In this episode, I resume my conversation with Ian Redmond, OBE, “a self-confessed gorillaholic who's been hooked for 40 years!” Ian is also known as Mandevu “the bearded one,” one of his African names.

In episode 15, we talked about the interconnectedness of life: how the elephant, chimpanzee and gorilla ‘gardeners of the forests’ of the Congo Basin are connected with a loaf of bread in England and - importantly - how local people can benefit financially from the ecosystem services of animals that are often regarded as a nuisance when wildlife tramples or eats their crops, or endangers human life. We also talked about Ian's role in the mountain gorilla story, working with his mentor Dr. Dian Fossey in Rwanda.

In part two, we discuss:

• The birth of a gorilla in captivity. What does its future look like?
• Western lowland gorillas and bonobos. What's the difference?
• Frustrating travel advisories!
• How safe is it to travel to Kahuzi Biega National Park in the DR Congo?
• Is there any conservation model as successful as gorilla tracking?
• “Primatologist's neck” - which phenomenon is Ian referring to here?
• And finally, will he reveal which great ape is his favourite? 

Welcome to my world! 

Tune in every week to The East Africa Travel Podcast for the dawn chorus, travel advice, chats with award-winning conservationists, safari guides, birders, lodge owners, and wacky guidebook writers.

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Some of the organisations Ian represents, include:

• Chair of Trustees, The Gorilla Organization
• Co-Founder, Rebalance Earth, which is developing a global ecosystems platform for valuing and funding a living nature to combat climate change, protect biodiversity and lift communities out of poverty
• Head of Conservation, Ecoflix the first not for profit global streaming platform dedicated to saving animals and the planet
• Senior Wildlife Consultant and Policy Adviser, Born Free Foundation
• Ambassador for the UN’s  Convention on Migratory Species 2010-2024
• Co-founder and former Envoy, UN-GRASP.org
• Founder and Chairman, Ape Alliance (linking 95 organisations)
• Fellow, Linnean Society, Royal Geographical Society and previously Zoological Society of London
• Ambassador and consultant, www.vEcotourism.org Connecting and empowering conservation projects by integrating state-of-the-art immersive digital technologies with traditional storytelling
• You can follow Ian Redmond OBE on YouTube, Facebook, Ian Redmond on X
• For inspiration from the natural world, follow #BrightenYourDay (on all social media)