Hear From a Wildlife Veterinarian in this Ten News EXTRA: Dr. Gabby Wild 👩🏻 (re-air)

Summary

Podcast Summary: The Ten News EXTRA – Hear From a Wildlife Veterinarian: Dr. Gabby Wild 👩🏻 (Re-air)
Date: July 10, 2025 | Host: Bethany Van Delft | Guest: Dr. Gabby Wild

---

Episode Overview

This episode of The Ten News dives into the work of Dr. Gabby Wild, a wildlife veterinarian and eco fashion advocate. The conversation emphasizes the interconnectedness of animal health, human activity (especially fashion choices), and global ecosystems. Dr. Wild shares her experiences working with a wide array of species, the importance of eco-conscious living, and fascinating ways that animals inspire human innovation. The episode wraps up with a kid-friendly trivia segment about the blue morpho butterfly and its impact on science and technology.

---

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Life of a Wildlife Veterinarian

[00:55–03:01]

• Multispecies Expertise:
  Dr. Wild explains the difference between treating domesticated animals (like pigs) and their wild cousins (such as peccaries in Central and South America). Wildlife vets must adapt knowledge across many species.

• Working with Local Communities:
  Wildlife vets often collaborate with people whose lives and traditions are deeply connected to nearby animals—for example, understanding the challenges of living alongside elephants versus deer.

• Disease Monitoring:
  Dr. Wild addresses “the public interface of disease,” explaining how diseases like COVID-19, Ebola, and Zika virus can transfer between animals and people, and the responsibility vets have in monitoring these threats.

  "All of these types of viruses are transmitted from animals to people and sometimes people to animals. But we have to be monitoring these kinds of scary diseases, so that way we can protect people and animals from becoming infected." — Dr. Gabby Wild [02:39]

---

2. Daily Life and Traveling for Animal Care

[03:01–03:33]

• A Varied Schedule:
  Dr. Wild shares that her day-to-day work is a mix of international travel for wildlife work and long hours as a veterinary surgeon in New York.

  "When I'm not in the wild, I work as a surgeon, and I'm in the OR about 14, 15 hours a day […] mostly on dogs and cats, but I also will do exotic species." — Dr. Gabby Wild [03:12]

---

3. Eco Fashion and Sustainability

[03:33–07:18]

• Everyday Choices Matter:
  Dr. Wild urges listeners to consider how seemingly small choices—like what clothes we wear or how we dispose of paper—can have major impacts on the environment and animal habitats.

• Eco Fashionista Campaign:
  She describes her “eco fashionista” campaign:

  • Partnered with Project Runway designers to wear one outfit for each month of a year (2012), each representing a different endangered species or threatened habitat.
  • Highlighted the environmental impact of clothing production and encouraged sustainable fashion choices.

  "What you're wearing affected a whole ecosystem in another country, or even your country. And that affected the animals there. Because if they had dyes that they just threw and polluted into the rivers, what do you think is happening to those animals?" — Dr. Gabby Wild [04:53]

  • Advocates for reusing, repairing, or sharing clothes, and if buying new, choosing ethical and eco-friendly brands.

---

4. Fashion, Animals, and Inspiration

[07:18–07:52]

• Bethany (Host) Recap:
  Bethany praises Dr. Wild’s creative approach to spreading environmental awareness, connecting fashion choices to wildlife conservation.

  "What a creative and an impactful way to get the message across through fashion. How fashion affects animals and wildlife. Absolutely brilliant." — Bethany Van Delft [07:18]

---

5. Blue Morpho Butterfly Trivia

[07:55–09:32]

• Trivia Question:
  Kids are asked what scientists have learned from the blue morpho butterfly (choices: fluttering, creating color, or stretching).

  • Answer: Creating color [08:29]

• Dr. Wild’s Explanation:

  • The butterfly’s wings don’t use pigment but manipulate sunlight to create vivid colors—a principle that has inspired new technologies, like how to make better Velcro.

