Australian farmer fined record $1m for wiping out critical koala habitat for private airstrip larger than Sydney airport!

When you think of record-breaking fines, you probably don’t picture a wheat farmer, right? Well, that’s exactly what just happened. Ronald Greentree, former GrainCorp chair and one of Australia’s biggest wheat farmers, got slammed with a $1 million fine for illegal land-clearing in north-west New South Wales. And his company, Auen Grain? They’re coughing up even more—$1.07 MILLION! Ouch.

So, what went down? Greentree and his crew cleared over 1,200 hectares of native vegetation—that’s bigger than Sydney Airport. And this wasn’t just any land. We’re talking critical habitat for 30 threatened species like koalas and Glossy Black Cockatoos. All of it bulldozed to make room for crops, cattle yards, and even a private airstrip. Wild.

This isn’t Greentree’s first rodeo either. He’s been in trouble for this kind of thing before. And guess what? The court wasn’t having it this time. They called out his complete lack of remorse. No “oops, my bad” here—just straight-up denial.

It’s a big win for conservation, but the damage is already done. Thousands of acres of habitat gone, and countless species left struggling. Want to dig deeper into this? Click the link below to hear us talking about it!

Have you ever wanted to wear the exact same things Forrest does on one of his shoots? Or have the torch that Forrest swears by? Or have you ever just wanted to have the same things Pat does? Because, who doesn’t wanna be Pat…right? Well, now you can! We’ve created this awesome Wild Times Amazon link where you can peep, and buy everything we love to use! Click the picture above, or link below to head straight there!

Virginia man dies after bear shot in tree falls on him

Hunting accidents are rare, but this one? It’s almost too wild to believe. A man in Virginia tragically lost his life after a bear, shot by his hunting partner, fell from a tree and struck him.

Here’s how it happened: the group was tracking the bear in Lunenburg County when it climbed up a tree. The bear was shot, but instead of staying put, it fell—hitting the man, who was standing about 10 feet away. Despite getting first aid and being rushed to two hospitals, he didn’t survive. The victim, Harvey, wasn’t just a hunter. He was a self-employed contractor, a father of five, and a grandfather to eight. An outdoorsman through and through, this was probably supposed to be just another day doing what he loved.

And while this sounds like a freak accident, it’s not the first time. Similar incidents have happened before, like in Alaska in 2018 and North Carolina in 2019. Falling bears might sound like something out of a cartoon, but in the wild, they can be deadly.

Want to know more about this bizarre and tragic story? Click here for all the details.

You might remember that Forrest recently went to Vanuatu with the NELK Boys to meet a tribe. Well, after that, Forrest and his family stayed back for a bit. And fine day when exploring an amazing waterfall, Forrest found a fish… a fish that wasn’t in any field guide and scientific journals, that looks like no other Goby species in the world! This COULD be a new species!!! Now the job is up to you brostners who are reading this right now! Do your thing, and see if you can find which species this is, and send your answers to us! Email us at [email protected], or ping us on our Instagram at @wildtimespod!

Now, you guys all know about the fires that have been ravaging CA over the past week. Authorities are still investigating the specific causes, but a combination of extreme weather patterns over the past two years led to the conditions that is said to have exacerbated the current fires. Unfortunately 24 people have lost their lives in the fires, and around 150,000 people are still under evacuation orders, down from 180,000 people.

For all of you brostners and sistners asking, we're all safe. Last week, Pat's house was at risk and likely facing evacuation due to a new fire that had just broken out. While recording some podcasts in the studio earlier this week, we had to evacuate. Just as we sat down, alarms went off, and Pat’s house was in jeopardy. Unfortunately, Pat had to leave as he had to evacuate. Him and the family evacuated to the SD area. His neighborhood still in good shape as of now. Please send Pat all your prayers and well wishes, and let’s hope for the best! We're all super grateful for everyone checking in on us and to have such a wonderful community of brostners and sistners supporting us!

In this episode, Forrest discusses his recent trip to Vanuatu with the Nelk boys, potentially a newly discovered species, and an Australian farmer gets fined $1 Million for making a private air strip. Enjoy!