Episodes
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Charles and Jon talk with Rodney Jackson the director of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, who is widely considered the leading world expert on the snow leopard, having devoted over forty years to researching and conserving this elusive cat in South and Central Asia.
In a wide-ranging chat Rodney describes his journey from a young boy looking for wildlife around his Harare home to the mountains of Nepal and embarking on a lifetime's quest to study one of the world's most enigmatic cats. He describes the difficulty in even seeing a cat in those early years and discusses the vital role well-managed community-based ecotourism is now playing in protecting them. He also describes many of his adventures along the way including perilous hikes and mysterious shamans.For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Rodney mentioned Adam Riley's photos of a Snow Leopard hunt from Hemis National Park in 2013 which you can see here.
There are dozens of trip reports on mammalwatching that feature Snow Leopard sightings. Check out the India, China and Mongolia pages in particular.
Charles talks about the latest bioluminescent mammal that was revealed in this post while Jon talked about this piece he and Charles wrote for the conservation news site Mongabay.
Cover art: Rodney and Snow Leopard, Darla Hillard
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon chat with two Bangkok-based mammalwatchers, Alexander Coke Smith and Jirayu 'Tour' Ekkul.
Coke, an American, moved to Thailand a decade ago. He has travelled extensively and many mammalwatchers will be familiar with his superb photos and trip reports. Tour, a Thai citizen, began running trips in the Gulf of Thailand in 2012 to watch the resident Eden's Whales. His company, Wild Encounter Thailand, has grown to offer birding and mammalwatching trips across Thailand and beyond.
We talk about the rapid growth of ecotourism in Thailand and ask what that means for conservation, before discussing Thailand's mammalwatching potential in largely unexplored areas. Coke remembers an epic adventure across the Gobi desert in China in search of Bactrian Camels. And Tour describes a strange dolphin - with a very long-beak - from the Andaman Sea which, if indeed a new species, might be named 'Delphinus pinocchioensis'.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: There are many trip reports on mammalwatching's Thailand page.
Coke's report from his trip into China's Xinjiang autonomous region in search of wild camels is here.
Cover art: Eden's Whales feeding off of Bangkok, Coke Smith.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Missing episodes?
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Charles and Jon talk to Fernando Tortato from his home in Cuiaba in Brazil's Pantanal. Fernando is Brazil Conservation Program Coordinator for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization.
Dr Tortato talks about his work researching and championing the rapidly growing Jaguar tourism industry in Brazil. Twenty five years ago it was very difficult to see a wild Jaguar anywhere. Today some of the Pantanal lodges offer 'Jaguar Express Trips' that pretty much guarantee a Jaguar sighting before lunch.
In a fascinating interview he talks about trying to balance the intersection of economics, conservation and cultural values when working with local communities and cattle ranchers and the parallels with Chile's growing Puma tourism.
We also learn what it feels like to be charged by an angry Jaguar who blames you for wrecking his chances for romance.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: You can see Fernando's impressive list of publications here. And here is a recent interview with him about his work from the Pew Charitable Trusts.
There are dozens of reports on seeing Jaguars in the Pantal on mammalwatching.com's Brazil page.
Cover art: Jaguars, Sebastian Kennerknecht
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon are joined from South Africa by Rod Cassidy who runs world famous Sangha Lodge in the Central African Republic. A true mammalwatching nirvana.
Rod talks about his early career as a bird guide and conservation researcher including his entry for the Darwin Awards during an ill-fated attempt bat collection expedition. He talks about the importance for conservation of the work he and his wife Tamar are doing in the Central African Republic and some of the spectacular mammals they regularly encounter including huge gatherings of Forest Elephants in Sangha Bai, Lowland Gorillas, pangolins and Bongos.
Rod also talks about the very real challenges of persuading people to visit such a remote area and the importance of getting bums in beds to protect one of the last great strongholds of the Congo basin.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: The Sangha Lodge website has more information about the lodge and how to visit.
Jon's 2011 and Charles's 2018 trip reports from Dzanga-Sangha National Park are among those on mammalwatching.com.
Jon's trip report from the Azores will appear here in September 2024.
Cover art: Non-habituated Lowland Gorilla, Dzanga-Sangha National Park, Jon Hall
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon are joined by Claudia Diaz, from Wild About Colombia, at her home in Bogota.
