Critter of the Week facts for kids

Critter of the Week is a fun weekly radio show from RNZ National in New Zealand. It teaches listeners about New Zealand's special native plants and animals. The show especially focuses on those that are endangered or often forgotten.

Jesse Mulligan

What is Critter of the Week?

The Critter of the Week show started in 2015. Each episode is about 15 minutes long. It features a chat between Nicola Toki and Jesse Mulligan. Nicola Toki works for the Department of Conservation. Jesse Mulligan is the host of the show.

They talk about a different New Zealand species each week. These species are often described as "uncharismatic but lovable." This means they might not be the most famous or cutest animals, but they are still very important.

How the Show Started

The idea for focusing on less famous species came up in April 2015. Jesse Mulligan had an interview where he talked about this. The show itself began from a discussion between Jesse and Nicola. They were talking about protecting threatened birds. Nicola mentioned that some species, like the Smeagol gravel maggot, did not get much attention or funding.

The very first episode of Critter of the Week aired on October 2, 2015. It featured the New Zealand bat fly. This shows how the program highlights unique and often overlooked creatures.

Helping Wikipedia

A cool part of the show is how it helps Wikipedia. After each broadcast, the Wikipedia article for that week's species is often improved. This helps more people learn about these special plants and animals. The show currently airs on Friday afternoons.

Fun Projects and Events

Critter of the Week has inspired some fun projects:

• In 2018, an artist named Giselle Clarkson designed t-shirts. These shirts featured some of the species that had been on the show.
• In September and October 2018, there was a "Critter of the Week: Bake-off" competition. Listeners were invited to bake cakes. The cakes had to be shaped like their favourite "critter" from the show.

Sharing the Story

The Critter of the Week project has also been shared at different events:

• Mike Dickison gave a lightning talk about it. This was at the 2018 ESEAP Conference in Bali, Indonesia.
• An updated presentation was given at the Wikimedia Australia Melbourne meetup in November 2018.
• The show was also discussed at the 2018 SPNHC conference in Dunedin. It was used as an example of how museums can reach out to the public.