Nature's Secret Service

Join Ed for his final thoughts on this season and for a special field trip into the heart of wolf country - Yellowstone National Park, where you'll get to talk to some wolf watchers.

Andrew Wilson is an attorney in New Orleans who sits on the board of directors for the Orleans Audubon chapter of the Audubon Society. Why should Audubon care about wolves? Well, wolves aren't the only threatened or endangered species we are trying to recover at the moment and many other species are impacted by what's happening with wolves and the politicization of the Endangered Species Act. Tune in for a conversation with Andrew about what's happening in the Southeast because of issues born from the efforts to restore wolves to the United States.

In 2026, Cody Roberts was convicted of felony animal cruelty in Sublette County, Wyoming after he took an injured wolf into a bar and tormented it. Tune in to this episode to hear directly from Clayton Melinkovich, the prosecutor who brought the case. Learn the true facts, what was happening as they prepared for trial, the circumstances that led to a conviction, and the impacts of the outcome. The truth is not necessarily what was told through social media.

Cody Roberts, the man who infamously took an injured wolf into a Daniels, Wyoming bar with its mouth duck taped shut then tormented it for hours before shooting it, was charged in Sublette County Court with animal cruelty by elected County Prosecutor Clayton Melinkovich. Join Ed for his conversation with Melinkovich about the true facts behind the case and his decision to file charges. The truth is not necessarily what was told through social media.

In 2012, Judy Calman joined an elite team of environmental lawyers who decided they'd had enough of the McKittrick Policy. Hear the story of the most successful attempt to date to attack the policy that runs counter to Congressional intent.

Making cases against people who illegally kill Mexican gray wolves has been notoriously difficult but some agents have the grit and tenacity to make something happen. Join Ed for his discussion with former USFWS Special Agent Doug McKenna to hear how Doug actually sent a Mexican gray wolf poacher to jail!

As Ed likes to say, "If you commit a federal wildlife crime, a US Fish and Wildlife Service agent will pursue you, they will catch you, and they will put you in jail."

Meet the former coordinator of Mexican wolf recovery in Arizona and New Mexico. What's the number one cause of death among Mexican gray wolves? You guessed it -- poaching. This week, we jump into the world of the Mexican gray wolf. A slightly smaller subspecies of Canis lupus, the Mexican gray wolf once roamed throughout the Southwestern United States, into Mexico, and as far north as Colorado. Completely extirpated from their natural range by the 1940's, a very small population remained in the wild in Mexico. They were captured and brought into a captive breeding program. Beginning in 1998, the...

Are the gray wolves in the Great Lakes area any less persecuted than the wolves in western states? Nope. Join Ed in a conversation with Special Agent Steve Stoinski and hear about his investigation of a Wisconsin landowner who took it upon himself to rid his area of wild wolves protected by the Endangered Species Act. Steve also gives us some insight into what happened to the very first wolves that naturally migrated into Colorado long before that state's effort to reintroduce them. You won't believe it! Well, you probably will believe it.

Can you kill a wolf in self-defense? One of the very few exceptions to the prohibition against killing endangered or threatened species is self-defense - if you have to kill the animal to save yourself or others. Although wolves have a ferocious reputation in folklore, there are almost no documented cases of wolves attacking human beings. Even when human biologists raid a wolf den to study pups, the adult wolves will not attack. Sit down for a discussion with Tony Latham, one of the most respected state wildlife officers in the west to talk about Idaho's "Wolf Wars." You'll...

Where do agents turn when they have a case like last week's poison meatball investigation? Well, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Clark Bavin National Forensic Laboratory in Ashland, Oregon, was the first crime lab established in the United States that was totally dedicated to assisting with wildlife crime investigations. A fully accredited crime lab, the FWS Lab provides assistance to federal and state wildlife investigators as they tackle some of the most complex investigations. This week, join Ed for his discussion with Dr. Ed Espinoza, the former deputy director of the FWS Lab to learn more about what...

Ed Newcomer tells the incredible story of Special Agent Scott Bragonier's investigation of a expansive crime scene in the wilds of Idaho. What happened at the crime scene? It appears to Agent Bragonier as if someone has tried to poison wild wolves that are protected by the US Endangered Species Act. Join Ed and Sheryl McCollum, the host of the Zone-7 podcast, as they talk about the case and the important role played by forensic evidence and good crime scene processing. This case was the first case where someone was successfully convicted for attempting to take an endangered or...

If you illegally kill an endangered wolf that naturally migrated into the United States but want to keep the pelt, how do you launder it so it appears to be 'legal?' Tune in to this week's episode with former USFWS special agent Corky Roberts to hear about his investigation of a Washington resident who did just that.

Join Ed for part two of our conversation with renowned wolf biologist Mike Phillips. In this week's episode, Mike takes us through the history of red wolf reintroduction in the Southeastern US, Mexican gray wolf reintroduction in the Southwest, and the recent efforts to reintroduce wolves to Colorado. Although Mike is an ardent supporter of wolf reintroduction across the US, he is a realist and speaks to us honestly about the reintroduction efforts and the likelihood of success under current circumstances.