Claudia and Robin Smith founded Wild About Colombia in 2017 and the company quickly developed a reputation for high quality and adventurous mammalwatching trips.
Claudia talks about a career which has taken her from marine biology in Mexico's Gulf of California back to her native Colombia, via studying conservation in the UK. She describes her passion for involving local communities in ecotourism and runs through some of the particular difficulties she and Rob faced in bringing not just ecotourism, but mammal tourism, to a country emerging from 60 years of conflict. From navigating travel insurance company red zones to trying to persuade birding guides that some clients prefer to walk past megabirds (some clients like Jon for example), she describes a challenging but rewarding journey through an extraordinary country.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: There are several trip reports featuring Wild About Colombia on mammalwatching.com including reports from Jane Kempler, Venkat Sankar and Jon.
Charles talked about a New York Times article on freeze dried bats which is here (though it is behind a firewall).
Cover art: Claudia Diaz.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to Dr Barbara Taylor (USA) and Dr Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho (Mexico), who together lead the global efforts to save the Vaquita from extinction.
The Vaquita, a tiny and beautiful porpoise, is found only at the top of the Gulf of California and holds the unfortunate distinction of being the world's rarest marine mammal (possibly the rarest of any mammal species). There may be as few as 6 animals left alive.
The story of the Vaquita's precipitous decline from its discovery in 1958 is as tragic as it is complex. In a fascinating conversation we learn about the Vaquita's biology and how gillnetting has driven the species to the very edge of extinction. We also discuss why illegal fishing - fueled by organized crime and a demand in East Asia for the swim bladder of the Totoaba fish - is so difficult to prevent. But Barb and Lorenzo offer some optimism for the future: there may be more Vaquitas hiding in the Gulf of California and it is not to late to save the species.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: There is a lot more information online.
Viva Vaquita is a coalition of scientists, educators and conservationists who strive to increase attention on the Vaquita. They host an International Vaquita Day every year to update folks on the latest situation.
There are several documentaries about the Vaquita story including Sea of Shadows which you can find here https://www.vaquitacpr.org
The IUCN's Cetacean Specialist Group website has all recent Vaquita survey reports (with 2024 coming soon) as well as reports from the recovery team (CIRVA).
If you would like to help save the Vaquita you can donate money to - or volunteer to join - Sea Shepherd the conservation society who are doing very important work in the Gulf of Mexico to help tackle the illegal fishing that is killing the species.
If you want to check whether the seafood you eat is sustainable then you can visit Seafood Watch even if they do not as yet carry information about the fisheries that most impact the Vaquita.
Jon's report on joining the 2024 Vaquita Survey with Barb and Lorenzo is here.
Finally here is the Guardian article on the 6 million antelope migration in South Sudan that Charles mentions at the start.
Cover art: Barb, Lorenzo and a model Vaquita with Consag Rock in the background.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to Australian author, broadcaster and wildlife nut Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG) from his home in California.
BTG has an extraordinary CV: he was a paratrooper and cartoonist before becoming a successful author and broadcaster. In between he found time to win the French Polynesian Rock Lifting Championship, graduate from the Russian Cosmonaut Space Program, spend 6 years working on Brown Bears in Alaska and still practice on his ukulele. And he devotes considerable energy to supporting conservation work around the world. As you might imagine we had plenty to talk about.
In an entertaining hour Bradley talks about some of his formative experiences with wildlife as a child living around the world, his research work with the enormous Brown Bears of Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, and some of the many painful encounters he has had with wildlife along the way. He has plenty of useful advice that every mammalwatcher needs to hear. For instance you will learn what not to wear if you don't want a flying fox to ejaculate into your ear, and what not to do if it happens anyway.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: read BTG's Wikipedia page and you will almost certainly be familiar with some of his work. From his 'The Blue Day Book' to the (really very lovely) Penguin Bloom book and movie on Netflix. He provided several of the voices on Finding Nemo and his new show Queer Planet launched on Peacock in June 2024. You can follow him on Instagram @Tasmanian_Grizzly
Cover Art: BTG (Stacey Lorraine).
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to conservationist Bill Robichaud, best known for his work to protect what many would argue is the world's most enigmatic mammal: the Saola.
