North Woods Law: Meet Warden Kris MacCabe

Warden Kris MacCabe is all-smiles on an ATV. (Photo Credit: Travis Steward)

Call him the resident heartthrob on North Woods Law, but there’s a lot to Maine Game Warden Kris MacCabe than meets the eye (and we already like what we see!). The six-year warden service veteran is a perfect mix of brain and brawn. Not only is he an avid outdoorsman and sports enthusiast, Warden MacCabe also boasts a wildlife ecology degree from the University of Maine and even spent time studying wildlife with the USDA! Warden MacCabe took some time out of his busy schedule to chat with Animal Planet about life, work, K-9 Morgan and some of the craziest animal rescues he has done on patrol.

Get to know the guy they call “the Ryan Gosling of Maine” below!

Animal Planet: Tell us a little bit about yourself. What inspired you to become a game warden and what do you like to do in your spare time? I’m sure the ladies are dying to know if you’re single…

Kris MacCabe: I grew up in Monmouth, Maine and spent my time playing sports and hunting and fishing. I looked up to the game wardens I knew from the area and was certain from a young age that I wanted a career related to wildlife and the Maine outdoors. After high school, I went on to study wildlife ecology at University of Maine Orono. After I graduated college, I worked with USDA Wildlife Services and also had the opportunity to volunteer for 3 months with state biologists studying Canada lynx. I went on to achieve my dream of becoming a Maine Game Warden in 2007. I now live in western Maine with my wife Emily. In our free time, we love to fish, hunt, hike, go skiing and spend time with our dogs.

AP: What’s K-9 Morgan like when she’s off-duty? Does she live with you and your family?

KM: K-9 Morgan lives with me and my wife Emily along with Maya, our 5-year-old black lab, and Maggie, our 1-year-old mixed breed that we rescued last summer. Morgan loves to go to work, but when she isn’t with me on duty, she plays with her “sisters” and sleeps on our couch. Of our three dogs Morgan, snores the loudest. In the morning as I prepare to head out for the day Morgan can always be found lying in front of the door just making sure I don’t leave without her! She loves to go to work and is always ready to roll.

Animal Planet and Internet Cat Video Fest Play at SXSW

 

 

Animal Planet staffers with Jackson Galaxy and representatives from the Walker Art Center at Animal Planet's SXSW happy hour.

 It’s not the internet without cats, right? So you can’t possibly have the largest interactive festival in the country without a few, too. That’s why Animal Planet, in conjunction with the Walker Art Center, originator of the Internet Cat Video Festival, presented “The Cats Live Here” happy hour this week at South by Southwest. 

The goal? To highlight the best of internet cat videos –and bring some cat-loving, cocktail drinking folks together for one [my-cat-from]-hell of a night. Guest appearances by Jackson Galaxy, host of Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell,” and musician Emily Bell rounded out an evening filled with some of the most famous cat videos of all time, including the “Henri” series (below), Maru and one of the oldest internet cat video legends, Keyboard Cat.

 Here's what Jackson had to say:

 

North Woods Law: Meet Warden Alan Curtis

 

Warden Alan Curtis cuddles with a friend.

Whether protecting the wildlife of Maine, or working on his moose calls, you can’t deny Game Warden Alan Curtis will stop at nothing to do his job, all while maintaining his trademark sense of humor. Warden Curtis was kind enough to take some time out from the line of duty to chat with Animal Planet about his life, career and the craziest animal encounters he has had on and off the job! Get to know the Machias, Maine native and expecting father (Congrats, Warden!) with this Q&A!

Animal Planet: Let’s start with the basics. Where are you from and what do you like to do?

AC: I was born and raised for the most part in Machias, Maine. I was the typical outdoorsy kid growing up, hunting, fishing and camping. After high school, I fought fires out west for two summers and worked at a hardware store during college. I was hired by the Machias Police Department and worked for them for two-and-a-half years until becoming a game warden in 2006. I now live with my wife, very soon-to-be-daughter, four dogs (including Cruizer) and a few chickens in a house I just built. When I’m not working, I like spending time fishing, hunting and trapping. And now I will be able to spend time with my little girl.

AP: And what about your partner K-9 Cruizer? What’s he like when he’s not on the job?

AC: When Cruizer is “off the clock,” he is your average, goofy dog. He loves to play with the other dogs and just do dog stuff. As soon as I say “work,” he is at the door ready to jump in the truck.

Puppy Bowl Takes Over NASDAQ

With Puppy Bowl IX right around the corner, lucky members of the Animal Planet team started their Thursday by ringing the NASDAQ Stock Market Opening Bell along with some very special canine guests. Five very snuggly puppies joined Animal Planet representatives at the podium to promote the most important puppy sporting event of the year. Animal Planet staff donned their sharpest business attire and largest foam paws to commemorate the occasion. 

The adoptable puppies journeyed from the Pennsylvania SPCA headquarters in Philadelphia to spread the word about this Sunday’s premiere of Puppy Bowl IX through barks, licks, and kisses. All the members of NASDAQ’s production staff enjoyed the change of pace and the influx of furry critters on set. 