Join the conversation with Mike Phillips, former head of wolf reintroduction in Yellowstone National Park as he talks with us about wolf reintroduction, wolf biology, the way wolves interact with their environment, and how misplaced anti-wolf sentiments are threatening one of the greatest wildlife recovery success stories in US history.

What happens when you head out to conduct a wolf poaching investigation and the local sheriff threatens to arrest you? Wolf Number 10 in Montana wasn't the only reintroduced wolf killed in 1995. Wolf Number B13 was released in Idaho in early 1995 and by Spring, it was dead. Shot and killed on a private rancher's property in central Idaho. Special Agents Paul Weyland, Steve Magone, and Tom Riley were put on the case but what they encountered at the crime scene would send chills down the spine of any federal law enforcement officer. Join the conversation this week with Ed, Paul...

Join Ed for his conversation with former federal prosecutor Elinor Colbourn about the infamous McKittrick Policy and its impact on wolf poaching cases. Elinor was a senior federal prosecutor with the US Department of Justice in the Environment and Natural Resources Division where she prosecuted some of the country's most important criminal cases involving environmental law. She was the prosecutor on the "Friday Night Lights" case discussed with Special Agent Keith Swindle in Season 1, Episodes 4 and 5.

Wolf Number 10 was the first of the reintroduced wolves in Yellowstone National Park to be illegally shot and killed by a poacher. US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Tim Eicher was the agent assigned to solve the case. Join Ed and Tim for their conversation about that case and learn how Tim identified a suspect and brought him to justice. Hear, too, how the case was the spark for long-lasting policy at the US Department of Justice that has hampered Endangered Species Act criminal cases for the past 30 years.

In the premiere episode of Season 3, join Ed for his conversation with Rick McIntyre, nicknamed "The Wolf Guru" by the late Jane Goodall. Rick has spent more time observing and documenting wild wolves and their behavior than any other person. He was working as a ranger in Yellowstone National Park when wolves were reintroduced in 1995 and, since then, has recorded more than 100,000 personal sightings of wild wolves inside the park. He is an award winning author of a series of books detailing his observations of Yellowstone's wolves. The best place to start that reading is with his book "The...

What do you do when you receive a complaint that Michael Jackson's private zoo is neglecting its endangered species? You go to see Michael Jackson, that's what!

On January 21, 2026, Ed the Fed was invited to testify before Congress at a hearing of the House Natural Resources Committee. This is the official recording of that hearing in its entirety.

What happens when you have a job to do but you're told you can't do the job because a rule or policy is being strictly interpreted without considering the purpose of the rule? Well, tune in for a fun conversation between Ed the Fed and former special agent Corky Roberts, who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service as an agent/pilot and who was intimately familiar with the rules of the Department of Interior Office of Aircraft Services.

The number and quality of investigations, arrests, and cases mean nothing without good prosecutors willing to file charges and move forward with trials when necessary. For more than 20 years, the United States Attorney for the Central District of California (Los Angeles) has maintained a unit of prosecutors who are dedicated to handling cases involving environmental crime. Sit down with Ed for his discussion with Assistant United States Attorneys (AUSA's) Matt O'Brien, Dennis Mitchell, and Mark Williams, three of the most experienced federal wildlife prosecutors in the country, to talk about some of their favorite cases and to learn about...

Get ready to go on patrol in Los Angeles with Ed the Fed and Captain Michele Budish of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW). Get a feel for what it's like to work the front line with a hard charging game warden. Will it be a night of non-stop action and excitement or routine patrol work? You'll find out as you join us for ... A Night on Patrol.

CORRECTION: At 14:04 and 15:28 minutes, Michele and I reference checking a boat with five people on it. The boat called "Gotta Habit" had three people on board, not...

In 1962, USFWS Agent Vic Blasevic was ambushed by poachers and shot twice at close range. Join Ed and retired Special Agent Jerry Smith as they talk about who Vic was, what he was like, and how he survived those harrowing events on a dark and cold Illinois cornfield.

CORRECTION - This episode references the Central Flyway but should have referenced the Mississippi Flyway.

Did you know that the very first federal law enforcement officer to ever conduct undercover work was a US Fish and Wildlife Service officer? It makes sense because the US Fish and Wildlife Service is among the oldest federal law enforcement agencies in the United States. Join Ed and his guest Mark Madison, historian for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, to hear about the earliest Fish and Wildlife Service law enforcement pioneers.

Forty years after US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Marie Palladini took on alligator skin traffickers, Wildlife Officer Jeff Babauta of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was back at it trying to tackle illegal shenanigans associated with the American alligator. In his case, though, Jeff is onto widespread laundering of wild caught alligator eggs and hatchlings, an illegal business that can rack up hundreds of thousands, and sometimes millions of dollars in profits for traffickers. The practice seriously hampers alligator conservation and can have dramatic impacts on alligator nesting success from year to year.

