Chester Moore, founder of Higher Calling Wildlife®, received multiple honors at the recent Press Club of Southeast Texas “Excellence In Media Awards,” including First Place: Top Blog for Higher Calling Wildlife — marking the fourth year in a row the blog has earned that distinction.
“It’s an honor to be recognized by such a prestigious organization and to do so well in a field of so many great journalists. It’s humbling and also inspiring,” Moore said.
This year’s awards were particularly meaningful for Moore, as several of the recognized stories touched on subjects that hold deep personal significance. Among them was his investigative reporting on the illegal wildlife trafficking and cloning of Marco Polo sheep, which received first place in Environmental Reporting and Audio News Story. His work spotlighted the complex ethical and conservation challenges posed by cloning technology and wildlife trade.
Moore also received first place honors for Best Talk Show for his Moore Outdoors interview with the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy, covering the growing presence of great white sharks in the Gulf of Mexico — a topic he has followed closely in recent years.
“It was special to be recognized for stories that are important to me personally and professionally — like the return of great white sharks to the Gulf and the Marco Polo sheep cloning case. These are issues that I believe deserve attention and thoughtful discussion,” Moore added.
In addition to the blog and environmental reporting categories, Moore’s work was recognized across several formats with first place wins, including Overall Podcast Excellence for Dark Outdoors, Corporate Video for his Wild Wishes Program, and Travel Writing for Texas Fish & Game.
Additional honors included second place for Video Storytelling, Headline Writing, and Best Podcast Individual Episode, along with third place awards in Social Media, General Blog for Gulfgreatwhites.com, Documentary, Special Supplements for the Wild Sheep Foundation Conservation Impact document, and an additional Audio News Story focused on a great white shark off South Padre Island.
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Beneath the surface of Hollywood’s most iconic ocean thriller lies a deeper, darker truth. In this chilling episode, we venture into the murky waters behind the making of Jaws—a film that forever altered our perception of the sea and its apex predator. But the terror didn’t end on screen.
We dive into real-life great white shark attacks that fueled the public’s fear and expose how Steven Spielberg’s cinematic masterpiece led to shark persecution but also inspired some to take up shark conservation. From behind-the-scenes chaos and mechanical monsters to blood-soaked beaches and misunderstood killers, this is the untold story of fear, fiction, and fallout.
Listen to a fun episode of Dark Outdoors on the real story behind Jaws that you have never heard.
In a bold new step for aquaculture, scientists at Auburn University have created a genetically modified catfish containing an alligator gene—not to grow scales or teeth, but to fight disease. Using CRISPR gene-editing, researchers inserted the cathelicidin gene, which helps alligators resist infections, into channel catfish embryos. The modified fish also carry a sterility switch, ensuring they can’t breed in the wild.
The goal? Combat the major issue of aquatic disease that leads to billions in losses globally. In tests, the hybrid catfish had up to five times higher survival rates against bacterial infections compared to normal stock.
The technology is still under review for commercial use, but its implications are vast: fewer antibiotics, higher yield, and built-in ecological safeguards.
Higher Calling Wildlife® is closely following this emerging space, particularly after receiving recent awards for investigative reporting on wildlife cloning—including the controversial case of the cloned Marco Polo sheep. With conservation, biotech, and law intersecting in unexpected ways, these stories are only beginning to unfold.
Chester Moore
Chester Moore
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The Biblical Zoo in Jerusalem has successfully reintroduced 20 Persian (Mesopotamian) fallow deer into the wild this spring. The release marks a bold new chapter for the species, once teetering on the brink of extinction.
“We’re beyond excited to share that our Spring 2025 Persian (Mesopotamian) fallow deer release has successfully reintroduced 20 captive-bred deer into the wild!” the zoo announced.
This release took place at Nachal Dolev Nature Reserve, nestled in the scenic Judean Hills, just 25 kilometers from Jerusalem.
The location is significant. For two decades, the zoo has been working tirelessly to restore the Persian fallow deer population through carefully managed releases. Now, for the first time, the deer are being returned to new territory closer to Jerusalem, allowing them to reclaim portions of their ancient habitat.
“After 20 years of successful reintroductions, we’re now expanding to new territory near Jerusalem, helping this once nearly extinct species reclaim its ancient homeland!” the zoo shared.
The latest release also marked a major shift in strategy. In past efforts, the deer were gradually introduced to the wild using fenced acclimatization areas, allowing them time to adjust to their new surroundings. This time, however, the zoo’s team took a more daring approach.