Executive Producer Melinda Toporoff started the broadcast after being introduced by VP of NASDAQ OMX David Wicks (pictured above getting licked). Melinda discussed the exciting new features in this year’s Puppy Bowl including hedgehog cheerleaders, a puppy hot tub, and new PuppyCam technology that allows the viewer to be even closer to the action. 

Cats and Their Toys

We've had a lot of fun watching the kittens at the Washington Animal Rescue League play with their cat toys over the last month (see the adorable video of Dopey below).

So we thought we'd ask some Animal Planet staffers what their cat's favorite toys were. Naturally, most of them responded that commercial toys weren't always the most popular with their pets. See their stories below.

It’s Emmy Time! Animal Planet’s MADAGASCAR Nominated for Two News & Documentary Emmys

 

Coordinating Producer Krishna San Nicolas heads to the News & Doc Emmys to represent Animal Planet. She shares the details on the nominated program MADAGASCAR.

Last year I was assigned to reversion a 3-part documentary series from the BBC called MADAGASCAR.  What is reversioning, you ask? Well, in production talk it means re-working a show and tailoring it for a network’s wants and needs. A Wiki article describes it as: A relatively recent phenomenon in television production, re-versioning (also known as reversioning or revisioning) is the process of re-releasing an existing production or an entire series, updated in some form, as a "new" show ...

Now that I’ve schooled you on what that is ... back to my story:

I was tasked with creating a 2-hour special out of three episodes. With mission accepted, I went to work on hiring my ‘A-Team’ – a freelance producer/writer, an editor, a researcher, and a sound engineer. After a month of some intense restructuring, rewriting, researching, and music replacing, the special premiered on May 1, 2011. It scored big in the ratings and became Animal Planet’s most-watched natural history telecast in four years! All the hard work paid off and earlier this year MADAGASCAR was nominated for two News & Documentary Emmys in the Outstanding Individual Achievement in a Craft category: Music & Sound and Cinematography (Documentary and Long Form).

On Monday, Oct. 1, I'm headed to the News & Doc Emmys to represent Animal Planet. It’s my first Emmy awards ceremony and I’m super excited but there’s one question that all of my friends keep asking me ... What are you going to wear!?

Eating Giants: Hippo. Employees React!

This Sunday at 10 e/p, Animal Planet airs Eating Giants: Hippo, a special documenting the days following the death of a three-and-a-half ton hippo along the banks of Zambia's Luangwa River. We see some unpleasant moments in the program, one in particular that Neil Genzlinger of The New York Times says "will leave half of the viewing audience pretty darn uncomfortable." Here's what happened when we showed the film to fellow employees:

 

Enjoy Eating Giants: Hippo! We would recommend finishing dinner well before the show starts.

Animal Planet Fan Favorite "My Cat From Hell" Renewed!

Yesterday, Animal Planet announced a fourth season of My Cat From Hell. The fan favorite will be returning in 2013 with 17 hour-long episodes. The series has become an Animal Planet fan favorite with more than ONE MILLION of you tuning in to each episode.

In My Cat From Hell, cat behaviorist Jackson Galaxy helps cat owners find the source of conflict with their furry friend by utilizing his more than 15 years of experience, a proven training program and his signature guitar case filled with cat toys.

Is your cat's behavior driving you or others crazy? Are you at your wits end? You're in luck! My Cat From Hell is casting for season four. Click here or e-mail hellcatscasting@gmail.com for a chance to be on the show and have Jackson try and transform your hellish cat into an angelic kitty. 

Check out video from the most recent season of My Cat From Hell!

Celebrating a Great Summer in Colorful Style

This summer, we noticed a trend among the employees at Animal Planet's New York office: colored pants! Everyone seemed to be wearing them! To celebrate this craze and commemorate our best summer ever, we declared Friday, September 7, to be Colored Pants Day.

Here's proof!

How about you? How do you celebrate successes in the office? Put on a pair of red jeans, purple corduroys or yellow chinos and discuss below in the Comments section!

 

Villalobos Rescue Center Hurricane Isaac Update: A Bittersweet Day

Yesterday we brought you an update on the Villalobos Rescue Center's Hurricane Isaac recovery efforts. Below is the latest from Tia and her team. 

Hurricane Isaac kicked our ass! The New Orleans location is fine with the exception of some flooding but it didn't affect the dogs. Evacuation center out in the country worked out great. But sadly the Cheech and Chong house and Tias house along with the two other satellite houses were destroyed by severe flooding.The two rescue vans and work truck are also gone.

If there can be a silver lining, our dogs are okay and we rescued today: one pot bellied pig whose cage floated away, one cat off of a roof, one blind Border Collie who fell into the river, 3 dogs floating down the river trying to scramble onto a submerged car and a mama dog with her newborn pups. How ironic that several animals tonight are no longer homeless and it's us humans that now need rescuing. A bittersweet day.

Click ahead for the latest images from Villalobos.