2014 Recap

2014 has been one incredible year! To be completely honest, it has flown by so fast that I can't even believe it's almost the New Year. I decided to put together a few of my favorite photos and do a "2014 recap." Although starting this task, it became incredibly hard and unrealistic to include all of my 3,000 plus photos on my phone. So, I decided to narrow them down and pick out my favorite photos and memories month by month. Hope you all enjoy and have a fantastic 2015!

January

I always look forward to the month of January. It's the beginning of a new year, new opportunities, and-in the case of my family- new animals! What stuck out most in my mind was the new addition to our family; Winslow the cow. Yes I said it, we have a pet cow. A lot of people often ask why we have a pet cow. It started simply with my sister's fascination of a lone cow she would pass everyday on the way to work. She soon got attached and nicknamed the cow "Kathy." (I can't tell you how many Snap Chat photo's I would receive of Kathy on a daily basis!) Months went by and Kathy grew larger and larger. One week before Christmas, Kathy disappeared. I'd like to think Kathy went away to a new farm...My sister was heart broken so on Christmas Eve we surprised her with a week old calf she named Winslow. The rest is history.

February

Winter out here in the Snake River Valley region is absolutely spectacular. Frost covers the tress and blankets of snow cover the river banks, while the river literally steams. The majority of the animals are in indoor facilities with an exception of a few, like Napoleon the emu. My cousin, who is a professional photographer, happened to capture one of my favorite pictures of Napoleon. (He even won first prize in a photo competition!) February also takes me back to the bittersweet end of "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno." The day after Jay's finale show, which included a handful of celebrities like Oprah, I received a call from one of Jay's head writers and producer who discovered me at 14. It was so surreal. Ten years had passed since my first appearance on "The Tonight Show" and I finally had the opportunity to sincerely thank the producer for the start of my television career with animals. That first booking led to several other appearances, and then on to other shows like "The Today Show" and "The Martha Stewart Show." I'm forever grateful.

March

In March we saw the return of an early spring! The animals (the tortoises in particular) were thrilled to explore their outdoor habitats in the sunshine. It also marked the beginning of the process of editing my Africa footage. I was thrilled to relive the moments in the Masai Mara and work one-on-one with my long time editor in the process. We ended up completing "Through the Eyes of a Vulture", a documentary about the plight of East Africa's declining vulture populations  http://youtu.be/HB-0vq8BN_c

April

In April, we turned a complete 360 from reliving the plains of East Africa, to visiting one of the busiest places on earth; New York City. It was a busy press month with appearances on "The Today Show", CBS's "The Couch", and Boise's Mix 106. It was also great bringing family along for the journey. Hands-down my favorite trip so far to New York.

May

May is one of my favorite months. It's a time when the majority of our animals move to their outdoor habitats. It's also a time when I start designing new exhibits and projects for the upcoming summer. There is also nothing like a spring thunderstorm!

June

Sometimes it's so hard for me to comprehend how a little boy from Robie Creek, Idaho made it all the way to New York City, to sit across from a TV icon like Kathie Lee Gifford. It makes all the years of volunteering, spending hours on local television, and going to school worthwhile. This appearance on "The Today Show" was also a something I'd never done before; appearing without animals. Instead, I was a "TODAY" expert, helping viewers with wildlife trivia.

July

July. My favorite month! The weather is fantastic, the animals are all enjoying the sunshine, floating the river becomes a weekly ritual, and the grill is always on. I also passed an important milestone in my life, turning 25. With age I even realized a new passion; radio. Luckily, Boise's number one morning show "Mike and Kate in the Morning" was the perfect outlet, and they were always eager to let me co-host and fill in for the day.

August

One of my favorite parts of August is knowing that at some point I'll be visiting family and friends in St. Louis. It's been a tradition for years and I'm always up for a road trip :) It also turned out to be a very busy press month, with appearances on "The Today Show" and local St. Louis affiliate stations.

September

We were very lucky this year to have an Indian summer. All throughout the month on September, the animals enjoyed an extended amount of time outside. (Normally, we begin housing them indoors because of the cooler weather.) One of my favorite memories is Winslow escaping from the pasture to join the tortoises grazing!

