Boots on the ground podcast

Happy World Orangutans Day! In this episode, I’m super excited to be speaking with Leif Cocks, world renowned expert on Orangutans. Starting with 15 Orangutans, Leif takes us through why he started working to save this species, what makes Orangutans special animals and he also highlights some of the biggest threats facing Orangutans today. We also dive into the power of collectivization in conserv...

In this new Podcast, I’m talking with Trishala Naidu, South African based Wildlife Presenter, Voice Artist, Biologist and Safari Guide. We dive into how her childhood shaped the person she is today, working with the KZN sharks board and the transition to WildEarth and she also highlights some of the biggest threats facing wildlife and wild places in South Africa today. We also talk through her dee...

#HappyWorldRangerDay2023! In this new podacst, I’m talking with Lew Bedford, the Founder of RangerLab, a UK registered charity, whose focus is on equipping and empowering wildlife rangers. We talk through his journey and passion for conservation, how RangerLab came to be, challenges facing our rangers on the ground and how we can make the work our rangers do an attractive profession for young peop...

In this new episode, I’m talking with Sopia Luka, who is working with Connected Planet Foundation and Semadep Foundation, running wildlife clubs in schools, doing migration trips, and the Women in the Wild Programme. We also dive into his passion for conservation, threats facing the Greater Mara Ecosystem and why it is very key to include young people in the conservation conversation. Enjoy💚

In this new podcast, I’m speaking with Aaniyah Martin, Founder of The Beach Coop an organization whose mission is to effectively connect people, institutions and organizations through evidence based education and experimental learning to keep South Africa’s beaches clean and healthy and to protect and enhance ocean health. We talk through her story and upbringing growing up in Cape Town surrounded...

Happy Madaraka Day! In this episode, I’m talking with Owino Raymond, Kenyan born and bred early career conservation biologist with a major focus in the conservation of large mammals in East Africa. We talk through his early years of studies, how his passion for conservation grew and his research work about Giraffes in Garissa County, in the northern parts of Kenya. We also dive into challenges and...

Happy World 🐝 Day. In this podcast, I’m talking with John Bowen, Bee Keeping Coordinator at The Maa Trust, in Maasai Mara. We talk through what his role entails, where his passion for apiculture stemmed from and how the Maa honey social enterprise came to be and its positive impacts to the local community. We also dive into the challenges facing bee keepers in the Greater Mara Ecosystem and we al...

In this Podcast double, I’m excited to be speaking with Dr. Tempe Adams, the coexistence & education manager for Elephants Without Borders, an NGO based in Botswana and Izzy, the program assistant for the Human Elephant Coexistence program. We talk through their roles at EWB, what drives their passion for conservation, biggest threats facing elephants and their habitats in Botswana and the tools t...

In this episode, I’m talking with Ian Craig, a great man I consider to be the pioneer of community conservation in Africa. Ian has helped founded both Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and Northern Rangelands Trust and is currently serving as the Chief Partnership, Growth & Innovation Officer for NRT. We talk through how he got started in conservation, what drives this big passion he has for wildlife and...

In this new special podcast, I’m talking with Charlie Mayhew, MBE the Cofounder and CEO, Tusk Trust and Edward Ndiritu, the Head of the Anti-Poaching Unit at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy. We talk through how the conservation charity Tusk, came to be and also the Tusk Conservation Awards. We dig into the success of Edward’s security startegy at Lewa Wildlife Conservancy and the huge success behind Tus...

In this new episode, I’m delighted to be talking with Lorna Dax, Programs and Partnership Development Assistant at Save The Rhino Trust in Namibia. Lorna shares her love for nature and traveling during her school years and how she got into conservation. She has worked alongside local communities for 5 years. We also dig into her role at SRT, pressing threats facing Rhinos in Namibia and what SRT i...

Happy International Women’s Day! In this new episode, I’m talking with Abigael, Head of the coexistence project, at Mara Elephant Project in the Greater Mara Ecosystem. Abigael is researching solutions at the Experimental farm whose aim is to build a model for coexistence and ensure a win win for both the local community and the wildlife. We talk through her journey and early career and what drove...

