Welcome to the thirtieth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode, Emma and Robi both share news about UK government legislation- one positive (the banning of insect-killing pesticides) and one negative (blocking beaver releases). Emma then talks about the coastal Vancouver sea wolves, while Robi mourns the loss of the extinct sea cow louse. Robi and Emma then both delve into a rewilding deep dive looking at the potential reintroduction of Eurasian Lynx to Britain.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
Welcome to the twenty-ninth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This week, Robi and Emma begin with some very exciting news - the global release of their feature length documentary "Rewilding a Nation" on WaterBear! (link to watch below). Robi provides an update on the decision to reclassify orca into different species and gives an ode to the recently extinct slender-billed curlew and Emma gives an overview of Scottish wildcat news.
Robi and Emma then talk about the recent illegal lynx releases to Scotland and end with global conservation stories in California. Emma talks about the impact of the wildfires on wildlife, while Robi shares some good news for Chinook salmon.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
Welcome to the twenty-eighth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This week, Robi and Emma join you from opposite sides of the world, with Emma in Nepal and Robi in South Africa. Emma recounts some of her exciting wildlife sightings, including the illusive sloth bear and Bengal Tiger. Emma later delves into tiger conservation in Nepal, with some positive news about community-led initiatives to protect and boost tiger populations. Robi talks about the rare spade-toothed whale and also delves into the importance of African leadership in the conservation sector, highlighting the need for African solutions to African problems, led by Africans. Robi ends by spotlighting some of South Africa's marine life, including the amazing diversity of sea birds he saw on a recent boat trip with friends.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
Welcome to the twenty-seventh episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast! Thanks for your patience in the gap between episodes.
This week, we share some lovely adventures with wild boar and badgers in graveyards when Robi and Emma met up in person. Robi then delves into deep taxonomy of orcas, unpacking the two new proposed species of this majestic cetacean. Emma talks about the bizarre leaf-veined slugs of New Zealand, spotlighting the wonderful pickle slug! Robi then talks about the connection and importance of his local patch and Emma shares some audio clips from the Restore Nature Now march. Robi then delves into the spread of golden jackals in Europe and Emma ends by talking about cancers in animals, including clams!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
Welcome to the twenty-sixth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This is a Rewilding Deep Dive episode, so we begin with some conservation news, followed by our species of the week, and then the Rewilding Deep Dive! For the species of the week, both hosts picked Aotearoan species, including the weird and wonderful kakapo parrot and the tuatara. Emma and Robi then get into the knitty details of pine marten reintroductions to the UK, sharing positive news of how pine martens are spreading across Britain, the importance of wildlife corridors and how pine martens could help native red squirrels.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twenty-fifth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This week we begin by sharing some quick nature and conservation news, and then onto the species of the week! This time, Robi talks about the fascinating brown hyenas and how they might (or might not) actually be living members of an extinct genus - taxonomy nerds, this one’s for you! Emma talks about the invasive American signal crayfish and how it’s come to dominate British waterways. For the local conservation story, the dynamic duo talk about community-based stories of people drawing inspiration from taking action for nature at the local scale, as well as delving into a recent fear-mongering article about great white sharks “allegedly” spotted in Ireland. For the global conservation story, the team tackle a bizarre proposal to kill 1.5 million barred owls in the USA, and then celebrate the amazing female rangers of the North Luangwa Valley.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twenty-fourth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This is the first of a new episode structure for the ZR podcast: most episodes will follow the normal structure - News, Species of the Week, Local Conservation Story, Global Conservation Story - but every other episode, we will be doing a “Deep Dive” into a potential species reintroduction! At the end of each “Deep Dive”, we will rank the species in question out of 10, and ask our lovely listeners on which species you’d like to hear more about on the next Deep Dive!
So for our news this week, we talk about the bizarre, slimy, jawless hagfish, and the discovery of tree-dwelling shrimp the size of a grain of sand! And for the deep dive, the dynamic duo delve into how European bison were almost completely eradicated from Europe, and how restoration efforts and careful breeding have allowed bison numbers to recover across the continent. Get ready for in-depth discussions on the numerous ecological benefits that bison provide, and look at how we can learn from African conservationists on how to manage metapopulations of megaherbivores.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twenty-third episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This week, for the news section, the dynamic duo got together to speak at a Pride Community Campfire that Emma hosted for the Avon Wildlife Trust, followed by a wonderful conversation about the innate queerness of nature featuring lesbian bonobos and elephant orgies … as you do!
