Rewildology

In this episode, Brooke sits with Dillon Jones, a graduate student at San Diego State University who is studying the evolutionary history of herpetofauna in Middle America. (Quick definition: herpetofauna are reptiles and amphibians found in a particular region or time period, which you’ll soon learn more about). Dillon also uses social media as a powerful science communication tool and has reache...

Episode 37 guest, Charles van Rees, Ph. D., interviewed Brooke for an episode of the Nature Guys Podcast. They chat about big cats near and far. Enjoy this bonus conversation! Be sure to check out Nature Guys whenever you are done listening! https://natureguys.org/ If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Stotra Chakrabarti, PhD, Assistant Professor at Macalester College in Minnesota, USA. Stotra grew up in the Indian foothills of the Himalayas and spent his days watching elephants and leopards, and bringing home any injured animal he found, much to his mother’s dismay. His interest in wildlife ecology and conservation biology was cemented during a very immersive...

In this episode, Rewildology host, Brooke Mitchell-Norman, discusses an exciting and growing topic in the conservation world: Nature Based Solutions (NBS). She explores what NBS are and what they are not, looks at a couple of case studies that showcase the power of NBS, and shares how we can use our voices to bring NBS to our communities. If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Sam Trull, the Co-founder of The Sloth Institute in Manual Antonia, Costa Rica, and author of Sloth Love. Sam first fell in love with lemurs as a young girl, but after working at the Duke Lemur Center for 12 years and experiencing some life turmoil, she realized that working with animals in captivity was no longer fulfilling. She began traveling and worked in pri...

Today I’m chatting with Tiare Boyes. Tiare is a commercial fisherman, professional diver, underwater filmmaker, and artist. Tiare grew up on the coast of Vancouver, British Colombia in a fishing family, and I promise you that few people outside of her field understand ethical fishing better than she does. She’s been on the water pretty much since the day she was born. We dive deep (no pun intended...

Today I’m speaking with Drew Hamilton, professional bear guide and wildlife photographer. Drew has led bear tours in the Alaskan wilderness for two decades. Trust me, if experiencing an on-foot bear expedition is on your bucket list, you want to go with this man. Few people understand grizzlies’ – and other potentially dangerous wildlife – behavior better than Drew. And so when the proposed Pebble...

In this episode, Brooke has a chat with Bridgette San Marco, Co-Founder of Save the Giants. Bridgette is a zookeeper and absolutely fell in love with giant otters early in her career. She wanted to do more for wild otters and went on a search to find an organization working diligently to conserve the species. When she didn’t find one, she connected with other otter lovers and co-founded Save the G...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Kayla Cranston, PhD, Director of Conservation Psychology Strategy and Integration at Antioch University, New England. Kayla is a master at creating long-term conservation engagement using psychology. She shares many of her discoveries, the tools she uses when developing conservation strategies in communities, and so much more. If you’re working on your Masters, P...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Michael McFadden, reintroduction biologist and head of the Herpetofauna department at the Taronga Zoo in Sydney, Australia. For years, Michael has been rescuing, propagating, and reintroducing endangered amphibian and reptile species back into the Australian bush. His work is as rewarding as it is difficult, and he shares his many years of experience with us – al...

In this episode, we meet Devin Jaffe. Devin is a bird conservationist, the Founder of Nature’s Educators, a world-class raptor breeder, Master Falconer, and a musician. I have no idea how she successfully wears so many hats, but let me tell you what, she’s absolutely crushing them all. I learned so much from Devin and I hope you all will, too. This week’s question: For bird life in your area, what...

Michael grew up in the mountains of Colorado and while on a trip to Laos after college, saw elephant treatment that he couldn’t bear. He had previously been on several trips abroad working on various conservation programs and he wanted to start his own impactful project. So, he and his close friend partnered with locals Laotians to found Mandalao, a no-riding, sustainable elephant tourism experien...

Rinzin grew up in Humla, a remote and isolated mountain village in Western Nepal. He spent his childhood playing in nature with friends and skipping class as much as possible. When the Royal Massacre of 2001 sparked the Nepalese civil war, Rinzin’s parents decided to pack up and leave their tribal home for the capital city, Kathmandu. It was Rinzin’s first time in a city and he had a lot to learn....

