Dr. Terrie M Williams–a biologist and researcher whose new book is “The Odyssey of KP2: An Orphan Seal, A Marine Biologist, and the Fight To Save A Species”–discusses her background and the array of animals she’d studied over the course of her career, and just prior to the Hawaiian monk seal KP2 entering her life. 
She recounts the initial period of KP2’s life, including not only being abandoned by his mother shortly after birth, but also being attacked by her. Williams elaborates on the challenges and cultural tug-of-war that unfolded around the care of KP2 (which stands for Kauai Pup 2) and where he would live, especially after it was determined that cataracts had so severely compromised his vision that he couldn’t be released back into the wild. She also explains the importance of the trainers, Traci and Beau, she works with in her lab, and how teaching animals certain behaviors there–including KP2–is crucial to their care and medical exams, but also allows Williams to maintain a professional distance as a scientist and not get personally involved with the animals being studied. She also notes how the information yielded from studying KP2 assisted in the quest to help the Hawaiian monk seal–an endangered species–rebound, and offers her view on the current prospects of that rebound, based on recent population and new pup counts. (www.MonkSeal.UCSC.edu, www.facebook.com/hoailona.monkseal)
ALSO: We had a brief conversation with Nina Perino, about the Sarasota County Commissioners’ recent decision to allow multiple hog hunts on publicly-owned land–to reduce the wild hog population in that area, with hunters using only dogs and knives to carry out the killing–which Perino reported on as part of her beat for Examiner.com. (http://www.examiner.com/article/hog-hunting-gets-the-green-light-from-sarasota-county-officials) You can “like” and subscribe to her articles covering animal welfare in the Tampa Bay area here
Listen Online Now:
COMEDY CORNER: Todd Glass’ “Biting A Puppy” (www.ToddGlass.com)
MUSIC: Lloyd Cole and the Commotions’ “Rattlesnakes,” The Be Good Tanyas’ “The Littlest Birds,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Beatles’ “I Am The Walrus”
