Ty Runyan is a state game warden with the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife Conservation. Besides being a rancher, driving instructor, former K9 handler and sometimes-snake wrangler, he may be best known for his TikTok presence. Ty’s lighthearted, interesting, and educational short videos have attracted more than 175,000 followers. In this episode, he and Wayne discuss the value of social media as an outreach and recruitment tool, and share some exciting stories from the field.
Our Sponsors:
Wildlife Heritage Foundation of NH
International Wildlife Crimestoppers
Here’s what we discuss:
- Ty gives a passerby some advice
- Everyone knows where the game warden lives
- A bit about Ty’s background
- Social media as an outreach tool
- An accidental TikTokker
- Getting Departmental approval
- Taking the bad with the good
- Recruitment and legal questions from everywhere
- Using the platform to change perceptions
- Comedy helps to defuse situations
- Ty’s rodeo adventures
- Few game wardens employing TikTok – so far
- “It’s amazing what people will put on social media”
- Helping other states make cases
- Conservation efforts have helped restore declining populations
- Snakes!
- A family of teachers
- Spotlighting poachers: right place, right time
- Larger platform has helped engage future game wardens
Credits
Hosts: Wayne Saunders and John Nores
Producer: Jay Ammann
Art & Design: Ashley Hannett
Content Coordinator: Stacey DesRoches
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