Saolas - a beautifully marked 100kg bovid - are often referred to as the 'Asian Unicorn' because of their scimitar-like horns and rarity. The species, first discovered by scientists in 1992 in the mountains of Vietnam, is one of the most stunning zoological discoveries of the past 100 years. Bill has dedicated his career to trying to learn more about - and protect - them, including helping to set up the IUCN's Saola Working Group and the Saola Foundation.
In a fascinating conversation he talks about how the species was first discovered, and the handful of live animals that have been seen since. He offers hope for the species' survival and what more might be done to save them from extinction.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: There are plenty of interviews with Bill online including this video of a talk he made in 2015.
Before talking to Bill we had a chat with fellow mammalwatcher Greg Easton, who has submitted several trip reports over the years including this guide to the mammals of Yellowstone.
Cover Art: Saola.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
Charles and Jon open Season 3 of the podcast from the jungles of the Ivory Coast, before talking to Peter Kaestner, the world's most accomplished birder.
In February 2024 Peter became the first person ever to see 10,000 bird species, though, as we hear at the very end of the episode, the climax of his record came with more plot twists than a Hitchcock movie.
Peter talks about his fiercely competitive family, and his older brother Hank's pivotal role in starting a lifelong love of birding. He explains how he chose a career that would best support his birding. And that luck - and lucky stones - have played a role in getting him to his 10,000th bird.
NB. We recorded the interview in late January before Peter had broken the record. He joined us again in late March to provide the update at the very end of this episode.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: There has been a great deal of coverage of Peter's record and the intrigue around it.
On the record itself: The New York Times: With an Orange-Tufted Spiderhunter, Birder Breaks Record for Sightings, while the American Birding Association published a piece by Peter in January on his plans to reach 10,000 birds.
And on the the intrigue: The Guardian How birdwatching's biggest record threw its online community into chaos, and this is the lively thread on Birdforum that Peter referred to. Plus an entertaining Tiktok video from Aerithgirl outlining the story of Peter Kaestner's 10,000th bird and Jason Mann's claim. 3 million views and counting!
Jon and Charles have already both written reports on their Ivory Coast trip.
Cover Art: Peter (left) and Hank Kaestner with a 'lucky stone'.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries. -
In the season finale to Season 2 of the podcast, Charles and Jon talk to the founder of Cat Expeditions - camera trap virtuoso and feline aficionado - Sebastian Kennerknecht from his home in California.
Sebastian explains how his passions for wildlife and photography were formed and talks about the powerful role photography can play in conservation. He shares fascinating stories that demonstrate both his dedication to - and the skills behind - camera trapping. And we hear about some of his many adventures while photographing 31 of the world's cat species: from almost treading on a Snow Leopard in Kyrgyzstan to almost being trodden on by an elephant in Gabon!
The mammalwatching podcast will return in the spring of 2024. The first episode features Peter Kaestner, who just saw his record breaking 10,000th bird species.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Sebastian's tour company Cat Expeditions, has produced several reports featuring his superb photos (a selection of reports are here). Meanwhile here is Jon's report on looking for - but not finding - Snow Leopards in Kyrgyzstan.
The answer to the mystery mammal call from Episode 22 is revealed at the start of the episode. Many thanks to Chris Scharf for sending in the recording. His podcast episode is well worth a listen! And thank you to everyone who took the time to guess. Some of the entries arrived after we had recorded the episode so sorry if we didn't mention you.
Cover Art: Sebastian in the field.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon meet conservation legend and primatologist Patricia Wright.
Dr Wright is most famous for her work in Madagascar, including her discovery of the Golden Bamboo Lemur. She is Founder and Executive Director of Stony Brook University Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, and Founder and Executive Director of the Centre ValBio, a research and training center in Ranomafana, Madagascar. Some of her many achievements during a very distinguished career include being the first woman to win the Indianapolis Prize (the 'Nobel Prize for Conservation'), won a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Award) and had three medals of honor from the Malagasy government.
During a fascinating chat we learn how a chance encounter with a night (owl) monkey in a Brooklyn pet store changed the course of Patricia's life from New York social worker to primatologist. She describes the thrill of discovering a new species - the Golden Bamboo Lemur - in 1986, and the daunting challenge of trying to establish its habitat as a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ranomafana National Park.
Patricia explains why she feels it is so important to get local people involved in conservation: the 'jigsaw puzzle' of an integrated approach. And how the community in Ranomafana were ready to support its protection in exchange for better access to health care, education and ... soccer balls!
