Australian Wildlife Education: Wild Chats

The following episode is with Steven Gill from Gone Buggo and this episode I loved as it was different. It's different in the way Steve grabs peoples attention in order to educate about our amazing world of insects, creepy crawlies, and bugs. Steve's journey includes leggo and Katie Perry, yes the singer, and a humble way of life all for the goal of wildlife education.  I loved this chat...

Episode 50 is with my friend Brett Goodban and what a yarn it was. Starting his journey underwater, Brett started humbly washing dishes and doing jobs on the live aboard boats so that he could get his dive certifications. Eventually making a career as an underwater dive photographer and making friends with the creatures of the reef, Brett thought he had it all. It wasn't until he fell ill in...

Episode 49 is with Bill Collett, an Australian Naturalist, Wildlife Educator and the Park Manager of the Australian Reptile Park. With over 20 years of industry experience, Bill is a phenomenal ambassador for our Australian Wildlife and a key contributor for Australia's anti-venom program. He is extremely dedicated to conservation and will go far and wide to research each specie in order to m...

Episode 48 is part 3 of our series with Peter Valentine, and is a wonderful chat about the life history of Butterflies. What a time I got to spend with Peter and this episode was so beautiful. From the life history to pioneers of the butterfly world, Peter really is a wealth of knowledge. I only wish I could go out into the forest and walk along with him, learning more and being inspired.  If you...

Welcome back to Australian Wildlife Education: Wild Chats, episode 47.....  Todays Wild Chat is the second of a 3 part series and will be a continuation of our chat from part 1 on who is Peter Valentine. We continue the chat about National Parks and mining and venture into World Heritage Sites of Australia. Getting into who's responsibility it is to uphold a World Heritage Listing within Aust...

Welcome back to Australian Wildlife Education: Wild Chats, episode 46.....  Todays Wild Chat is the first of a 3 part series and will be all about the incredible life of Peter Valentine!  We talk about his childhood, his student years, his love for books, nature, for the environment…  Long-time member of IUCN World Commission on Protected Areas, with a special interest in World Heritage, Peter wor...

The following Wild Chat is with Amanda French and Matt Cornish talking all things CROCODILES , including the latest issues that have surfaced with human/animal interaction, policy and legislation problems and the recent crocodile attacks that have happened in North Queensland so far this year. Matt, Amanda and a few other passionate wildlife educators have banned together to be an advocate for the...

Today's Wild Chat is with Angus Emmot a grazier, naturalist and owner of Noonbah Station found within the Longreach Shire, Queensland Australia. Angus is well renowned for being the 3rd generation on Noonbah station and also for his naturalist work and amazing photography. Angus Works for the Queensland Museum and is not short of a project as he stands strong with his voice for topics such as...

Today's Wild Chat is with John Creighton from Wombat Care Bundanoon and we talk more about Australia’s Wombats and the current issue of Mange. After the bush fires a lot of Australian animals faced devastating times with lack of food and shelter and of course a lot had been burned.  Wombats may have been sheltered in their burrows however the aftermath for them also was devastating with no fo...

In this Wild Chat we are joined by James Boettcher from FNQ Nature Tours as we discuss the meaning of ‘ Wildlife’ and the benefits of connecting with nature.  This is the second chat we have had with the ever captivating James Boettcher (See Episode 16 for our previous chat).  To connect with James find him here: https://fnqnaturetours.com.au/ http://www.instagram.com/fnq_naturetours http://www.fa...

In Episode 41, Matt and Jodie look back at the journey that has been 2021 and how the Wild Chats podcast came to be. Working our way through the good yarns, lots of laughs and craziness, Matt and Jodie discuss the year to come and the huge changes in our personal and professional lives. www.instagram.com/adventures_by_matt http://www.instagram.com/australian_wildlife_education www.facebook.com/aus...

Justin McMahon is the Daintree Land Manager for Rainforest Rescue, managing rainforest restoration activities for over 30 seperate properties in the Daintree National Park. Justin is well regarded as one of the most knowledgeable young conservationists in Far North Queensland, the way he sees the wild world will have you begging for more.  In this podcast Justin explains why the Daintree Rainfores...

