DiscoverBadass of the WeekBare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley
Bare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley

Bare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley

Update: 2025-08-06
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Carl Akeley was an artist, scientist, inventor, conservationist, and the godfather of modern taxidermy—but don’t let the job title fool you. This dude once fist-fought a full-grown leopard with one hand, got body-slammed by an elephant and survived, invented a concrete-blasting cannon, and crossed a crocodile-infested river using a dead crocodile as a raft. All in the name of conservation. Alongside guest Michael Alm, Ben Thompson dives into the insane, inspiring, and occasionally insane-again life of the man who literally shaped how the world saw nature—and who wasn’t about to let a little thing like being gored, clawed, or trampled stop him.

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Bare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley

Bare-Handed Beastmaster: The Wild Life of Carl Akeley

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