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Patricia Wright has published over 200 scientific papers, authored four books and has given hundreds of lectures around the world. Her work has been featured by the media many times, including in the award winning documentary "Island of Lemurs: Madagascar" narrated by Morgan Freeman; David Attenborough's Life of Mammals; and Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.
There are some great trip reports from Madagascar up on mammalwatching.com. The island is, in our opinion, one of the world's great mammalwatching destinations.
Cover Art: Patricia Wright and Coquerel's Sifakas. Photo by Noel Rowe.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to conservationist and tapir champion Dr Patricia Medici from her home in Brazil's Pantanal.
Patricia is a founding member of the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (Institute for Ecological Research), a Brazilian non-governmental organization which she helped set up in 1992. She also chairs the IUCN's Special Survival Commission Tapir Specialist Group, a network of over 130 tapir conservationists from 27 different countries.
We talk with Patricia about her work and the threats the different tapir species face. She explains how her professional career took a sharp turn towards conservation after meeting Brazil's most boring architect, and she describes the difficulties in working with a 300kg animal, particularly if you find yourself in a pitfall trap with a Lowland Tapir that is regaining consciousness.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: If you are inspired to donate to Patricia's NGO - the I.P.E. - then click here.
Jon's latest trip report will soon be available on the Chile and Argentina pages.
Cover Art: Patricia Medici at work.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon meet Connor Burgin a PhD student working on mammalian systematics at the University of New Mexico. As a young boy Connor was fascinated by Wikipedia's list of dinosaurs. His fascination shifted to lists of present day fauna and at the age of twelve he began to create and update his own list of the world's mammals which quickly became the state of art. His childhood project turned into the American Society of Mammalogists' Mammal Diversity Database, which is now widely regarded as the most uptodate and authoratative list of the world's 6500 living mammal species. Connor's taxonomy was also used by Lynx Nature Book in their seminal Illustrated Checklist of the World's Mammals (2020) and All the Mammals of the World (2023).
Taxonomy is as much art as science: if you laid all the world's taxonomists end to end you still wouldn't reach a conclusion. So Connor explains the challenges of decision-making when it comes to some of the most controversial issues to hit the mammalwatching world: when to split and lump a species and how to treat domestic animals? Plus Jon is seriously impressed with Connor's choice of the mammal species he mosts wants to see!
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: If you have suggestions on where mammalwatchers can submit interesting records that can benefit science please write to [email protected] and we will include them in the notes. INaturalist is the most obvious places to start as well as IGoTerra and your local museum or university biology department. Here is a video from Valentin Moser with more information.
Jon's reports should appear soon from his 2023 trips to Chile and Argentina.
Cover art: All the Mammals of the World, Lynx Publishing.
Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to the legendary John Newby about his 50 years in Chad and Niger working to save some of the rarest antelopes in the world. This is a fascinating story, which begins in the 1970s when John recalls seeing vast herds of Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle in the Sahara. Yet 15 years later these species had reached the edge of extinction. A warning on how quickly things can change. But this is also a story of hope and of nature's resilience when it is is given a chance: thanks to the work of John and his colleagues at Sahara Conservation these iconic antelope - the "children of Chad" - are living wild there once again.
Here is the YouTube trailer.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Read more here about the work of Sahara Conservation. Jon's trip report to Chad in 2023 is here.
Cover art: John Newby at work.Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to Professor Joel Berger from his home in Colorado. Joel has spent a lifetime studying 'extreme species in extreme places' as a senior scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and at Colorado State University and the University of Montana. He has worked on many mammals including Huemul in Chile, Musk Ox in Russia and Pronghorn in the USA. And he has focussed his work on some of the larger and unsung species that live in the world's deserts (of all types).
In an entertaining chat, Professor Berger talks about some of the many highlights in a distinguished career that has seen him a three time finalist for the Indianapolis Prize, receive a lifetime achievement recognition from the prestigious Aldo Leopold Conservation Award and be featured in the Archie comic! Some of his adventures over the years include being mistaken for a CIA agent - and put on trial - in the Russian arctic, being charged by multiple Moose, and dressing up as a Polar Bear to try to frighten Musk Oxen.
Here is the YouTube trailer
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Joel Berger has written several books, dozens of articles and won many awards. You can learn more about him - and his work - on his website. Jon's report from his latest California trip is here.