October

Fall is probably one of my favorite seasons. We begin to move the animals indoors and I generally wrap up any projects before the upcoming winter. This was not the case for October! I decided to design and build a bridge specifically over the creek for Napoleon the emu! I have to be the only person in the world who has ever attempted this! Even though the project wasn't necessary (Napoleon's habitat is plenty big enough), I'm always thinking of new ways to enrich the lives of the animals. Napoleon is already curious by nature. What better way to spark his curiosity than extend his habitat over the creek to a new grassy meadow! October was also full of numerous Halloween themed guest spots on "Mike and Kate in the Morning." My favorite had to be the trip to the Haunted World!

November

By November, the bridge was almost completed and I was gearing up for one of my favorite holidays; Thanksgiving. Every year we create elaborate diets for the animals and this year was no exception! What was unusual about this November, was the early winter weather we received. Snow hit hard and the temperatures dropped to all-time lows. It also marked my first appearance on Inside Edition where I gave my opinion on Discovery Channel's "Eaten Alive."

December

The month of December was eventful. Tinkerbelle the tortoise laid her eggs, Napoleon began the process of crossing the bridge, and I did my annual appearances with Prancer the reindeer.

As I look back on 2014, I can't help but think how fast time flies. It was such an incredible year and I can't wait for 2015!

Happy New Years everyone!

An Early Winter!

A record-breaking arctic blast has hit the majority of the lower 48, setting record lows and increased levels of snowfall. Never in my life have I experienced such a "white" November. I decided to share some personal photos and a behind-the-scenes look at how our animals are coping with the sudden cold.

A thick blanket of snow has suddenly covered our property here in the Snake River Valley region of Idaho. Normally we wouldn't see this level of snowfall until mid December- February.

All of the outdoor animal exhibits look like they belong in a scene from the classic Christmas song "Winter Wonderland."

Soni, our adult American Alligator, stays warm by completely submerging in his heated pool.

Besides Soni, all of our other reptilian residents have moved into indoor facilities. Here, our vacant North American Pond exhibit is covered in snow and ice.

Even though the tortoise yard is completely covered in snow, it doesn't stop Tinkerbelle from trying to explore! She's always been interested in snow and tries to analyze it given the opportunity. If the weather is decent and there's no wind, I'll occasionally open the door and give her the option of going outside. The last few days though, at 6 degrees, it's been way too cold.

Tank on the other hand has no desire for the snow. He enjoys staying warm under his 250 watt heat lamp.

Wouldn't these tracks freak you out if you saw them in your yard? They look like they belong more or less in a Jurassic Park movie!

Emus are actually surprisingly tolerant of the cooler weather and can withstand temperatures below zero. Still, we give Napoleon the option of a warm barn full of straw.

I couldn't write a winter blog update without mentioning Winslow our pet cow. He's been enjoying the weather more than any other animal on our property! No flies, cool temperatures and a thick, new winter coat!

The weather even inspired me to put the Christmas lights up early this year!

I want to finish with this picture I took on the banks of the river with the frosted covered trees in the crisp morning air. There is just simply nothing else like it. Until next time...

Halloween Memories

Halloween is a very exciting time for me. When you work with animals that people consider downright scary, there is always a chance you'll have the opportunity to share them someway and somehow. For me, that would be on television and radio, and over the years I've made some fantastic memories doing just that. (Can you guess which pumpkin is mine?)

For one, Halloween is a time when I get to work with animals I normally wouldn't work with on a regular basis. For years I've been using Gila Monsters for local TV and radio. They have to be one of my favorite lizards, and even though they are one of the few venomous lizards in the world, they have fantastic personalities! Here I'm pictured with Sleepy, who was confiscated by Idaho Fish and Game after he was illegally taken out of the wild. Because of state laws, Sleepy can no longer be returned to the wild. He and the others now serve as animal ambassadors and educate the community.

I love how thrilled the anchor looks in this photo! A lot of the animals I showcase around this time of year are ones that most people give a bad wrap. Here I'm dispelling the myth that toads cause warts!

Or that tarantulas are scary creatures that are only out to bite humans! They happen to be so incredibly beneficial for the ecosystem by keeping insect populations in check.  Charlotte also happened to be one of the most gentle creatures I've ever been able to work with.

