Animals & Insects

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.

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.

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.

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.

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."

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.

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.

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."

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

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.

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.)

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)

Maureen Corrigan looks at a series of books and a movie with canine heroes: the "Taxi Dog" books and "Beethoven."

Film critic Stephen Schiff reviews the highly-anticiapted Stephen Spielberg film, adapted from the book by Michael Crichton.

Winston created the live-action dinosaurs in this summer's hit movie, "Jurassic Park." In the film, "The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman," he aged actress Cicely Tyson from age 19 to 110. In "The Terminator," Winston made-up Arnold Schwarzenegger and created the robotic puppetry in the film. He won an Academy Award for his work on "Aliens" and developed and created the character of Edward Scissorhands for the movie of the same name.

Beverly and Dereck Joubert, wildlife documentary producers. This husband and wife team lives in northern Botswana, seven hours from the nearest village. Working and living out of a four-wheel drive vehicle, they have captured the family relationships of the last free-roaming elephants left in Africa. Their latest wildlife film, "Reflections on Elephants," contains ground-breaking footage of lions attacking an elephant calf. Previously, such attacks were thought to be only mythical. The documentary premieres on PBS this Wednesday at 8:00 PM ET.

Commentator Dagoberto Gilb on a Wyoming coyote hunt, sponsored by the state's sheep ranchers.

Wilson has spent most of his life studying ants and other insects, and has written a number of books on the subject. He co-authored the critically-acclaimed "The Ants," with Bert Holldobler. The pair have just published a sequel to that work, "Journey to the Ants." Wilson has also written a memoir, called "Naturalist."