The following Wild Chat is with Tahneal Hawke from Platypus Conservation Initiative found down in NSW Australia.  Tahneal is a part of this amazing project, conducting field work, research and data collection to help further understand this very elusive secretive Monotreme Mammal of Australia.   I have been wanting to learn more about Platypus for a long time and this chat with Tahneal was amazing...

Alberto Vale is the President and founding member of the Australian Quoll Conservancy based here in Far North Queensland. Focusing their efforts on the vulnerable and endangered Spotted Tail and Northern Quolls, Alberto has taken citizen science to a whole new level. In this Wild Chat we learn about the incredible work being done behind the scenes to save two animals that are spearheaded for extin...

The following Wild Chat this week is reversed with Matt chatting to Jodie about her story of becoming a Wildlife Educator, Business owner and how finding your own Bat cave is important for life. Jodie is a mum of 3 who has always had a passion for wildlife and nature. She is the founder of Zoo to You which is a Mobile Wildlife Education business taking Australian animals into the classroom educati...

The following Wild Chat is with Chris Soul, an Aussie larrikin who works alongside his mate, Stuart Mckenzie on the TV series, Aussie Snake Wranglers. Chris not only worked at Australia Zoo for 7 years working his way into being a Crocodile presenter and handler but also a Shark Diver at Sea World found on the Gold Coast Queensland. From being a Bass Guitarist in a band to Snake removal, Crocodile...

The following Wild Chat is with Bridgette Gower who runs her own nature based tours here in Cairns Queensland called “Let’s Go Buggin!!”. Bridgett also, during our summer wet season, runs another amazing tour called “Let’s go Shroomin!!” and is also a Macro Photographer taking the most amazing photos of our natural world. Bridgettes passion for photography led her to creating her own business taki...

The following Wild Chat is with Jemina who is a Marine Biologist at the Institute for Marine & Antarctic Studies at the University of Tasmania. Currently Jemina coordinates the Handfish Conservation Project working tirelessly researching and collecting data to help recover these critically endangered fish. Jemina and her team have found waters of Tasmania are warming due to the East Australian...

The following Wild Chat is with 19 year old Claire Galvin, a climate campaigner and organiser, building leadership in young people to advocate for systemic solutions to climate change. Wow what a powerhouse and voice for our natural world and an amazing leader in her field. Claire works for the Australian Youth Climate Coalition and is on the management team of CAFNEC. Claire first started her jou...

The following Wild Chat is with Dan Rumsey who is in charge of the reptile section at the Australian Reptile Park in NSW Australia.   Today Dan and I talked about zoo keeping and what is involved in a typical day as well as answering one of the biggest questions asked, “How do I get a job as a Zoo keeper”, which was finally answered in great detail on this Wild Chat. To connect with Dan find him h...

The following Wild Chat is with Dr Martin Cohen from Wild About Australia, who is chatting to us today about Australian Frogs and the introduction of the Cane Toad and what effect it has had on our native species. To connect with Dr Martin Cohen, visit him here:  http://www.wildaboutaustralia.com   Don’t forget to connect with me: http://www.instagram.com/jodie_creek http://www.instagram.com/austr...

The following Wild Chat is with a young woman who, in my opinion, is a powerhouse in the Wildlife Carers world and making some waves within the industry, especially with the relocation of macropods. Shai is only 23 years of age and is the founder of the Agile Project here in North Queensland Cairns and is working with a team of dedicated, passionate and inspirational people to help relocate hundre...

The following Wild Chat is Alex Sinchak who works within the Mangrove Watch Program here in Far North QLD Cairns.  Alex works with volunteers and encourages our community to get involved as citizen scientists, where not only do they help with data collection but also learn more about the importance of our Mangroves and Estuaries. In 2017 CAFNEC (Cairns & Far North Environment Centre) establish...

The following Wild Chat is with Andrew Khalil and we have him back for the third time. If you have not listened to his other Wild Chats then I highly recommend you head to previous episodes and check them out. This episode we chat about WHY fish have colours and how predatory animals have shaped this throughout evolution. We also go into how fish change sex and how they are actually really smart c...

The following Wild Chat is with Sera Steves a Zoologist and advocate for all things Wildlife and an extremely dedicated advisor and spokesperson for our Spectacled Flying Foxes, found right here in North Queensland's Wet Tropics. Today Sera talks to us about the importance of keystone species, like bats and cassowaries, and how they play a crucial role in the environment. We go deep in unders...