One animal I was thrilled to work with on a national level was the wolf; a creature that has been plagued by countless myths and legends for being gruesome, man-eating creatures that should be exterminated. They happen to be one of my favorite North American predators and keep prey populations in check. When wolves aren't in a certain area, the herbivores will over graze the vegetation, which won't allow new growth necessary for healthy ecosystems. What better way to put wolves in a positive light than appearing on "The Today Show" with them on Halloween? Check out the segment below:

"Bug", the giant Emperor Scorpion was another animal I was excited to work with one Halloween. I have to be honest; even though I used to have one years ago, it was still intimidating holding him! Funny thing is, "Bug" isn't even an insect! They're an arachnid in the same class as spiders.

Something I had always dreamed of doing was featuring bats during one of my Halloween Segments. My dream came true when my good friend Maddy, the founder of Animals in Distress Association, brought a few rescued bats she was rehabilitating to a local radio station. She is one of the only people who is licensed to rehabilitate bats in the state of Idaho. You can imagine I was thrilled!!! Maddy dispelled many common myths that morning over the radio, including how bats aren't blind and that they don't suck our blood.

I couldn't write a blog about Halloween without mentioning one of my favorite shows to stop by; "Mike and Kate in the Morning." I've had so many great memories here and have celebrated more than one Halloween with the hilarious DJs. Check out the highlights above during Halloween 2013.

I wish everyone a safe and happy Halloween!

Fall is in the air!

Temperatures are cooling, trees are beginning to change colors, and there is a sudden crisp in the air. This means only one thing: fall has hit the Snake River Valley region! It happens to be my favorite season, and just like the river and its surrounding vegetation, things are changing around here. For one, our animals who enjoy our warm summer days and nights have begun to move into their indoor habitats. (Although this doesn't mean they don't get to enjoy a warm fall day!) For us, there is also a lot of planning and prepping for the upcoming cooler months. I've decided to share a quick update featuring some of our animal residents.

With some of our animals, we have the luxury of housing them outdoors year-round; despite the freezing winter temperatures. Soni, our adult male American Alligator, enjoys his heated pool and will bask on land during the warm fall/winter days. My favorite time is going out on a cool morning with a cup of coffee and watching the steam from his pool rise above the river.

Animals like our Green Iguana Godzilla, native to the tropical rainforests of Central and South America, cannot withstand our cool fall nights. So every morning around 11am I have the glorious task of transferring Godzilla from his two-story indoor home to his outdoor habitat. Did I mention he is not nice? If you run into me around this time of year you will notice a dozen or more scratch marks along my arms.

Some of our North American animals can withstand the cool night temperatures. Our Three-toed Box Turtle, Missouri, doesn't move into her indoor habitat until the end of October/early November. She simply burrows into the soil at night and emerges on warm fall days to eat her specially prepared diet of greens, vegetables, and mealworms.

The same goes for Chompers, our four-year-old alligator. She and her water turtle residents don't move into their indoor 320 gallon heated pool until the end of October. She withstands the cool night temperatures by submerging at the deepest depth in their outdoor pond. In the morning sun she slowly makes her way to the surface and then basks all day long before going back at sunset.

Some of our habitats we specifically  designed to give the animals the option whether or not they want to go outdoors. The design works perfectly for fall weather when the days are warm and the nights are cool.

The small bridge over the creek allows our tortoises to venture into the main yard as they please.

The bridge connects to a smaller yard that leads to their indoor heated tortoise house. Tank and Tinkerbelle simply enjoy the warm days outside and venture back into their heated home at night.

Our smaller tortoises are too young to venture out in the main yard. So just like Godzilla, every morning I transfer them from the tortoise house to their outdoor yard.

One animal who is thrilled that the temperatures are cooling down is Napoleon the emu! These Australian birds can withstand temperatures over 100 degrees and below zero. We still have a barn for Napoleon to venture into in case the weather gets too extreme; funny thing though, is that he never uses it!

With the days getting shorter and the sun setting sooner, I decided to end on this picture I took while crossing the bridge a few days ago during sunset. It might not be completely in focus, but I just love the colors of the sky reflecting off the river. Another perfect fall sunset.