  "They inspire us to make our lives better and unique inventions from them... we share this planet with them. It's not a me versus them, it's an us." — Dr. Gabby Wild [09:05]

  • Emphasizes celebrating wildlife and collective responsibility:

    "One planet, one world, all together." — Dr. Gabby Wild [09:27]

---

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Impact of Everyday Decisions:

  "Every decision, including the clothing you buy, the food you buy, what you're doing with your piece of paper when you're finished with it, what you're doing with everything... matters." — Dr. Gabby Wild [04:25]

• Human-Wildlife Relationship:

  "Imagine living with the elephant in your backyard. So that is sometimes what veterinarians like myself have to deal with..." — Dr. Gabby Wild [01:54]

• Wildlife Inspires Innovation:

  "We learned how to make Velcro because of the way that their wings work." — Dr. Gabby Wild [09:03]

---

Timestamps for Key Segments

• Wildlife vet career explained: 00:55–03:01
• Daily routine & travel: 03:01–03:33
• Eco fashion and campaign: 03:33–07:18
• Host’s reflection on fashion/animals: 07:18–07:52
• Blue morpho butterfly trivia: 07:55–09:32
• Dr. Wild’s butterfly insight: 08:36–09:32

---

Overall Tone

The tone is energetic, accessible, and inspiring—perfect for curious kids and families. Dr. Wild balances scientific information with relatable stories and actionable advice, while host Bethany keeps the conversation lively and interactive.

---

Takeaways

• Wildlife vets juggle animal health, human cultures, and global disease risks—across species and continents.
• Everyday decisions (like fashion) directly impact ecosystems and animal well-being.
• Nature, especially animals like the blue morpho butterfly, inspires human inventions and solutions.
• Everyone can make a difference, starting with mindful everyday choices.

---

For more insights and to listen to the entire interview, visit www.thetennews.com.

Transcript

[A]

10, 9, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1.

[B]

From eco fashion to butterfly inspiration, today the Ten News gets into nature with more from our favorite wildlife vet, Dr. Gabby Wilde. I'm Bethany Van Delft, and. And this is the 10 news gets extra. Last month, we had so much Fun talking to Dr. Gabby Wild about her work as a wildlife veterinarian and her new book, Wild Vet Saving Animals around the World. But did you know that what you're wearing can impact the environment?

[A]

What?

[B]

Let's learn more from Dr. Wild.

[A]

My name is Dr. Gabby Wild, and I'm a wildlife veterinarian. So what we're dealing with here is I have to know all of these different species because we learn them through the domesticated species, and then we take it and we learn about these other animals that are very rare sometimes. So, for example, we might learn about the domesticated pig when we're a veterinary student or when we're working as vets. But then you might be exposed to a unique species that's like a pig, but it's not the domesticated pig. So something called a peccary, which is located in Central and South America. So that's what a wildlife vet does. We go internationally and many of us, and we work with these unique wild animals. It also involves us working with local people. Whenever we work with local people, we have to understand their cultural practices and what these animals mean to them. And you might be living with deer in your backyard, and it might sometimes be very nice to see the deer, or sometimes they're eating your flowers, and it seems a little bit frustrating. So imagine living with the elephant in your backyard. So that is sometimes what veterinarians like myself have to deal with is understanding the different types of natural wildlife that occur at different people's backyards. So it's a human interface, and then we also have a public interface of disease. So I'm sure you guys are familiar with scary diseases like Covid. You may have heard of Ebola or bird flu, Zika virus. All of these types of viruses are transmitted from animals to people and sometimes people to animals. But we have to be monitoring these kinds of scary diseases, so that way we can protect people and animals from becoming infected. So that's the main gist of wildlife veterinary work.

[B]

So what is your day like? Like, how often do you travel to help animals someplace in the world versus seeing an animal at your surgical center in New York?

[A]

So my days are very varied. When I'm not in the wild, I work as a surgeon, and I'm in the or, you know, about 14, 15 hours a day, or meaning the operating room. And we're doing all different types of surgeries, mostly on dogs and cats, but I also will do exotic species.

[B]

This is another. As if there could be more cool things about you. But this is a very cool thing. You're an eco fashionista, which is such a. An amazing. It's just an amazing way to live and a thing to think about.

