Today, the Safari sits down with Jay Pratte, the director of Miller Park Zoo. We talk about all kinds of cool stuff including a lion named Mr. Big, otter training, turning morale around at a zoo, and so much more! We also get into the Bear Care Group, an organization I'm very excited to introduce y'all to! EPISODE LINKS: https://www.bloomingtonparks.org/facilities/miller-park-zoo @millerparkzoo on socials bearcaregroup.org ROSSIFARI LINKS: rossifari.com patr...
Dateline: June , 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a story about mayflies! You're welcome! We then do a deep dive into the new EEHV vaccine that is being tested at the Houston Zoo! We then get into our births and deaths for the week including the first red panda cubs of the season at the Toronto Zoo, beaver kits at Buttonwood Park Zo...
Today, the Safari heads to Cheyenne Mountain Zoo in Colorado to speak to the associate veterinarian of the zoo, Dr. Lizzy Arnett-Chinn. We have an incredible far-ranging discussion about the unique challenges of being a zoo vet, how taking care of megafauna is an entirely different world from the rest of veterinary medicine, the amazing conservation work being done at Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and so much more! EPISODE LINKS: @cheyennemountainzoo on socials cheyennemountainzoo.org...
Dateline: June 14, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a quick follow up to last week’s deep dive, and I want your thoughts on this one! We then get into our births and deaths for the week a truly unnecessary and tragic loss. We then move on to our other Zoo News stories. We talk about the effect of guests throwing food to a...
Today, the Safari heads to the Lehigh Valley Zoo in Pennsylvania to celebrate their brand new red panda habitat! Join me as I visit the zoo on the very first day the pandas get to explore their new outdoor exhibit, listen in as I talk to Dr. Steve Marks all about his work as a zoo vet, the incredible pandas and habitat at the LVZoo, and his role on the new AZA SAFE Red Panda steering committee, and catch up with Dani DiMarco, a previous guest who shares her thoughts on the new pandas and the ...
Dateline: June 7, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a deep dive into the ongoing and troubling situation at the Natural Bridge Zoo, where transparency seems to be lacking even as the public moves on. We then get into our births and deaths for the week, including a special announcement from an on-the-scene reporter!We then move on to our other Zoo News stories.&nb...
Today, the Safari heads back to Greensboro for another lovely visit to the Greensboro Science Center! We sit down with Jessica Hoffman to discuss her unique career at the facility and also to dive into the newly published book she illustrated which helps support the AZA SAFE Andean Bear program! Check out the book here: https://shorturl.at/XKViy EPISODE LINKS: greensborosciencecenter.org @greesnborosciencecenter ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossif...
Dateline: May 31, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a deep dive into a recent paper that was published looking at the effects of zoo and aquarium visits on attitudes and actions towards conservation.We then get into our births and deaths for the week, shared in a new way. Please let me know what you think! We then move on to our other Zoo News stories. We talk ab...
Today, the Safari heads to Cleveland to sit down with elephant keeper Kristen Scaglione to talk all about...well, nothing to do with Cleveland or elephants! Instead, we talk all about the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK) Conference, which Kristen was the co-chair of last year. What goes into planning a conference? Running it? Why should YOU consider joining AAZK and attending a conference, even if you're not a zookeeper? These are just some of the questions answered in this week's e...
Dateline: May 24, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start off with a deep dive into my own experience of saying goodbye to the first animal I've actually helped take care of, an incredible penguin who lived at Aquarium of Niagara. We then get into a great interview with Dani Poirier-Larson about hand-rearing an owl chick from hatching on! We then get into our births for th...
Today, the Safari heads back to the North Carolina Zoo to look at yet another facet of the incredible work being done there...behind-the-scenes conservation work! In particular, this episode dives into the conservation work being done to help save salamanders, talking to Dustin Smith and Shaina Lambert all about the incredible jobs they are doing to help save salamander species, including by assisting with reproduction. The amount of thought that goes into every single decision is incredible,...
Dateline: May 17, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! We start with our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Point Defiance Zoo, Trentham Monkey Forest, the Wild Cat Conservation Centre, the Oregon Zoo, SeaLife Weymouth, and Cape May County Zoo.We say goodbye to some beloved animals at facilities including the Jacksonville Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, Columbus Zoo, The NEW Z...
Today, the Safari sits down with Dr. Jb Minter of the North Carolina Zoo! We talk about his incredible veterinary career, the transparency he provides on his Instagram and on Secrets of the Zoo, and the amazing in situ veterinary conservation work he does with elephants! There are some seriously crazy stories in this one, y'all! EPISODE LINKS: www.nczoo.org @nczoo on socials @dr.jbminterdvm on socials ROSSIFARI LINKS: @rossifari on socials @rossifaripod on T...
Dateline: May 10, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week involves a new hire at the Columbus Zoo and the ridiculous backlash it received on social media. The zoo, as always, did an amazing job handling it. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Beardsley Zoo, the Caldwell Zoo, the Staten Island Zoo, and the Lee Richardson Z...
Today, the Safari heads back to my favorite place (the San Diego Zoo) to sit down with one of my favorite people (Nicki Boyd) to talk about my favorite animal (red pandas)! We talk about the pandas that call the zoo home, the changes that have taken place at the zoo since her last appearance, and the incredible work being done by Red Panda Network to save the species in the wild! EPISODE LINKS: www.redpandanetwork.org www.sandiegozoo.org @redpandanetwork @sandiegozoo&...
Dateline: May 3, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week involves another viral video, but one that didn't create as much of a stink as some of the other ones we've talked about lately! Woodland Park Zoo handled the whole thing beautifully, which I love to see. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at the Dallas Zoo, the Birmi...
Today, the Safari sits down with Sean McNicholas, the CEO of the SSA Group, a company that is impacting zoos and aquariums all around the country and beyond. The SSA Group works to improve the guest experience at these facilities by focusing on gift shops, dining, ticketing, and more! Binturong Conservation Fundraiser Links: @ABConservation on Instagramhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61558416370443 - Link to the Fundraiser abconservation.org EPISODE LINKS: @thessagroup ...
Today the Safari heads to Scotland to talk all things binturong with Kirsty MacDonald! Kirsty is a zookeeper who is currently hosting an incredible fundraiser for ABConservation, the binturong conservation organization! We talk all about Kirsty's job as a zookeeper, the two binturongs who inspired her to start this fundraiser, what makes bints so unique, and so much more! Follow the links below to participate in the fund raiser! LINKS: @ABConservation on Instagramhttps://www.faceboo...
Dateline: April 26, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness! Our Headline Story of the Week is a follow up about the San Francisco Bonus Episode last week, including a discussion of some follow ups and a big announcement from the zoo about panda bears. We then get to our births for the week, which include exciting additions at Busch Gardens with some amazing help, the Nashville Zoo, Pue...
Today, the Safari heads back to Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, MA, to bring back our most featured guest, and the occasional co-host of the podcast, Dani Poirier Larson! We spent the day together before the interview, and we talk all about the training I was able to be part of with the birds at Southwick's Zoo! We also start off the interview with a lot of quite goofy friendship stuff. This one is a blast from start to finish! EPISODE LINKS: southwickszoo.com @southwickszoo @d...