My Most Unusual, Adrenaline Pumping, & Hilarious Stories While Working with Animals!

When you work with animals, there are bound to be moments that are unpredictable, hilarious, unusual, and downright scary! I decided to put together a few stories that came to the top of my head when I thought about creating this particular blog. Keep in mind, these are only just a few. Hope you enjoy- Corbin

Oh yes, I can never forget my experience while working with Mr. Magoo the Prehensile-tailed Porcupine. I literality lived with Mr. Magoo for a whole week. This included sharing my hotel room, living space, and vehicle with him. Not only do these porcupines smell like a mixture of a locker room and sour onions, they are nocturnal. So every night we would let Mr. Magoo out of his traveling carrier to explore. He ran around everywhere, jumping from bed to bed, to table to chair. He even would wake me up every morning by pouncing on me! I would often reach out to cuddle with him forgetting about his sharp quills. To this day, I still find quills embedded in my clothes. He also got loose behind the set of The Today Show in Studio 1 A; that's another story.

My next story comes from my early days on our local Fox station KTRV. I used to appear monthly, each time with a different theme. This month I was gearing up for our"Asia" segment, which would feature various Asian animals. For some reason I thought bringing on two Blood Pythons would be a fantastic idea; I should have thought twice. Bloods are known for their testy temperaments and hard-hitting bites. To make matters worse, I decided to not only bring one Blood Python, but two. (Can you tell how this story is headed for disaster?) Seconds before show time I opened their containers to prepare; both snakes were puffed up, hissing, and ready to strike. With no back up, the show had to go on. Three, two, one, and action! I picked both snakes up, one in each hand, and tried to conduct the interview with a very nervous anchor. One of the Blood Pythons completely relaxed, while the other went berserk, striking and hissing at anything that moved! The anchor ran off camera, stranding me at the news desk live on-air. Luckily, the show quickly went to commercial. The story isn't over. A new female anchor (on her first day) came into the studio, oblivious of what had just happened and requested to see the snakes. I warned but she insisted. She came up to the news desk, which was on a raised stage platform, and joined me in one of the swivel chairs with wheels. I opened one of the containers which revealed a hissing, ready to strike, Blood Python. She screamed, kicking back in her swivel chair so hard, she flew off the raised stage, chair and all! If the cameras were rolling, it would have been one of the best YouTube moments in history. Needless to say, I never saw her again.

When it comes to my most adrenaline pumping experiences, the title has to go to the charging hippos in Kenya's Lake Naivasha. I've had two close encounters with hippos; both in the same day while trying to search for African Fish Eagles. The first one came when we urged our boat driver to get closer to a small pod of hippos for pictures and filming. One of the hippos was not happy. It began making loud grunts, raised out of the water towards our boat, and then disappeared beneath the murkiness, leaving only bubbles on the surface. The scary thing is, you have no idea where they are. At the same time our driver quickly flipped the boat around and sped off in the other direction. My second encounter was a lot scarier. We stopped for a bathroom break on the shore. Keep in mind, the shores on Lake Naivasha are full of tall Papyrus and thick vegetation. For privacy we all spaced out along the bank, I happened to wander the farthest. I heard something close by in the reeds. Then I heard water splashing, as if something was leisurely getting out of the water. Then I heard a very close, very recognizable hippo grunt. I booked it! I know they say don't run, but my natural instincts took over. Thank goodness it was just  a warning grunt. That hippo would have outran me.

In my early days, my career revolved around rehabilitating and rescuing reptiles. Fast forward ten years and I had the opportunity to jump back into that field...Although this time it would be with Black Bears! I convinced Sally Reaves-the owner and founder of Idaho Black Bear Rehab- to accompany them on a trip up to Washington to release eight sub-adult bears. We tranquilized and hauled the bears into specially made bear cages provided by the Washington Fish and Game Service. We made the journey to an undisclosed location in Washington and individually released the bears. On the last release, I had the bright idea of wanting to film the experience from a different angle. I climbed a short way up a mountain to get a higher vantage point. When they opened the cage, instead of running away straightforward, the bear decided to turn and run right towards me. It all happened so fast. (My adrenaline is kicking in just writing about it.) I had to quickly duck out of the way to avoid a collision. The bear had no intention going towards me, all he was doing was trying to escape up the mountain. Next time, I'll pick a better vantage point.