For the species of the week, Robi pitches the majestic Iberian lynx and Emma puts forward the unusual whistling dogs of Asia, the dholes. For their UK conservation section, Robi and Emma delve into the recent story of “Panthera” genus DNA found wild in the UK, and whether this evidence is enough to prove that big cats are living wild in Britain. For the global conservation section, the pair talk about the Festival of Nature that celebrates action being taken for biodiversity.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twenty-second episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
We begin this episode with a poignant discussion of Emma’s attendance of the Funeral of Nature in Bath, and a more light-hearted discussion of Robi’s recent sightings of the rare bat hawks in the Okavango Delta! For our species of the week, the dynamic duo discuss the weird, cow-stomached hoatzins, and two new species of deer and anaconda described in South America! For the local conservation topic, the pair scrutinise the UK governments new bovine tuberculosis consultation - a policy which fails badgers, fails farmers and fails cattle. For the global conservation section, Emma and Robi discuss a recent workshop Robi attended in South Africa, looking at how AI and footprint tracking are being used in conservation, and then share stories about satellite tagging crocodiles, and Skywalker gibbons in Myanmar!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twenty-first episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
The dynamic duo shares some exciting updates about their recently released Rewilding A Nation documentary, Robi’s leopard research in Namibia and what the 2024 programme of the Avon Wildlife Trust’s Wildlife Champions project has in store! For species of the week, Emma and Robi chat about a sleath of new species discovered in 2023, as well as the African penguins of South Africa. They give some positive updates on new beaver releases in the UK, and the pair round off the episode in the festive spirit by talking about rewilding in Swedish Lapland!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twentieth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode, Robi talks about his MSc work in Namibia/South Africa, on a project comparing different methods for surveying for leopard density, and Emma speaks about her work supporting local communities taking action for nature in Avon! The hosts take a moment to reflect on key moments in nature and encourage you all to notice nature in your day to day lives. The dynamic duo then discuss the most recent State of Nature report and the decision of the UK government to approve the largest undeveloped oil field in the UK. They round off the evidence with positive updates for beaver rewilding in Britain and elephant conservation!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the nineteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode, the dynamic duo touch base as Robi embarks on an exciting new journey in Cape Town and Emma joins The Avon Wildlife Trust! For our species of the week, the pair chat about howler monkeys in Costa Rica and ejaculating beetles pollinating sexually-deceptive orchids. In the conservation section, Emma and Robi chat about human-wildlife conflict between leopards and people in Nepal being exacerbated by canine distemper virus, and Robi pitches a fascinating thought experiment about elephants and their natural predators.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the eighteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
This episode is recorded “in the field”, from Emma’s field site in New Quay, Wales! In the news section, we chat about the UK government’s miserable record on environmental laws and the biodiversity crises. For the species of the week, Emma talks about her current study species, the bottlenose dolphins, and Robi chats about the black storks he recently saw on a recent trip to northern Greece. For our conservation section, the dynamic duo discuss the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre (where Emma works), and two topics from India, the reintroduction of the cheetah to Kuno National Park and the Asiatic lions of the Gir Forest in Gujarat.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the seventeenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In our species of the week section, the gang chat about the weird and wonderful biofluorescent springhares of Southern Africa, and the obscure African finfoot! For our local conservation section the dynamic duo delve into the reintroduction of the European bison to the UK and uplifting nature legislation in the EU. For our global conservation section, Robi and Emma give an exciting update on their new rewilding documentary!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the sixteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode Robi and Emma give an update as to their own research (otter and mink spatial modelling for Robi, Galapagos tortoise parasite research for Emma), as well as discussing their recent expedition in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province. Continuing on this theme, the dynamic duo discuss wildlife management and reserve conservation in South Africa.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the fifteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
For the news section the dynamic duo talk about COP26, and whether it is going far enough to tackle the climate crisis and highlight a new species of shark. For the animals of the week, Emma discusses the bizarre and wonderful hog badger and Robi talks about the terrifying (and epic) potoo bird. For the conservation section, your hosts chat about the decision to withdraw one of the last two northern white rhinos from the breeding programme and about the growth of tuskless elephants in response to ivory poaching.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the fourteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode, Emma talks about the recent decision by the British Government to possibly give beavers native species status and legal protection, and Robi chats about some hope for tuna species despite dwindling populations of other marine species. For the animals of the week, the dynamic duo talk about the fearsome Nile crocodiles, predators half-made of time, and the bizarre reticulated sirens!. In the conservation section, the team explore research to make seeds more drought resistant by using organic materials and explore the possibility of recovering jaguar populations in the USA.
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the thirteenth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In this episode, our animals of the weeks include the shadowy short-eared dog and the cryptic little black tapir, which may or may not be a new species. The dynamic duo then delve deeper into some wider conservation stories, including a sad update about the status of vaquitas in Baha California and the newly discovered, yet already critically endangered Rice's Whale.
Shoutout to Wayne Gourlay for the suggestion of the short-eared dog!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the twelfth episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In episode 12, Robi and Emma reveal very exciting news - The Zoology Ramblings Podcast has been selected as one of Spotify’s 8 winners of the Next Wave Initiative! We are so thrilled to have been selected alongside 7 other amazing podcasts which cover some very important and pressing topics in our society today.
For the species of the week, Robi and Emma talk about their recent expedition down to Devon to try and film wild (illegal - but now free) beavers! For the conservation section, Robi covers the elusive and possible extinct white-eyed river martin of Thailand, whilst Emma talks about cicadas and their weird and wonderful life cycle!
Shoutout to listener Hayley for the recommendation to discuss cicadas!
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!
Welcome to the eleventh episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!
In episode 11, Robi and Emma ramble first about their species of the week: the enigmatic tayra of Central and South America, and the tiny monito del monte, a South American marsupial lost on a sea of time! Then for our global conservation section, the dynamic duo focus on zoonotic diseases and the lessons we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic on our relationship with the wild, and also highlight why the taxonomic classification of the African elephant really does, truly, matter. For our UK conservation topics, Emma talk about the very exciting reintroduction of beavers to Wales for the first time in 400 years and Robi talks about the fantastic white stork project and our recent interview with the wonderful conservationist and project manager of the white stork project Lucy Groves.
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720364494
https://oneworldonehealth.wcs.org/About-Us/Mission/The-Manhattan-Principles.aspx
https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zoonoses
Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!
Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Coordinator involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding.
You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife
To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!