“For the first time, we released the deer directly into the wild—without a fenced acclimatization area!” they said.
Extensive research conducted over the years had shown that the fallow deer are remarkably adaptable and capable of thriving in the Judean Hills, where food sources and water are plentiful.
To ensure the safety and success of the reintroduction, each deer has been fitted with an electronic tracking collar.
These devices enable the zoo’s scientists to monitor the animals’ movements and behaviors in real time, providing critical data on how the deer adjust to their new environment. The information gathered will help guide future conservation efforts, both in Israel and abroad.
Beyond the scientific achievement, the release was also a day of celebration.
“The day itself was a celebration—a joyful outing in the stunning spring landscape, surrounded by wildflowers and perfect weather,” the zoo reported.
Staff, scientists, and volunteers gathered to witness the culmination of years of hard work and dedication. “It was a well-earned reward for our dedicated staff and volunteers, whose tireless efforts are bringing this majestic species back to life.”
The success of the Persian fallow deer restoration project is a poweful conservation statement in a war-torn part of the world.
Thanks to the Biblical Zoo and its partners, these graceful creatures now roam once again where their ancestors once thrived—a living symbol of renewal in the land of their origin.
Ever heard of the real-like shark attacks that inspired “Jaws”?
Although they were very real there has always been something about a great white being blamed that seemed strange. This podcast is about dangers in the outdoors (lots of true crime and strange encounters) and on the episode that just dropped we talk about the infamous 1916 Jersey Shore shark attacks that inspired “Jaws”. I give several theories and give my reason why I am suspicious of it being a great white.
Plus, this is a positive show so I have a shark expert on talking about growing shark numbers in the Gulf, a segment on a shark bite prevention technology and even more.
If you listen past the credits I have a whole other episode’ with an interview with a researcher about cutting-edge mako research in the Gulf!
I use every chance I have to promote shark conservation and to get people’s attention on these topics.
Did You Get A Gulf Great Sharks Decal?
I posted a blog a couple of weeks ago saying if anyone subscribed to my Gulf Great White Sharks blog and emailed me they would get a free Gulf Great White Sharks decal. The response has been wild-in a good way! We now have nearly 500 subscribers!
The mail is slow ,so if you don’t have your decal within two weeks, email me at chester@chestermoore.com and I will get another one out to you.
If you follow me there and then send me a PM saying, “followed” I will put you in a drawing for a 16 X 20 Gulf Great White Sharks poster showing an awesome image of a great white shark beneath an oil rig. Just follow, PM me with “followed” and I will put you in for a drawing I will do April 25.
Chester Moore
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Ever heard of a hog attack someone-in their house?
We have a crazy story from the not-so-distant past.
The Pineville Town Talk told the story of a Pineville, La. man who had a pig enter the house he was visiting.
“Boston Kyles, 20, of 497 Pelican Drive told deputies he was visiting his sister’s house at the time of the incident. He said he had gone there to clean fish and was sitting in the house’s front room when the pig entered through the front door. Kyles told deputies he stomped the floor to try to shoo the pig out of the room, but the pig charged him,” said Maj. Herman Walters.
“Walters had heard of pigs attacking people in the woods but said this was the first time he had heard of a pig going into a house and attacking someone.”
In my book Hog Wild, I reference an Edgefield, South Carolina man who experienced one of the scariest hog attacks I could find occurring in the United States.
The Edgefield Advertiser reported, “A man was hospitalized recently after being attacked by a wild hog at his home on Gaston Road. The hog, which eyewitnesses estimated to weigh upwards of 700 pounds, materialized in Fab Burt’s backyard while he was working in his garden.”
“It came out of nowhere and attacked me. It had me pinned on the ground and was mauling me.”
Fortunately, Burt’s seven-month-old German shepherd, named Bobo, was on hand to help him fend off the hog.
We have a couple of spooky episodes of the Dark Outdoors® podcast dealing with hogs including involving the survivor of a Texas attack.
Dubois, WY – The awe-inspiring story of one of North America’s most iconic wildlife species comes to life in Discovering Bighorns, a brand-new documentary by award-winning wildlife vjournalist Chester Moore and cinematographer Paul Fuzinski.
Moore embarked on a mission to uncover an educational platform that not only supports wild sheep conservation but also ignites passion for wildlife in the next generation. His search led him to the National Bighorn Sheep Center in Dubois, WY and the heart of bighorn country, where the Center’s dedication to outreach, education, and conservation takes center stage.
Moore visiting with Vivian, one of the kids in hs program at the National Bighorn Sheep Center.
