Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: May 1, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with exciting news about a potential trip to Ecuador we could all take together to help save sea turtles! Our headline story is a follow up to last week's Sloth World story. Then it's time for Zoo News stories from Central Florida Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Lehigh Valley Zoo, Akron Zoo, Henry Vilas Zoo, The Calgary Zoo, Cleveland Metroparks Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, Zoo Atlanta, Wildlife World Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, Zoo Knoxville, and more! All that and Animal Holidays! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to the National Zoo in Washington, D.C., to talk to a keeper of some of my favorite animals there, the binturongs Hank and Lola. Oh, and also tigers, lions, bears, and a bunch of other animals! We talk about how a good leader can make all the difference in a career in the zoo world, the individual personalities of many of the animals at the zoo, and so much more! EPISODE LINKS: @smithsonianzoo nationalzoo.si.edu ROSSIFARI LINKS: Rossifari.com Patreon.com/Rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: April 24, 2026. Today, the Safari does a deep dive into Sloth World, a roadside zoo possibly opening soon in Orlando. 31 sloths (at a minimum) have died so far for this tourist trap, and it's not going to get better unless it is gone. We talk about how you can help make that happen. EPISODE LINKS: Rossifari.com @rossifari @rossifaripod on TikTok Patreon.com/rossifari

Today, the Safari visits Mystic Aquarium to talk to the chair and vice-chair of the AZA Accreditation Committee. What does accreditation mean? What does it look like? What happens when an AZA-accredited facility is accused of not living up to the gold-standard that AZA accreditation represents? Can accreditation be revoked? Can special circumstances be accounted for from facility to facility? We ask all this and more! EPISODE LINKS: mysticaquarium.org @mysticaquarium @bronxzoo bronxzoo.com @zoos_aquariums aza.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: Rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: April 17, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a quick life update, including sending love to our buddy Taylor as he gets married this weekend! Our headline story is an Other News interview with Dani Larson about the submarine bird! Then it's time for Zoo News stories from Cincinnati Zoo, Chester Zoo, Dallas Zoo, San Diego Zoo, John Ball Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, Prospect Park Zoo, Denver Zoo, New Zoo, and a look at the aquariums vying for top billing in this year's Top Ten Aquarium poll from USA Today. Conservation News stories include bad news for mountain lions and good news for rhinos and Amur tigers. All that and Animal Holidays! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari sits down with Grayson Ponti of ZANE and Kari Hart of the AZA to discuss accessibility. This episode is dropping during Autism Acceptance Month, and is a great way to look at the neurodiversity that is so common in the zoo and aquarium fields. EPISODE LINKS: zanezoo.com @zane_zoosandaquariums on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari @rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: April 10, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off discussing the current crazy trip I'm on, including a visit to Emily the elephant! Our headline story comes at the end, and is an attempt at a balanced look at the Plumes Official account. Then it's time for Zoo News stories from Cincinnati Zoo, St. Louis Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, Los Angeles Zoo, the Jacksonville Zoo, SeaLife Sydney, Greater Vancouver Zoo, Virginia Zoo, National Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Henry Doorly Zoo, San Francisco Zoo, ZooAmerica, and more. Conservation News stories include good pangolin news, a crazy story about stopped smugglers, and the uplisting of two beloved species. Other News has a look at Plumes Official and playing music for animals. All that and Animal Holidays! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari takes you to Cincinnati to hang out with us as we attend the joint ABMA/IAATE Conference! We talk about our zoo visits, goof around in a hotel room, make dumb jokes, and also dive into a lot of the training discussions that spoke to us all. EPISODE LINKS: @theabma theabma.org @_iaate_ iaate.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari

Dateline: April 3, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off discussing the crazy trip I've been on. Our headline story is a deep look at how governments can affect zoos and aquariums featuring a lot of information about Capron Park Zoo. Then it's time for Zoo News stories from the Philadelphia Zoo, Elmwood Park Zoo, EAZA, and more. Conservation News stories include a a look at how governments can affect conservation work in a variety of ways good and bad, and some exciting news for a few different bird species! All that and Animal Holidays! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to Wildlife World Zoo to catch up with our dear friend Delaney. We discuss her new role as the face of the zoo's social media, what she has learned in the role, and so much more. Of course, we also talk about the amazing animals she takes care of, catch up on what's going on with the crew at Shipwreck Cove, and get into a fight or two. EPISODE LINKS: @wildlifeworldzoo on socials wildlifeworld.com ROSSIFARI LINKS: Rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari reports on all we experienced at the AZA Midyear meeting. From presenting for SAFE Red Panda and SAFE Tree Kangaroo to discussing some of the panels we attended to being shocked about live karaoke at the ice breaker, there's a lot to cover! ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari engages in a PODSWAP! This is my episode with Rick Schwartz, formerly of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance, and now an independent wildlife educator and podcaster! Catch up with Rick to find out what led to this career change, what the future may hold, and so much more! Truly an inspiring guest! EPISODE LINKS: @zoologyrick @animalsnatureandyou zoologyrick.com ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com @rossifari @rossifaripod on TikTok Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

Dateline: March 20, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off discussing the trip I'm currently on, what it means for the next few weeks of the pod, the movie Hoppers, and more! Then we do a deep dive into the Top Ten Zoos in the Country, according to USA Today. We look at additional topics of interest including Top Ten Zoo Memberships, Top Ten Zoo Exhibits, and Top Ten Wildlife Safari Parks. We also discuss some new tactics that are out there to confuse people about zoos and aquariums or to just flat-out make them look bad. Finally, we discuss my concern about the penguins and rocks from last week, and hit some animal holidays! ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads to Topeka for a fun chat with Shanna Simpson, curator and safety aficionado! We talk about a large range of topics pertaining to her career, from orca and dolphin training to inspiring her daughter to follow in her footsteps, and so much more! EPISODE LINKS: @topekazoo on socials topekazoo.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

Dateline: March 13, 2026. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off discussing the trip I'll be heading out on this evening. LOTS of exciting content coming your way from it! Then it's time for Zoo News stories from the Wild Discovery Park, Saint Louis Zoo, Disney's Animal Kingdom, The Wilds, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Buffalo Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Turtle Back Zoo, North Carolina Zoo, Como Park Zoo, The Living Desert, Woodland Park Zoo, Dublin Zoo, and Edinburgh Zoo. Conservation News stories include a new conservation initiative in Pennsylvania, Avian Influenza's latest journey, another invasive herp visiting Florida, an awesome story from SANCCOB, and a look at an ambitious rewilding project in Saudi Arabia. Other News features three completely ridiculous and over the top stories. ROSSIFARI LINKS: patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to the Millbrook School to visit the Trevor-Lovejoy Zoo! This episode contains three mini-interviews (minterviews)...one with Max, one of the head student curators at the zoo...one with Lucy, Celina, and Evelyn, three students who traveled half way around the world to attend a boarding school with a zoo...and one with Dr. Alan Tousignant, the Director of the zoo, in which he walks us through the Master Plan for the next phase of awesomeness at the zoo! EPISODE LINKS: @trevorzoo on socials https://www.millbrook.org/trevor-lovejoy-zoo-home ROSSIFARI LINKS: Rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

It's time for another special episode of Rossifari Zoo News. This week, I'm joined again by Dr. Natalia Reagan to discuss the bonobo situation at the Memphis Zoo, and I also talk about the Protecting Local Zoos Act. EPISODE LINKS: @natalia13reagan on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to Lehigh Valley Zoo to chat with educator Cassidy and hoofstock keeper Shawn! We talk training, favorite animals, and all kinds of good stuff. EPISODE LINKS: lvzoo.org @lvzoo ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

It's time for a Rossifari Zoo News Special Edition all about Punch the monkey! What kind of animal is he? What should we think about what we've seen from his home zoo? How are primatologists and conservationists looking at this story? We dive in deep with Dr. Natalia Reagan, a primatologist and comedian! EPISODE LINKS: @natalia13reagan on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari returns to Escondido, CA, for an incredible visit with Hillary Hankey! She's taken Avian Behavior International and changed it into a non-profit organization, Avian Behavior Conservancy...and we discuss what that change looks like and so many more incredible topics related to training, free-flight bird experiences, and so much more. Zoë jumps on to ask some deep questions as well! EPISODE LINKS: @avianbehavior on socials avian-behavior.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on TikTok rossifari.com Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod