Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: May 10, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week involves a new hire at the Columbus Zoo and the ridiculous backlash it received on social media. The zoo, as always, did an amazing job handling it. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Beardsley Zoo, the Caldwell Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo, and the Lee Richardson Zoo. We say goodbye to some beloved animals including Tonka the elephant at Zoo Knoxville, Tater Tot the paca at the Tulsa Zoo, Little Joe the gorilla at the St. Louis Zoo, Tuyaa the camel at Edmonton Valley Zoo, and a red panda named Scarlet who lived in the UK. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories. We discuss some Mother's Day options, an incredible conservation effort from Zoos Victoria, amazing new buildings at Zoo Boise and Zoo Dresden, and a shout out to Carnival Cruise Lines?!?!?!?!?! In Conservation News, we talk about a food company turning to conservation work, the cost of fireworks, more good news about sea turtle nesting, the death of a mountain lion, and some incredible births! In Other News, we talk about primate medicine and the NFL Draft! BINTURONG CONSERVATION LINKS: @ABConservation on Instagram https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416370443 - Link to the Fundraiser abconservation.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to my favorite place (the San Diego Zoo) to sit down with one of my favorite people (Nicki Boyd) to talk about my favorite animal (red pandas)! We talk about the pandas that call the zoo home, the changes that have taken place at the zoo since her last appearance, and the incredible work being done by Red Panda Network to save the species in the wild! EPISODE LINKS: www.redpandanetwork.org www.sandiegozoo.org @redpandanetwork @sandiegozoo ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

Dateline: May 3, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week involves another viral video, but one that didn't create as much of a stink as some of the other ones we've talked about lately! Woodland Park Zoo handled the whole thing beautifully, which I love to see. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at the Dallas Zoo, the Birmingham Zoo, the National Zoo in Australia, the Denver Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, and then a huge update on the red wolf pup population featuring births at the Museum of Life and Science, the North Carolina Zoo, and the Trevor Zoo! We say goodbye to some beloved animals including Betty the albino striped skunk at ZooAmerica and Sheldon, a North American river otter who lived at the Virginia Aquarium. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including information about the new giant pandas joining the San Diego Zoo, some amazing conservation work done by the Philadelphia Zoo, education programs at the Jacksonville Zoo, a hippo story worthy of a soap opera, incredible veterinary work being done at Sunset Zoo, conservation work by the Oakland Zoo, Aquarium of the Pacific and the Monterey Bay Aquarium teaming up to help sea otters in a unique way, a new (and exciting) animal at the National Aquarium, and a webcam that will make you very excited! We skip Conservation News this week because I'm exhausted and needed to for my mental health! In Other News, we talk about some animals that are pets but shouldn't be, and one that is a pet and should be! BINTURONG CONSERVATION LINKS: @ABConservation on Instagram https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416370443 - Link to the Fundraiser abconservation.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari sits down with Sean McNicholas, the CEO of the SSA Group, a company that is impacting zoos and aquariums all around the country and beyond. The SSA Group works to improve the guest experience at these facilities by focusing on gift shops, dining, ticketing, and more! Binturong Conservation Fundraiser Links: @ABConservation on Instagram https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416370443 - Link to the Fundraiser abconservation.org EPISODE LINKS: @thessagroup on socials thessagroup.com ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari

Today the Safari heads to Scotland to talk all things binturong with Kirsty MacDonald! Kirsty is a zookeeper who is currently hosting an incredible fundraiser for ABConservation, the binturong conservation organization! We talk all about Kirsty's job as a zookeeper, the two binturongs who inspired her to start this fundraiser, what makes bints so unique, and so much more! Follow the links below to participate in the fund raiser! LINKS: @ABConservation on Instagram https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416370443 - Link to the Fundraiser abconservation.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials Rossifari.com @rossifaripod on TikTok patreon.com/rossifari

Dateline: April 26, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is a follow up about the San Francisco Bonus Episode last week, including a discussion of some follow ups and a big announcement from the zoo about panda bears. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Busch Gardens with some amazing help, the Nashville Zoo, Pueblo Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo, the Dallas Zoo, the Memphis Zoo, Zoo Tampa, the Kansas City Zoo and Aquarium, Potawatomi Zoo, Chattanooga Zoo, a huge birth at Brevard Zoo, and the Cincinnati Zoo! We say goodbye to some beloved animals headlined by two wonderful red pandas that I loved dearly, Betsy and Scout. We also say goodbye to Karen, an ostrich at the Topeka Zoo, Fred the tegu at Capron Park Zoo, Scruffy the sun bear at the Honolulu Zoo, the oldest panda in Japan, and more. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including another opportunity to vote for some facilities you might love, a conservation success story from The Wilds, amazing stories about helping animals at Central Park Zoo and the Cincinnati Zoo, followups on the young lion that is getting help at Lincoln Park Zoo, the gorilla introductions at Cleveland, and the Miami SeaQuarium lease, and then a bunch of quick hits including stories from Rolling Hills Zoo, The Desert Museum, the Berlin Zoo, Brookfield Zoo, the Louisville Zoo, the Columbus Zoo, the Toronto Zoo, and the Tulsa Zoo. Then we end this section with a great example of transparency from Woodland Park Zoo. In Conservation News, we talk about an investigation into where plastic bags go when they get recycled, the lengths one country went to to stop a single invasive predator, a look at the current global coral bleaching event, and people being idiots with animals for social media credit. In Other News, we talk about coyotes and badgers being besties and an elephant on the loose. ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, MA, to bring back our most featured guest, and the occasional co-host of the podcast, Dani Poirier Larson! We spent the day together before the interview, and we talk all about the training I was able to be part of with the birds at Southwick's Zoo! We also start off the interview with a lot of quite goofy friendship stuff. This one is a blast from start to finish! EPISODE LINKS: southwickszoo.com @southwickszoo @danipoirier on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com