Cover art: Joel Berger discarding his Polar Bear Suit.Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries -
Charles and Jon are reunited with Carlos Bocos who inspired, designed and guided their hugely successful trip to West Papua in June 2023. From Long-beaked Echidnas to Long-fingered Trioks, we talk about the incredible mammalwatching on New Guinea, the extraordinary local communities who helped us along the way, and a death-defying BASE jumping Ground Cuscus.
Here is the YouTube trailer.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Here is Jon's trip report from West Papua. Page 22 of the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group's Gnunewsletter has the article that Charles mentioned at the start of the podcast: using Dromedary Camel patrols to search for the last few Addax in the remotest areas of Niger. And S3 E48 of Charley Hesse's Naturally Adventurous podcast, where he talks mammalwatching with Charles and Jon, is here.
Cover art: Western Long-beaked Echidna, Jon HallDr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to Luke Hunter, the director of the Big Cat Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society and one of the world's leading experts on wild carnivore conservation. Luke discusses his work to protect Lions in west and central Africa, the reintroduction of Cheetahs in India, and a tragic story of Cheetah conservation in Iran. We also talk about the growing potential of wild cat eco-tourism around the world and how giving a child a set of toy zoo animals can spark a lifetime of mammal research (or mammalwatching in Jon's case).
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Luke has written hundreds of articles and eight books including Carnivores of the World which - we believe - every mammalwatcher should have in their library. Here's an article about the Cheetah researchers who are imprisoned in Iran.
Cover art: Luke Hunter at workDr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon chat with Harriet Kemigisha - founder of Harrier Tours - from her home in western Uganda.
Harriet talks about a life that has taken her from a young village girl exploring the forest with her grandfather on hunting trips, to the founder of a successful wildlife tour company. She recounts her rediscovery of the Green-breasted Pitta in Kibale National Park when she was a ranger in 2005. And she describes how she figured out a strategy to see an African Golden Cat, one of Africa's most secretive and sought-after animals, with the help of her grandfather's friend Kaheru, a man she once arrested.
Here is the YouTube trailer.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: there are several recent reports of successful mammalwatching trips across Uganda with Harrier Tours on mammalwatching.com including this one from Alex and Tomer (podcast S1E13 aka The Hard Boys) and this one from Jon Hall.
Cover art: Harriet, Jens Hauser. The camera trap footage in the Youtube video is courtesy of Wise Birding Holidays.Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk with Brendan and Dan Nugent - Australian mammalwatching newcomers - about their recent expedition to Chad with Jon. They talk about the other-worldly scenery of the Ended Massif; the Dama Gazelles of Ouadi-Rimé - "the most beautiful things they have ever never heard of"; and a safari on steroids in Zakouma National Park, including being in the middle of tens of millions of Red-billed Quelea (yes, birds!). Plus Brendan explains how ear plugs can help you survive the horrors of a pit toilet.
Here is the YouTube trailer.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Brendan, Dan and Jon travelled to Chad with Pictus Safaris. Jon's trip report will very shortly be up at https://www.mammalwatching.com/gd_place/chad/. You can add you cat and primate lists here.
Cover art: Dama Gazelle, Jon Hall.Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries. -
Charles and Jon talk to Whitley Award-winning conservationist Arnaud Desbiez, from his home in the Brazilian Pantanal. Since 2010, Arnaud and his team have been studying one of the planet's most iconic and secretive animals: the Giant Armadillo. Very little was known about this magnificent mammal before their work began and the more the project uncovers the more we understand just how important a role this species plays in the ecosystems it inhabits. Arnaud talks about the challenges both Giant Armadillos - and Giant Armadillo researchers - face. We learn about Giant Armadillos dedication as parents, their longevity and why their burrows have earned the nickname "Hotel Armadillo".
Here is the YouTube trailer.
For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast
Notes: Hotel Armadillo, an episode in the BBC's Natural World series, featured Arnaud's research on the armadillos. Here is more information on Arnaud's other project: Giant Anteaters & Highways. And this is a report of Jon's 2013 trip when he first met Arnaud, Isobel and Daisy.
Baias das Pedras, the beautiful hotel & fazenda that is the Giant Armadillo research base camp now have their own website. You can also arrange to visit there through local guides like Regina Ribeiro, who was a guest on this podcast in 2022 (S1 E20).
Cover art: Arnaud and a Giant Armadillo.Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.
Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.
Produced and edited by Charles Foley. - Show more