Lt. George Wilson spent 36 years working as a law enforcement officer for the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) and recently retired as the lieutenant overseeing the FWC's statewide investigations unit. Since his retirement, George has been consulting with a private organization known as Exulans (www.exulans.net) that provides training and investigative support to emerging countries through a contract with WildAid. George and the Exulans team recently worked to help the nation of Bahamas crack down on illegal charter fishing in Bahamian waters by US based charter boat captains. George is a top-notch investigator who thinks out...

Meet Captain Dan Brinson, previously with the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police. Dan was an important influence on Ed, as well as a role model and mentor. Sit in on Ed's wide-ranging conversation with Dan about everything from officer discretion to the role wildlife officers can sometimes play in protecting the public from unseen safety threats. In Ed's opinion, Dan is one of the most intelligent and most ethical wildlife law enforcement officers ever to wear a badge and carry a gun. Tune in and find out why. By the end of the episode, we bet you'll...

Join Ed for his conversation with Bryan Christy as they talk about the world of the reptile trade and reptile trafficking. Christy is the author of The Lizard King, a book that chronicles the origins and history of a reptile supply company known as Strictly Reptiles and its controversial owners Ray and Mike Van Nostrand. Bryan and Ed will talk about the late Charles "Chip" Bepler, a US Fish and Wildlife Service special agent who spent years pursuing and making a case against Strictly and Mike Van Nostrand. The story will open your eyes to the seedy underbelly of...

Birds get tangled up in the world of wildlife crime and wildlife trafficking all the time. Eagles and hawks are killed and persecuted for their parts and because they are predators. Parrots are smuggled north from Latin America. Songbirds are smuggled around the world from Southeast Asia, risking us all to exposure of deadly strains of bird flu. Even migratory birds native to the US fall victim to the illegal exotic pet trade. Join Ed as he talks to former US Fish and Wildlife Service Special Agent Walter Duran about Operation Ornery Birds -- a long-term undercover operation designed...

Lieutenant Kathy Ponting is a legend among game wardens of the California Department of Fish and Wildlife (formerly the California Department of Fish and Game). A second-generation warden, Kathy rose to the rank of lieutenant and oversaw the elite Special Operations Unit. Unlike uniformed wardens assigned to patrol work, the wardens in SOU were plain clothes investigators and worked as a cohesive unit on long-term or highly complex investigations usually involving illegal commercialization of wildlife or egregious take of wildlife. Wardens in SOU were known to work insanely long and unpredictable hours and had a reputation for being extremely...

Plant crimes resurface this week but, this time, in the form of American ginseng! A native plant found throughout the Appalachian Mountains, including the Great Smoky Mountains National Park, and under heavy pressure from unscrupulous commercial collectors. Join Ed and former special agent Tom Chisdock as they discuss the threats to the species, the illegal trade, and Tom's great work exposing a ginseng trafficker who also sold opioids straight from the same store that served tourists coming and going from the Great Smoky Mountains National Park.

This is your rare opportunity to hear from a real life confidential informant who worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service. It's exceedingly rare to get an inside seat to the world of "CI's" but confidential informant "Pete Paxton" breaks the silence to give you a brief look behind the curtain. Recruited as an informant by Special Agent Newcomer, Paxton worked for the US Fish and Wildlife Service for a number of years and went on to provide information on other cases to NOAA National Marine Fisheries Law Enforcement. His work in animal cruelty investigations is legendary and...

Join Ed in a conversation with Nkateko Mzimba and Collet Ngobeni, two rangers from the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit based at the Olifants West Nature Reserve in South Africa. The Black Mambas patrol a 25,000 acre reserve inside the greater Kruger ecosystem that is home to elephants, rhinos, lions, buffalo, and all of the species native to the Southern African bush. Listen as the rangers describe their duties and some of their adventures and close calls protecting the important wildlife that is often under threat from commercial poachers and wildlife traffickers..

Join Ed for a wide-ranging conversation with Craig Spencer, founder of Trans-Frontier Africa and the Black Mambas Anti-Poaching Unit in South Africa. This week, we talk about rhino poaching, the rhino horn trade, elephant poaching, the all female anti-poaching unit known as the Black Mambas, and the challenges that go with securing a large, open nature reserve that adjoins Kruger National Park on one side and local communities on the other.

Join Ed and former Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife Police Officer Todd Vandivert for the premiere episode of Season 2. Todd will tell us about his long-term undercover operation known as Operation Cody, which exposed widespread trafficking in wildlife species native to the state of Washington.

In the third of three bonus episodes following Season 1, join us to hear how Marie Palladini faced down a huge and hostile subject.

In our second bonus episode following Season 1, tune in to hear how even a routine investigation of a misdemeanor crime can turn deadly in seconds.

The first of our bonus episodes following Season 1. Tune in to hear one of the many great side stories that unfold during a typical investigation.

Nature's Secret Service host Ed Newcomer appears on the podcast Zone 7 with Sheryl McCollum to discuss two cases from his career, including one he's never talked about before in a public forum.