experience when they walk through
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  Speaker 2: the doors is an immersive opportunity. There are thousands of
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  Speaker 2: amazing lights. There are the sounds that integrate with the
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  Speaker 2: environments and the habitats, and a lot of different interactive
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  Speaker 2: multimedia projections that kids love engaging with as they stomp
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  Speaker 2: through leaf litter and get to engage with different things
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  Speaker 2: that are really tailored to fit each of the rooms.
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  Speaker 2: And these lights and sounds complement the different environments and
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  Speaker 2: habitats from around the world that we engage our guests with.
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  Speaker 1: That's amazing. As I mentioned, it was voted America's best
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  Speaker 1: aquarium by USA Today. What else can people expect this year, Mike,
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  Speaker 1: when they visit?
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  Speaker 2: So in addition to our Sea of Lights Enchanted Christmas,
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  Speaker 2: we offer a wide variety of animal encounters for guests
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  Speaker 2: to be amazed by. Right here at Wonders of Wildlife
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  Speaker 2: is one of the only places that guests will have
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  Speaker 2: the opportunity to actually dive with sharks. We have our
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  Speaker 2: out-to-sea shark dive experience. We also welcome our guests into
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  Speaker 2: our penguin habitat with our Gen 2 penguins to feel
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  Speaker 2: that 40, 30 degrees environment that these animals are found
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  Speaker 2: in in the wild. Or maybe our guests that visit
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  Speaker 2: are more interested in learning about how an aquarium of
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  Speaker 2: this size actually works, and they can participate in one
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  Speaker 2: of our behind-the-scenes tours. There's so much for people to
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  Speaker 2: be engaged with and to learn about and to leave
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  Speaker 2: here being inspired to care about conservation.
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  Speaker 1: Speaking of conservation, Mike, I know that's something that is
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  Speaker 1: near and dear to your heart because you've been able
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  Speaker 1: to spend a great deal of your career in those efforts.
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  Speaker 1: Talk to us about Wonders of Wildlife's conservation efforts and
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  Speaker 1: why it's been so important.
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  Speaker 2: At Wonders of Wildlife, we really tell the story of
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  Speaker 2: the North American model of conservation. The idea that the
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  Speaker 2: people in our country are the owners of our public lands,
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  Speaker 2: and therefore they're part of the protection for those spaces.
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  Speaker 2: So we celebrate the hunters, the fishers, the hikers, the campers.
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  Speaker 2: People that get outdoors and get engaged with utilizing our
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  Speaker 2: natural resources in a responsible way are the ones that
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  Speaker 2: are going to care the most about protecting it and
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  Speaker 2: giving back to that conservation for the rest of their lives.
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  Speaker 2: And we love telling that story and inspiring people to
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  Speaker 2: want to be that active participant in the conservation efforts.
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  Speaker 1: Well, this is exciting. And I think for our audience,
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  Speaker 1: Mike in particular, maybe looks for something different this holiday season.
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  Speaker 1: This definitely sounds like something that will be up their
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  Speaker 1: alley and, of course, an educational experience as well. Again, everyone,
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  Speaker 1: Mike Daniel has been our guest. He's the Director of
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  Speaker 1: Animal Care at the Johnny Morris Foundation. He's talking with
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  Speaker 1: us about WOW, who's celebrating their second year here. Again,
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  Speaker 1: that's Wonders of Wildlife. It's a great opportunity for the
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  Speaker 1: entire family. Mike, where can our audience go for more
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  Speaker 1: information and even to get tickets?
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  Speaker 2: To learn more about Wonders of Wildlife and the Sea
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  Speaker 2: of Lights Enchanted Christmas, visit us at our website, wondersofwildlife.org,
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  Speaker 2: to learn about the experiences you can have, the bundles
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  Speaker 2: and the ticket prices, the way you can save money
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  Speaker 2: by buying in advance. And we can't wait for you
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  Speaker 2: to come see us.
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  Speaker 1: All right, Mike, and we'll make sure that we link
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  Speaker 1: that information up as well. Mike, thank you so much
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  Speaker 1: for the great work you're doing, especially when it comes
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  Speaker 1: to your conservation efforts, and looking forward to having you
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  Speaker 1: back on the program again.
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  Speaker 2: Thanks, Cyrus.
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  Speaker 1: Appreciate that. And we thank your audience for tuning in
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  Speaker 1: to another great segment of Conversations Live. Until next time,
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  Speaker 1: I'm your host, Cyrus Webb, saying, as always, enjoy your day,
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  Speaker 1: enjoy your life, enjoy your world. Thank you for being
• 4:57
  Speaker 1: with us here at Conversations Live. Let us go make
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  Speaker 1: today amazing. Take care.