Michael Hutchins, Ph.D.

Executive Director, The Wildlife Society

Today’s Date: July 16,2006

1. What interaction with an animal and/or nature in your life has had the biggest impact on you?

As a wildlife professional, I have had many, including trapping mountain goats in the Olympic Mountains, SCUBA diving with Manta rays on Australia’s Great Barrier Reef, tracking jaguars in the Brazilian Pantanal, photographing wildlife in Botswana's Okavango Swamp, banding penguins on the Patagonian coast in Argentina, and avoiding fer de lances in Costa Rica.

2. Did you have a favorite place in the great outdoors during your childhood?

I grew up in rural Iowa, so I was surrounded by nature as a child; my father and I collected and studied butterflies and moths and I also kept and observed turtles, frogs, lizards and a variety of other small creatures. One of my best experiences was raising a pair of tiger salamanders that we had caught in a local creek. The brown mud puppies, as they were called, eventually turned into striking jet black creatures with bright yellow spots.

3. As a former zookeeper, I would love to know what your favorite animal is, and why?

I have several:

Favorite mammal: Rocky Mountain goat, as I studied this species for my doctorate, both in the wild and in the zoo.

Favorite reptile: Thorny devil, an unusual lizard from Australia that I have observed, photographed and written about.

Favorite amphibian: Tiger salamander for the reasons described above.

Favorite bird: Birds of paradise from New Guinea because of their beauty and unusual mating behavior. Also, hornbills, for their unusual courtship behavior, which involves walling the female into a tree cavity with mud.

Favorite insect: Luna moth, because I hatched one from a cocoon when I was a child.

Favorite invertebrate: Giant clam, because of their size and the iridescence of their mantle, which is a jewel-like blue.

4. What do you think is the greatest environmental challenge facing us now, and what do you think will be the greatest challenge in the future?

Too many people and loss of wildlife habitat. Global warming

5. If you could give everyone one piece of advice regarding the environment and our natural resources, what would it be?

Get involved; Take personal responsibility.