It’s World Wildlife Day today! In this episode I’m talking with Wilson Sairowua, Mara Elephant Project’s Conservation Officer. We talk through his journey in conservation, human elephant conflict and some of the tools they use at MEP to mitigate these conflicts. We also dive into some of the technological software that is used in the field, community empowerment and how you can support MEP and the...

In this new episode, I’m super grateful to have Dr. Gladys Kalema Zikusoka on the show again and this time we are talking about her memoir - Walking With Gorillas set to be released in March this year. We dig into what motivated her to pen down this book, some of the top conservation issues addressed, her journey as an African Wildlife Veterinarian and she also shares her thoughts on the future of...

Happy World Wetlands Day 2023! In this new episode, I’m speaking with Joyce Koech, a climate and gender Justice activist from Mombasa, Kenya. Joyce is the co-founder of Blue Earth Organization, a youth and women led organization working tirelessly to restore degraded mangrove ecosystems along the coast of Kenya. We talk through how she got started with blue earth, why wetlands are important and al...

In this new episode, I am extremely happy to be speaking with Carel Verhoef, a true conservationist at heart based in the Serengeti. We begin by hearing how he got started in conservation having grown up in Kruger National Park, we also talk through creating value in non mainstream parks and buffer zones for conservation to work, his insights on private wildlife conservation models and some of the...

In this podcast, I’m excited to be speaking with Chioma Okafor, a conservation biologist from Nigeria. We talk through her journey with nature and what she aimed to achieve with conservation storytelling. We also dive into nature conservation in Nigeria and the gaps in women leadership in the conservation space. Listen in to the end to lob why the elephant is her favorite animal. Enjoy💚

In this new podcast episode, I’m talking with Leif Cocks, founder of the International Tiger Project. We talk through his early years when he started working with 15 Orangutans which later led him to focus on other key species such as the Sumatran Tigers and Elephants. Our focus mainly is on the Sumatran Tigers, their conservation, the threats they are facing and what Leif is working towards along...

In this new episode, I am excited to be speaking with Risper Asembo, a Kenyan environmentalist, climate and social Justice activist, a wildlife conservationist and the founder of Beyond the Trails Kenya. We talk through her first encounters with the effects of climate change and her journey to becoming a climate activist. We also dive into the key drivers of climate change in Africa, what role we...

In this new podcast,a one of it’s kind for sure, I talk with Brooke Mitchell-Norman, a conservation biologist also creator & host of Rewildology, a podcast where she gives a voice to those conserving, restoring and rewildling our planet. We talk through how we got into tourism and conservation, how we found ourselves podcasting, conservation ins and outs both here in Africa and abroad and a whole...

In this episode, I talk with Arineitwe Moses AKA The Pangolin Man. He is the director at Kigezi nr conservation and development and he is based in Uganda. We talk through his love for wildlife and nature, how he began his work in pangolin conservation and we also dive in into some of the biggest challenges facing pangolins in Uganda and what he is doing through his grassroots organization to drive...

In this new episode, I talk with Andy McGinlay COO at a disruptive and exciting startup called holiday swap. We talk through his love for adventure and backpacking in some of the most dangerous places in the world and we also dig deeper into what holiday swap is about and why you should definitely download this app which will cut your accommodation costs and enable you to travel cheap and safe. En...

In this new podcast, I talk with Jim Justus Nyamu. Popular for his campaign, ‘Ivory belongs to Elephants’, Jim has dedicated his life to conservation of the African Elephant. We talk through his story and dig deeper on why elephants, the threats elephant populations in Africa are facing and what we can all do to support his conservation efforts. Enjoy💚

In this new episode, I’m excited to be speaking with Susan-Rose Maingi, Conservation Manager at Colubus Conservation. We dig into her conservation Journey and we also talk through what she does in Kwale County where she oversees the day to day operations of projects that promote the mitigation of challenges experienced by communities living with primates. Enjoy💚

In this new episode, I talk with Holly budge, founder and leader of international non profit, How Many Elephants and recently launched World Female Ranger Week which we’re celebrating from the 23rd to the 30th of June. We talk through her adventures, her work with How many elephants, threats facing biodiversity, gaps to women leadership in conservation and we also get to hear what it meant for her...