If you have ever seen my live shows or my television appearances, then you know I like to talk with my hands. Sometimes this can be a bad quality when you work with animals. I was on a live morning show in Omaha, Nebraska showing off Irwin, our Solomon Island Tree Skink. I wasn't paying any attention where my hands were, and during the interview Irwin decided to bite my finger. Even though he's a complete vegetarian and looks awfully innocent, Irwin gave me one of the worst bites I've ever experienced. Their strong jaws, and sharp cone-shaped teeth can deliver a nasty bite. (It's comparable to a nutcracker with teeth.) The bite was so hard you could hear the crunch of my fingernail all the way up through my mic on live television. What was worse, was that I had yet another animal to show. With blood pouring all over the set, I ended the show with a 16ft python.

This one probably doesn't qualify for the most adrenaline pumping or hilarious; although it happens to be one of my favorite memories in Africa. It was my first full day in Kenya, and we were set on visiting Hells Gate National Park to record the progress of a fledgling vulture chick. We would have to hike for an hour or so to reach the tall white-washed cliffs where the nest was located. As we began our climb, our guide (world-renowned raptor biologist Simon Thomsett) explained to us to keep an eye out for possible trees to climb in case we ran into a buffalo. I thought he was kidding. Not only was Simon being 100% serious, the Acacia Trees we were surrounded by sported 3-4 inch long thorns. To add icing to the cake there was buffalo dung everywhere. Apparently, if we ran into a herd we would more than likely be fine. The lone buffalo is the one you have to watch out for! Luckily, Simon successfully found the chick and we ran into no buffalo!

Anytime I have the opportunity to go behind-the-scenes with large carnivores my heart begins racing. Yes, these days zoo visitors can get extremely close to large cats and bears with only a panel of glass in between...Although there is something so thrilling about going to their off exhibit areas where their dens and feeding areas are located. One time when I was 13, someone forgot to latch one of the dens. When I opened the door, the tiger was right in the walkway. Another time I had to clean their exhibit while they were locked away in the dens. I remember being so nervous that their den door would open and I would be trapped in the corner! One of my fondness memories was visiting zoo camp as a kid and going behind-the-scenes with the Grizzly Bears. We walked in their dens and I could literally smell the Grizzly's breath; he was that close! I could have reached out my hand and touched him through the fence. He then stood on his hind legs. I could not believe how big he was or that we were even able to go behind-the-scenes to experience it. Nowadays, this would never happen. Only experienced and senior staff would ever be able to get that close proximity. Still, those early days make for great stories!

One of my favorite shows to do is "Mike and Kate in the Morning." There is just something about the radio. For one it's live. You also don't have to worry so much about time constraints like you do on TV. Another reason why I absolutely LOVE it is because host Kate McGwire is terrified of absolutely anything I bring in. Over the years we've been able to share quite a few hilarious moments. One time I brought a lemur in and it peed over everything, including the expensive radio equipment. Another time I brought an otter in and it gave Kate hives for two days. (Did I mention she had a date the next night?) One Halloween her screams were so loud it disrupted all the other radio shows. My favorite time though was when I brought a rat in. You have to watch the short clip below to fully grasp why this is one of my favorite moments.

For me personally, there was a lot of pressure and thought into trying to find my #1 most unusual, adrenaline pumping, and funniest story while working with animals. Matter of fact, as write this now I've already gone through 25 revisions. It then dawned on me: All of the years hosting "LIVE with The Reptile Guy." During my early college years I decided to create, host and produce a live television show from our local public access station. It was like nothing the studio and I had ever done before. There were no edits, special graphics, commercial breaks, or fancy equipment. Not only was it live, it was with animals. You never knew what could happen during each 30-minute episode. During the second season I decided to do something else; add a live studio audience! I can't tell you how many people we tried cramming in that little studio! From a camel who went down an audience member's cleavage,  a 17ft python pooping all over the set, to a 1000lb cow almost trampling the studio audience, so many memories come back. Luckily, a lot of them are included in the documentary below. I hope you enjoy.