Today, Rossifari Zoo News is doing a special deep dive looking at the problems facing the San Francisco Zoo over the last few years, where a battle between the keeper staff and upper management seems to be coming to a head. Also, I'm getting a new puppy! ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari sits down with Anne and Heather of Roger Williams Park Zoo to talk about the new red panda habitat at the zoo, the new red pandas that call the zoo home, a little bit about red wolves, and so much more! You'll get to hear about what went into designing the exhibit so it is the best for the pandas, guests, and keepers, the personality traits of the two pandas that call the zoo home, and even a Poop Story that couldn't have happened without the new exhibit! EPISODE LINKS: @rwpzoo on socials rwpzoo.org @redpandanetwork redpandanetwork.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: April 12, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is actually a personal story about Logan, a dog I briefly fostered. Bring tissues. We start with our births for the week, which include exciting additions at The London Zoo, Hamerton Zoo Park, The Metro Richmond Zoo, Potawatomi Zoo, the Denver Zoo, the Akron Zoo, Zoo Tampa, the Memphis Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, and more! We say goodbye to some beloved animals headlined by two wonderful red pandas, Tilly and Burma, at Hertfordshire Zoo and Miller Park Zoo, respectively. We also say goodbye to incredible animals at the Cincinnati Zoo, Zoo Miami, and the NEW Zoo and Aquarium. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including an exciting pairing at Henry Vilas Zoo, an amazing dog helping in situ conservation work thanks to Woodland Park Zoo, the latest in panda diplomacy, platypus conservation at Taronga Western Plains Zoo, and a discussion about the eclipse and zoos. In Conservation News, we talk about another species getting avian influenza, a potential taxonomic change for orcas, my take on Molly the magpie, and why reptiles may be more charismatic than most people think! In Other News, we talk about defensive defecation! TO SIGN THE PETITION: https://aquariumconservation.salsalabs.org/notimetowaste/index.html ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads to Asheville, NC, for our first visit to the WNC Nature Center! This is a special facility that I've been excited to visit for a LONG time, and I'm so grateful to finally have gotten there. Today, I bring you my interview with Tori Duval, who has an incredible story about creating a program at the zoo and helping to grow it into an incredibly successful...and unique...conservation education program. Of course, we also talk about red pandas! EPISODE LINKS: wildlifewnc.org @wncnaturecenter ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com

Dateline: April 5, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is a deep dive into AI art, animals, and the temptation of zoos and other conservation organizations to start using this art...and what I think about that. We say goodbye to some beloved animals headlined by Luna, the oldest red panda in North America, known as the queen of red pandas. We also say goodbye to animals at Lincoln Park Zoo, the Louisville Zoo, the North Carolina Zoo, and Zoo Boise. We then move on to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Zoo Tampa, the Philadelphia Zoo, Beardsley Zoo, Whipsnade Zoo, Adventure Aquarium, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and the Oakland Zoo We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, discussing April Fool's jokes played by zoos on their social media pages, what zoos recently lost their bid for accreditation with the AZA, an amazing study about giraffe blood between Cheyenne Mountain Zoo and Brookfield Zoo, a big win for the Aquarium of Niagara, and so much more! In Conservation News, we talk about a hunting trophy ban causing trouble, Avian Influenza spreading to different species, the largest urban wildlife crossing ever, and the rewinding of a cheetah! In Other News, we have a follow up about Albert the alligator! TO RING THE FISH DOORBELL, VISIT: visedeurbel.nl ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads to the El Paso Zoo to talk to Beck Bradly about two incredible Asian elephants that called the zoo home for many years. The stories shared about Savannah and Juno will absolutely captivate you and make tug your heartstrings and fill you with joy and pain all at once! Beck is an incredible storyteller, and I loved having them on the podcast! EPISODE LINKS: elpasozoo.org @elpasozoo ROSSIFARI LINKS: Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod and get bonus audio from today's episode! Rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: March 29, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is a deep look at the necropsy of Flaco the owl. We then move on to our births for the week, which include a cotton top tamarin at Altina Wildlife Park, a sloth at Brevard Zoo, a Eurasian Eagle Owl at the National Aviary in Pittsburgh, a lemur at the Duke Lemur Center, a very rare animal born at the Nashville Zoo, a log developing a small lump on it at ZooMiami, and more! We say goodbye to some beloved animals at the Memphis Zoo, Alaska Zoo, Brandywine Zoo, Greensboro Science Center, Columbus Zoo, and more. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including the new red panda habitat at Roger Williams Park Zoo, a story of amazing cooperation between the Fort Worth Zoo and Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, two important pregnancies at Brevard Zoo, the beginning of the end for a beloved animal at Woodland Park Zoo, and a deep and goofy dive into Punxsutawney Phil! Wait, really? In Conservation News, we talk about fish in a few different stories, share a potential bad decision coming from the Nepali government, and talk about the Dutch fish doorbell! In Other News, we have a story about giant pandas! TO RING THE FISH DOORBELL, VISIT: visedeurbel.nl ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads to Montana (by way of Zoom) to sit down with Executive Director of ZooMontana Jeff Ewelt. Jeff has managed to turn ZooMontana into a premier AZA-accredited facility despite taking over when the zoo not only lost accreditation, but was on the verge of closing down. This is a story of how an incredible team can come together to change a facility in a short amount of time...but don't worry, we also talk about wolverines, red pandas, and some of the other incredible animals that call ZooMontana home! EPISODE LINKS: www.zoomontana.org @zoomontana on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com