[A]

Absolutely. So by calling myself an eco fashionista, kind of just fell in my lap. If you're looking at me now, I have no makeup on. My hair's all over the place because I was in the or, and I've had this for years. It's like little wool. Little wool piece, because I get cold easily and just out of modesty, to keep my hair down. So how that happened is because I think it's very important to understand that all of our decisions that every day we make, that you might say, oh, does it matter? Matters. Every decision, including the clothing you buy, the food you buy, what you're doing with your piece of paper when you're finished with it, what you're doing with everything. And so I decided, what could we do to get people excited about sustainability? Because people might not realize that what you're wearing affected a whole ecosystem in another country, or even your country. And that affected the animals there. Because if they had dyes that they just threw and polluted into the rivers, what do you think is happening to those animals? What's happening to those trees that the animals depend on? And all of these things relate to each other. It's not just about shearing an animal for its fur. It goes farther than that. And so that's why several years ago, I started a campaign with the designers from the TV show Project Runway to wear one outfit. Yes, I got smelly one outfit for an entire month, and then one outfit for each month of 2012 to represent 12 different critically endangered species or species whose habitat was under severe threat. For example, the blue morpho butterfly isn't per se, under the endangered species list, but its environment, the Amazon, is. That's why it's important to understand that everything is interconnected. People got excited about it. They thought more about what they're wearing. They said to themselves, do I really need a new outfit? Do I need to feed this rapid consumptive system? Or can I keep my clothing? Can I maybe stitch it myself or my mother or a friend or take it to a tailor? Do I have to just throw it away? Or maybe I could go and share clothing with somebody, things of that nature. And then let's say you do want to buy something new. We all do. It happens. There's a party you have to go to. So if you need to go and do that, then go find a company who's doing it ethically that they're not taking fabrics that are really, really polluting the planet, but the people who made those fabrics are being paid a fair wage that they're being put into places where they feel comfortable working, that children aren't being forced out of school to go ahead and do this. So that's why when you make these purchases, remember that every purchase you make, whether it's fashion or else, or if you're asking your parents to buy you something, but it's not something that is going to hurt the planet, think about it, because your choices are going to affect our whole future.

[B]

That is one of the number one most incredibly important messages. And what a creative and an impactful way to get the message across through fashion. How fashion affects animals and wildlife. Absolutely brilliant. To hear the full interview with Dr. Wild, visit the 10News website at www.thetennews.com.

[A]

What? What? What's the big idea?

[B]

Trivia on the 10 everyone knows we all learn so much from nature and animals. But what have scientists and engineers learned from the blue morpho butterfly? Was it A, different ways to flutter, B, different ways to create color, or C, a new way to stretch? Did you guess it? The answer is.

[A]

B.

[B]

Here's what Dr. Wild had to say about the blue morpho butterfly.

[A]

We learned from butterflies different ways in which to create color. Because they use the wavelengths of the sun, they don't have pigment the same way that some flowers have pigment. It's the way the sun hits their wings that creates that color. We learned how to make Velcro because of the way that their wings work. So they inspire us to make our lives better and unique inventions from them. And that's one of the reasons why we celebrate wildlife, because we share this planet with them. It's not a me versus them, it's an us. And it's our world. And it's our responsibility to share it appropriately. And that's why World Wildlife Day is so exciting, because it's our chance to say, one planet, one world, all together.

[B]

Time's up. But before we go, here's a quick note for the grown ups want even more great content from the 10News? Sign up for the 10News Newsletter aka the 10News Newsletter. It's a free bi weekly email with even more stories to enjoy together and we made it easy for you. The link to join is in the show notes and on our website theten news.com thanks for listening to the 10 News. Look out for our new episodes on Tuesdays, Thursdays and extras on Saturdays. The 10 News is a co production of Small But Mighty Media and Next Chapter Podcasts and is distributed by iHeartradio. The production and editorial team is a bunch of wild animals including Tracy Crooks, Pete Musto, Andrew Hall, Jenner Pasqua, Stephen Tompkins and Sarah Olander. Our production director is Jeremiah tittle and the 10News is executive produced by Donald Albright and show creator Tracey Leeds Kaplan. Do you want to be part of the show? I do. Don't you? We want you to have a grown up, help you record a question, a joke or a fun fact you want to share and email it to us at. Hello the ten news.com and show your love for the ten news by going to your favorite podcast app and submitting a rating and review. It helps others find the show so we can all have fun together.

[A]

Together.

[B]

I'm Bethany Van Zelft and thanks for listening to the 10 news. Say this 10 times fast. Butterflies. Flutterby butterflies. Flutterby butterflies. Flutterby flutterflies. Flutterby butterflies. Flutterfly flutterflies. Did I make it to six? I don't think I did.

[A]

Bye.