Through Moore’s Higher Calling Wildlife® initiative—an extension of his Wild Wishes® program, which grants wildlife encounters to children facing special challenges—Discovering Bighorns showcases how real-life experiences in nature can transform lives and cultivate young conservationists. The film captures these emotional and powerful moments, blending stunning visuals and heartfelt storytelling.
“I initially collaborated with them on connecting with families in their area that quality for our Wild Wishes program and soon found the facility not only had great educational value but heart. So, we decided to document this through a mini documentary,” Moore said.
Filmed by Paul Fuzinski and Seth Gieb, and edited by Fuzinski the documentary also features the team’s journey to Yellowstone National Park, highlighting the majestic landscape that supports wild sheep and other mountain ungulates.
Produced, written, and narrated by Chester Moore, Discovering Bighorns not only introduces viewers to the breathtaking world of bighorn sheep, but also delves into the National Bighorn Sheep Center’s national impact—from its interactive exhibits and wildlife tours to its tireless efforts in community outreach and habitat conservation.
Located near the Wind River Mountains, the National Bighorn Sheep Center is a premier destination for wildlife enthusiasts. It offers immersive exhibits, guided tours, and crucial education on the threats facing bighorn sheep—including disease, predation, and human encroachment—while fostering a lifelong appreciation for wildlife and conservation.
“Discovering Bighorns is more than a film. It’s a call to action—a celebration of those who dedicate their lives to conserving these incredible animals and a tribute to the children whose lives are changed by their encounters with them,” Moore said.
The first in a series of public viewings of the film will be at the Hunt-Fish Podcast Summit in Texas March 21 as part of their film festival.
When I saw an article that from said great white sharks will not enter the Gulf of Mexico pop up in my Google alerts, I couldn’t help but giggle. I am after all the creator of the Gulf Great Whites blog, so it definitely grabbed my attention.
Even though I hadn’t yet read the story, I knew this was another opportunity to use this platform to educate people that great white sharks are indeed present in Gulf waters. And it’s just another example of how few people, even those in media realize this.
And please subscribe to the Gulf Great White Sharks blog while you’re there.
Huge Response To Grizzly Episode. Don’t Miss it!
In this special episode of Dark Outdoors®, we bring you an uncut, hour-long firsthand account from Ben Verheul, a man who faced one of nature’s apex predators—and lived to tell the tale. Deep in the Wyoming backcountry, Verheul found himself in a life-or-death struggle with a grizzly bear, one he shockingly realized he had encountered before.
I am getting lots of great feedback on this truly fascinating, scary and inspiring episode.
Wild Wishes® is our flagship program that grants wildlife encounters to hurting children -ranging from critical illness to parental loss and life in fhe foster system. And we need your help!
We currently have the largest number of kids ever in cue to come through the program. But we need your help to make their wishes come true. Can you make a tax-deductible donation? Link below.
Thanks to everyone who contributed to phase 1 of our Kingdom Zoo Wildlife Center Redo. It went great.
But now we need help with accomplishing these wishes which include an amazing, personalized gift package for each special kid.
Can you help us? We’re in a time when we really need it to accomplish our mission.
Dark Outdoors® is now a weekly program! We just kicked off our weekly episodes with a wild man.
I interview author R.C. Bramhall author of Haunted War Tales: True Military Encounters with the Bizarre, Paranormal and Unexplained about the terrifying wildlife encounters faced by military around the world.
You subscribing helps me to grow my audience which helps my family. Being an independent media worker who runs a ministry for hurting children without a salary is tough. It’s by God’s grace and people like you following my work that I can keep doing the things I do.
Great White Shark Documentary
Would you like to be part of a shark documentary? I am producing a very special one involving great white sharks that will be released this June. To help cover final production costs, I am opening up an opportunity to get you, your business or someone you love’s name listed in the credits.
This will be seen by hundreds of thousands of people and help us spread the word of shark conservation.
Spaces are limited. A minimum $50 donation for each name will get a credit listing until we run out of space.
The Houston Fishing Show at the George R. Brown Convention Center will host a special seminar by Chester Moore, Editor-In-Chief of Texas Fish & Game , Higher Calling Wildlife® founder and founder of the Gulf Great White Sharks project. Moore’s seminar, titled “The Return of the Great White and Other Giant Sharks in Texas Waters,” is set to shed light on fascinating developments in shark populations along the Texas coastline.
It will take place 1:45 p.m. Saturday Feb. 15.