Dateline: March 22, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is the release of the USA Today Top 10 lists for Best Zoo, Best Zoo Exhibit, and Best Safari Park! We then get back on track with our births and deaths. We have a whole bunch to cover, including a new okapi at the Dallas Zoo, twin blue eyed black lemurs at the Little Rock Zoo, two pelicans born at the Phoenix Zoo, a new baboon at the Oakland Zoo, a kiwi chick born at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a wolverine kit at ZooMontana, a little blue penguin at the Cincinnati Zoo, and more! In deaths, we say goodbye to a young red panda at Zoo Atlanta, a cheetah at Phoenix, a giraffe at Riverbanks Zoo, a river otter at the Detroit Zoo, and golden lion tamarin at Beardsley Zoo, and more. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including two really interesting studies, a Quarters for Conservation milestone for Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, new wildlife conservation programs from the Denver Zoo, March of the Penguin Madness, penguin acupuncture, training a gorilla on how to be a mom, the medical journey of a young lion at Lincoln Park Zoo, and much more! In Conservation News, we talk about two animal reintroductions, why speakers can help save coral, and another look at why conservation communication matters. In Other News, we share two alligator stories. ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari connects with two other podcasters filling different zoological niches with their podcasts: Chris Jenkins, the co-host of NEI's Tec Talk Podcast, which focuses on behavior and training, and Elizabeth Johnson, the host of Mothering Wildlife, which focuses on being a zoo mom or mother in other wildlife jobs! We talk all about our process, what inspired us to start the podcast, what having fans is like, our approach to guests, our process and gear used...it's a lot of fun chatting and comparing and contrasting our individual experiences! Make sure you subscribe to MOTHERING WILDLIFE and NEI TEC TALK wherever you listen to Rossifari! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod Rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: March 15, 2024. Today, Rossifari Zoo News is taking a look at three stories about times when something went wrong at a zoo. This isn't a discussion of what went wrong, but instead a look at what transparency should, and shouldn't, look like. I delve into social media, press releases, and more. For this episode, we look at the recent viral video of the silverback at the Fort Worth Zoo that got in with his keepers, discuss an incident involving a Komodo dragon at the Akron Zoo, and talk about a story that has crept back into the media recently that happened at Beardsley Zoo last year. ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok patreon.com/rossifari

Today, the Safari stays in Greensboro for an episode with lead keeper Laura Folla, who is here to talk all about the new fossa at the zoo, the incredible Javan gibbons there, and why you shouldn't sleep on the flamingos! You'll also get a real look into some interesting team dynamics and even learn what the name of my phone is! EPISODE LINKS: @greensborosciencecenter greensborosciencecenter.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod!

Dateline: March 8, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We yet again open with a big headline, this time diving into the announcement that Miami Seaquarium is being evicted. We then get back on track with our births and deaths. Births include emperor tamarin babies at the Dallas Zoo, fat tailed dunnarts at the Adelaide Zoo, chameleons at Fort Worth Zoo, some new North American river otters at the Edmonton Vally Zoo, a new elephant at the Toledo Zoo, and a porcupine at Zoo New England! We also say goodbye to an ostrich at Lehigh Valley Zoo, a Stellar sea lion at Mystic Aquarium, a gazelle at the Akron Zoo, and a very sad story about two hornbills at the Santa Fe Teaching Zoo. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories, including the AZA removing unpaid internships from its Jobs Board, a new animal coming to the Maryland Zoo, renovations to the former giant panda habitat at the Smithsonian's National Zoo, a medical treatment performed at Woodland Park Zoo, a whale found in the wrong place by the New England Aquarium, why primate escapes are more complex to deal with than other animal escapes, an adorable raccoon story from the Toronto Zoo, and so much more! In Conservation News, we talk about how sea otters are helping save California coastlines, a huge conservation victory in Florida, a huge and shocking illegal wildlife trafficking arrest, and more. In Other News, we talk about the pain of a platypus sting and why the Bellagio fountains had to shut down briefly this week! ROSSIFARI LINKS: www.rossifari.com patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok