BONUS: Talkin' Tigers with Megan Hagedorn
6/16/202611 min
Mike and Chanel continue their conversation with Zoologist Megan Hagedorn about tigers, what inspired her to study animals, and how she blends the classics with animals as an artist!
Megan Hagedorn is a zookeeper at the Oregon Zoo. Although she has a background in Marine Biology, Megan has gotten a chance to work with almost all areas of the zoo! She is originally from southern Illinois, and moved to Oregon in 2013 to work with the animals. Tigers became a fast favorite and I've she's gotten to know several! They all have unique personalities and it's especially rewarding for Megan to build relationships with them. Working at the Oregon Zoo gave her the opportunity to learn that tigers really ARE all that they're cracked up to be! What a fun and dynamic animal!
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- Learn about the tigers Megan works with at the Oregon Zoo
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Credits
- Hosted by: Mike Bennett & Chanel Hason
- Guest: Megan Hagedorn
- Produced & Edited by: Jon Richardson
- Music by: Gretchen Lohse & Thomas Hughes of Carol Cleveland Sings
- Intro Animation by: Silas Bell & Kyle Bell of Castle Animation
- Artwork by: Fuzzzbrain
Special thanks to
Henley & Henley's family, Megan Hagedorn, Michele Kraus Bennett, Cayley Pater, The Elakha Alliance, Teddy Albertson, tigers in general
Clips
Transcript preview
First 90 secondsMike Bennett· Host0:00
This bonus episode features more from Mike and Chanel's conversation with zoologist Megan Hagedorn from the Oregon Zoo. Enjoy.
Chanel Hason· Host0:07
Both Mike and I have had the honor of doing a little behind the scenes with the tigers at the Oregon Zoo, and as somebody who had two cat brothers at home, I sadly had to put one down recently. But when I went to go visit, uh, Dimitri and Luka, the brother tigers at the zoo, I did think of my two cats because they were so similar. One is a little more dominant, one is a little louder than the other one. And something really fascinating for me was that they're these huge cats, and you can't hear them walk at all. Their paws are gigantic, and they are silent, which is exactly why they're huge apex predators in the jungle, because you can't hear them coming because they're ambush predators, so they have to sit and wait and then pounce on a prey. Uh, so for me, that was just, like, really fascinating to witness in person, and also that they just loved whipped cream- [laughs] ... which my cats do too. [laughs] [laughs] Which I think is the cutest thing. They love milk, you know? It, I think it's probably across all cat species, but I think that's... Yeah, that was really fun for me. Mike, do you have any fun behind the scenes moments for you?
Mike Bennett· Host1:20
Yeah, I think both times I've gotten to visit, I have been surprised at the approach. [laughs] I think both times they weren't around, and then they just were around.