In this episode, I’m speaking with Charles van Rees, PhD. Charles and I chat in-depth about the current water crisis and its effect on wildlife. We also talk about a huge paper he’s currently working on that might change the way we view and handle freshwater ecosystems. In his free-ish time, Charles is also a regular host on The Nature Guys Podcast, a super fun show all about getting outdoors and...

Born in Nigeria, Iroro grew up watching nature documentaries from all around the world, planting the seeds for her future love of biology. Her big breakthrough happened when she signed up for a research course in Uganda which was led by a UK organization. After years of searching, she finally found what she was looking for – hands-on biological research with bats. After her Master’s in the UK, Iro...

Content Warning: Some stories are graphic and may be difficult to listen to. In this episode, I’m chatting with Andre Robberts, the founder of Enviro Crime Solutions. Formally an IT corporate 9 to 5’er, Andre found his passion for wildlife crime forensics while volunteering at Kruger National Park during his summer holiday. Instead of washing cars and pushing papers, he was asked to carry a rifle...

Today I’m bringing you a special episode. This Thursday, July 29th, is International Tiger Day, a holiday dedicated to raising awareness about tiger conservation. To celebrate and contribute in the best way I know how, I want to share with you all a large chunk of what I’ve learned about tigers throughout my years of studying conservation biology, as well as my experiences traveling internationall...

In today’s episode, I’m chatting with Tehri Parker, Ph. D., Executive Director of Rocky Mountain Wild. Tehri grew up in the small town of Hygiene, Colorado, and was influenced by the 70s environmental movement and political artists like John Denver. When Tehri graduated from high school, she left her tiny town as quickly as possible and moved to California to study TV and broadcasting. She soon re...

Today’s guest, Carolina Powell, is the perfect combination of perseverance and determination. Being a first-generation Colombian-American, Carolina was raised by a single mother who immigrated to Miami, Florida, in the hopes of offering her daughter a better life. Like many of us in this field, Carolina first thought she was going to be a veterinarian until she worked with a vet whose values (or l...

In this episode, we meet Pedro Fruet, PhD. Surfing off of the coast of Casino Beach in Southern Brazil, Pedro encountered bottlenose dolphins for the first time and fell in love with the species. Casino Beach has a culture focused on ocean conservation, and every summer that his family visited the area, his love for the ocean grew. He later received his Ph. D. in Biological Oceanography, and with...

In this episode, I give you my top tips for planning a sustainable wedding and offer the lessons I learned while hosting my own conservation-minded wedding. If you’re liking the show, please hit the follow button and share with someone you think would enjoy this episode. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow! See full show notes at  rewildology.com . Discover more ways to watch, listen, an...

In this episode, I’m chatting with Jack Gradidge who is a Director for Dogs 4 Wildlife ( @Dogs4Wildlife ). Jack is a passionate rhino conservationist currently working with a breeding group of black rhinos in Wales, UK. His love for the natural world, and dedication to protect it, led him to form Dogs4Wildlife. This organization is awesome. They train anti-poaching dogs in the UK before deploying...

In this episode, I’m speaking with Kayla Fratt ( @collies.without.borders ), professional dog trainer, podcast host, blogger, entrepreneur, and founder of K9 Conservationists. In other words, she’s a total badass, independent woman making her way through this crazy field. Kayla does a fantastic job taking me through her journey that led her today, the different types of conservation dog jobs that...

In this episode of Rewildology, I’m chatting with Jeff Trollip ( @jeffsjungle ). Jeff was born in Scotland, raised in southern Africa, studied in the UK, and has spent his 20-year career guiding safaris all across Africa. Since he has traveled and met with so many people, he’s become very entrenched in the conservation scene and has some incredible stories about what he’s seen and done to restore...

Welcome to the finale of the Nepal: Coexisting with Giants series! On this episode, Beeju Poudyal from Nepal joins us to talk about conservation and human-elephant conflict in Nepal. Beeju gives some excellent insight into what the issues of human-elephant conflict in Nepal and what has been attempted to rectify it, as well as how the media often portrays elephants in an unfair light. Beeju also t...