Kids & Family Podcast Explores the Wonderful Ways Animals Communicate with Parrots, Whales, Dolphins and Chimpanzees

New Animal Communication Podcast Episode Featuring Dr. Irene Pepperberg, Aude Pacini and Chimpanzee Sanctuary “Project Chimps”

NEW, NJ, UNITED STATES, November 11, 2025 /EINPresswire.com/ -- Wild Interest is the podcast created entirely by kids, for kids, committed to fostering healthy mental development in children and listeners of all ages. Wild Interest is focused on the vital importance of auditory content consumption in today’s overloaded media landscape. By allowing kids and tweens to be the storytellers and guides, the show strives to bring forward children’s inherent curiosity and provides a space for active listening that fuels empathy and imagination.

Wild Interest’s creators come up with each episode based on a theme. In their newest episode, "Animal Talk: Paw 2,” sibling hosts Nichole and Evan follow up on their first foray into the world of animal communication, “Animal Talk: Part One.”

Animals have many ways of expressing themselves, like the purr of a cat or the bark of a dog. But do those vocalizations have specific meaning? Could they be thought of as language? Wild Interest wonders just how complex animal talk can get, how animals learn, and if some species have what could be considered grammar, syntax, and even dialects.

If you listened to Wild Interest’s first Animal Talk episode you heard about the many ways animals communicate, and how science agrees some species do have their own languages and dialects. In “Paw 2” we learn even more about the amazing world of animal communication, and about the science behind linguistic development in animals. Evan interviews Dr. Irene Pepperberg, research professor at Boston University in the Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences about her famous work with Alex the African Grey Parrot. In the 1970s Dr. Pepperberg wondered if new research about language acquisition in humans applied to other species, and wanted to experiment with parrots, one of the few animals that can mimic human language. “Alex” is an acronym for “Avian Language Experiment,” and the discoveries made during the course of that experiment completely changed our understanding of how birds think and communicate. Dr. Pepperberg worked with Alex for over 30 years and taught him over 100 English words. Not only was Alex able to communicate with humans, he asked what color he was when looking at himself in the mirror, becoming the first known non-human to ask a question.

Marine mammals are the focus of animal linguistics research because of their broad range of communicative vocalization. Nichole goes beneath the waves with Bio-Acoustician Dr. Aude Pacini from the Marine Mammal Research Program at the Hawaii Institute of Marine Biology. Dr. Pacini records whales and dolphin song with sophisticated underwater microphones. Dr. Pacini’s data collection is very important for research on how these marine mammals communicate, but she stresses in her interview that all animal sound is not necessarily communication. Dolphins also use sophisticated echolocation, similar to the way bats use high pitched sounds to navigate in the dark. This is also know as sonar, which is an acronym for “Sonic Navigation and Ranging.” Dr. Pacine also shares a story with Nichole about taking part in an expedition where the world-class cellist Yo Yo Ma played music for whales from the deck of a famous Hawaiian canoe.

Evan takes us down to North Georgia with Project Chimps, a chimpanzee sanctuary where over 90 retired lab chimps roam freely on six protected acres of forest. It might surprise some listeners to know that chimps used for lab research “retire” and have a second life in sanctuaries like Project Chimps. “Animal Talk: Paw 2” features a heartwarming interview with Lauren and Tonya, handlers at the sanctuary, where listeners hear what retired life is like for these lively chimpanzees.

Wild Interest’s hosts are also joined by the creator of the Brooklyn Folk Festival, Eli Smith, who plays some banjo for listeners and talks about what folk music means in 2025.

This 21st episode of the Wild Interest Podcast episode is almost an hour long and features favorite segments fans will be familiar with like Cryptid Corner, Grandparent Stories, jokes and more.

This kid-conceived and narrated podcast is designed to share experience, foster empathy and advance the importance of auditory storytelling. The underlying philosophy of the series is that the world — and kids especially —needs real human connection now more than ever. Founded in February of 2024, Wild Interest has over 705,000 downloads and counting and is enjoyed in America and over 150 countries around the world.

One reviewer writes: “Absolute gold! My 8-year-old son says, "I feel like this is the best podcast l've ever heard. I like that you share jokes, and bring in grandparents for stories, and there's so much interesting stuff packed in the episodes. It's overloaded with awesome. It's something I really look forward to listening to."

Another recent five-star reviewer says “This is a great podcast! I like the segment Feeding Ben Stuff and the segments of jokes and grandparent stories. I think my favorite episode was animal talk part 1. Is there a part two? Anyway… Five stars!”

With new episodes released monthly, Wild Interest promises to captivate young minds with its unique blend of entertainment, education, and music. Parents who find themselves searching for “family podcast for kids, podcast for kids about animals, best kids’ podcasts, tween podcasts, best podcast for car trips,” or even “mystery kids podcasts” are encouraged to tune in and join the Wild Interest adventure.

Parents looking for alternatives to typical kids and family podcasts will enjoy how the show’s topics inspire their children and become the basis for scintillating dinner table conversation, inquisitive queries, and maybe even the inspiration for kids to record and send in DIY segments of their own. Wild Interest provides a wholesome alternative to video-based children’s entertainment, emphasizing the importance of auditory engagement in early psychological development.

Host Evan explains “Our podcast is actually good for you! It’s "brain broccoli," not "brain candy!" Nichole adds “What makes us different is that we emphasize positive emotions like joy and curiosity. Our music is calm, and our segments are thoughtful. We want to leave kids feeling recharged instead of overstimulated.”

For more information about Wild Interest or to listen to the latest episodes, visit www.wildinterest.com or subscribe on your favorite podcast platform.

About Wild Interest

Created and hosted entirely by kids, each episode is unique. The topics change with every episode: Our hosts and contributors let their curiosity guide them. What’s a leap year? Are all root beers created equal? What’s it like to play football in the NFL? Could Mothman be real? What’s up with Bigfoot? What’s New Year’s like in the Philippines? Experts are interviewed, primary sources are checked, cross-checked, and fact-checked, original music is composed, sounds are captured, and an episode is born. Episodes are published monthly.

Wild Interest celebrates the wisdom, curiosity, and insight of children and provides a platform for kids to learn, share, and create together. While adults assist with the technical details, the show is entirely kid-created.

Wild Interest is available on all major podcast platforms, including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Amazon Music, iHeart Radio, Podcast Index, Deezer, Podcast Addict, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Charlie Key
Wild Interest
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