Moore will discuss an increase in sightings and activity of great white sharks and other large species in the Gulf of Mexico. He plans to discuss key findings, including tracking data from tagged sharks, such as “LeeBeth,” a large great white tagged by the Atlantic White Shark Conservancy that showed up at South Padre Island in 2024.
These insights provide an in-depth look at why these apex predators are making a resurgence in local waters and what it means for the Gulf’s ecosystem.
The seminar will also explore other large sharks on the Texas coast including tigers, great hammerheads and makos.
The seminar is scheduled as part of the Houston Fishing Show’s lineup of educational events. For anyone interested in learning more about sharks in Texas waters, this is a must-attend session.
All attendees will get a special Gulf Great White Sharks decal and an invite to a special great white shark documentary debut.
“Can you ID this caught on a trail came in Polk County, TX this morning?”
I received that text yesterday along with the following photo.
This is a melanistic -black coyote.
Black (melanistic) coyotes, distinguished by their striking black coats, are a rare and captivating occurrence within coyote populations, particularly in the eastern half of the coyote’s range.
This unique coloration results from a genetic mutation that increases the production of eumelanin, the pigment responsible for black and brown pigments in mammals.
Back in 2021, I wrote of a black coyotes after my friend Todd Jurasek captured a video of one in Southeastern Oklahoma. I wrote the following.
With recent evidence showing red wolf DNA in coyote-like canids on the Texas Coast, it would be interesting to have a DNA sample from this black one.
The red wolf which was native from Texas/Oklahoma to the eastern seaboard had a subspecies called the “black wolf”.(Canis niger). Niger means black in Latin.
In fact, “black wolf” was a term commonly used throughout the South for what is now known as the red wolf due to the presence of black individuals.
This is a red wolf from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service captive breeding program. It’s a little confusing whether Canis niger was considered a subspecies or was actually the name of the red wolf. Either way the link is undeniable.
I have a copy of the 1946-47 Louisiana Department of Wildlife and Fisheries Biennial Report that goes into detail about wolves in the Bayou State.
Under the headline “Predator Control” the following information is given.
“The Legislature of 1946 increased hunting license fees to $2.00. Twenty five percent of these funds (the increase) were dedicated to predator control.”
Interestingly, the article shows the above photo of a predator control officer with a dead “black wolf”.
The red wolf was declared extinct in the wild in 1980 due to hybridization with coyotes.
In a 2024 article over at deerassociation.com the author notes the first discovery of black coyotes.
During the 1950s, Arthur Halloran of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) was the first to document the appearance of black coyotes in Oklahoma as coyotes replaced the extirpated red wolf.
The article goes on to say that Philip S. Gipson, then with the University of Nebraska, was the first person to investigate melanism in eastern coyotes during the mid-1970s, when they were first making inroads into Arkansas.
Gipson reported that nearly 8% of coyotes in Arkansas were melanistic, with most black coyotes occurring in the northern areas of the state. Because many of the black canids could not be differentiated from typical coyotes, Gipson attributed some of the occurrence of melanism to hybridization with red wolves in Oklahoma and Texas.
It seems my theory from a years ago about black coyotes having a red wolf link way down the line may hold some water. At least it seems the extirpation of red wolves paved the way for melanistic coyotes.
Fascinatingly, in a study you can read here, researchers say that behaviorally, melanistic coyotes exhibit notable differences from their lighter counterparts. Research has shown that black coyotes have larger home ranges, averaging 10.5 square miles compared to 6.7 square miles for standard coyotes. They also demonstrate a stronger preference for areas with substantial canopy cover and shadows.
I saw a black coyote about two miles from my home with (oddly enough) Todd Jurasek who captured the aforementioned black coyote video in Oklahoma.
I had heard about it being spotted near a refinery and we saw it one night on the side of the road near that refinery.
A few weeks later, I was giving a wildlife seminar and a man who lived about 1/2 mile from this spot walked up with a picture of what was no doubt that same animal dead. He had shot it in his backyard (which is perfectly legal by the way.)
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Here’s the truly interesting part.
This all happened within about three miles of a location where some of the last “pure” red wolves were captured from the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service’s captive breeding program in 1979-80 timeframe.
I started my career writing my first published column about red-wolf like animals in the area back in the 1990s.
It seems the presence of red wolves at least in the past and black coyotes is one we can no longer igmore. It’s a fascinating look into the removal of the red wolf and show’s that nature is very resilient.
Seeing a black coyote is a real treat and I am glad I got to see this Texas specimen taken by trail camera.
Have you ever seen a black coyote? Do you have photos? I would love to see them. Email chester@chestermoore.com.
Chester Moore
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