Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: January 13, 2023. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we start with some sad news but then some happy news from the Cincinnati Zoo, discuss the birth of many animals, and the deaths of a few, and give praise to a very cool person at Oklahoma Aquarium, and more! In Conservation Ne...

Today, the Safari heads back to Brandywine Zoo, the only AZA accredited zoo in Delaware! We sit down with assistant curator Amy Haddock to talk about red pandas, condors, red pandas, lemurs, red pandas, tortoises, and red pandas. Ok, I admit it, this is an episode where I just really wanted to focus on red pandas! Shocker! But it's a great episode where we actually get to listen in on a red p...

Dateline: January 6, 2023. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we start with a very special announcement with a very special guest! Then we talk about the latest drama (not really) around Fiona, how the Brevard Zoo is helping to save a critically endangered species, a different kind of vic...

The Safari launches 2023 with a really different episode! Today, I'm bringing you my interview with Noah Strycker, a professional birder who has some incredible stories to share. He's the author of National Geographic's Birding Basics book, and by the end of this episode, you're going to be inspired to start birding! We talk about the year he spent traveling the world to see as...

Dateline: December 30, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about some amazing and exciting births, look at the impact of the major storms around the country, examine a couple tough deaths,  and more!  In Conservation News, we talk about pink iguanas, how many new species were...

Today, the Safari is here to bring you the Patron Bonus Audio Pitch Episode 2022! In case you don't know it, I have a Patreon account that allows you to support the podcast for as little as $3 a month! And my Patrons get exclusive audio from many of my interviews. So today, to give myself a little break at the end of the year, and to also maybe convince some of y'all to sign up, I am bri...

Dateline: December 23, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we start off with 11 really sad stories (sorry) before talking about the name of the red panda cub at Trevor Zoo, good news about the oldest red panda in the US, a cool elephant pregnancy at Toledo Zoo, and more!  In Conserva...

Today, the Safari heads back to my home zoo, Elmwood Park Zoo, to sit down with Event Manager Becky Bell. Becky is not only the Event Manager at the zoo, but is also the person who planned my recent wedding with my now-wife and I. And let's just say that Zoë and I were either not very easy, or way too easy, depending on how you look at it. This episode is a LOT of fun...we talk about what it&...

Dateline: December 16, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about the relationship between Timothy and Fiona now that Tucker has arrived, our friend Stevie fox, some movement in the gorilla troop at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a scary penguin story, and more!  In Conservati...

Today, the Safari heads to Denver, Colorado, to sit down with Chelsea Wellmer of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil. We talk about what palm oil is, what it means for it to be sustainable, and what that means for you and how you shop! Along the way we talk about Chelsea's work at the Cincinnati Zoo and Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. The RSPO is a really unique organization, inviting stakeholders...

Dateline: December 9, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about a very special trip to Mystic Aquarium, Rhubarb the sloth at Beardsley Zoo, changes coming to the Indianapolis Zoo, and more!  In Conservation News, we talk about the passage of The Big Cat Safety Act in the Sena...

Today, the Safari heads back to Massachusetts to pod-favorite Buttonwood Park Zoo, to sit down and talk to new zoo director Gary Lunsford. Gary has only been at the zoo a few months, and we talk about what it's like to pick up and move to a new community and take over a beloved institution like Buttonwood Park Zoo. We also get into some fun questions and answers with Sarah Henry, who you have...

Dateline: December 2, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about the birth of twin polar bears at the Toledo Zoo, the effectiveness of the Monterey Bay Aquarium's sea otter rehabilitation program, say goodbye to the oldest reticulated giraffe and elephant bull in the US,...

Today, the Safari heads to Australia (well, digitally, anyway) to sit down with Leif Cocks. Leif is a conservationist, a philosopher, and the founder of The Orangutan Project, The International Tiger Project, The International Elephant Project, Wildlife Conservation International, and Forests For People! We go deep on his work to save orangutans, and talk about the ways philosophy and conservation...

Dateline: November 25, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about some zoo holiday stuff, a cute video and story out of Sedgwick County Zoo, important births at the National Zoo and The Wilds, an incredible story from our friends at Mote Marine Lab, and SO much more!  In Conse...

Today the Safari heads back to Buttonwood Park Zoo for some red panda time! This entire interview was recorded in the red panda night house and then on exhibit with Jacob and Marie, the red pandas at the zoo! We talk about their first cub, Kodo (now at another zoo on a breeding rec), painting with pandas, and so much more!  EPISODE LINKS:  @buttonwoodparkzoo on social media  www.bwpzoo.org  ROSSIF...

Dateline: November 18, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about the Philly/HoustonWorld Series as applied to zoos, say goodbye to a beloved sea turtle at Adventure Aquarium, talk about one of the funniest stories I've seen for a long time (which pertains to Fiona the hi...

Today, the Safari brings you another interview from the AZA Annual Conference in Baltimore. I interview Hannah Coon and Ann Najork, two student curators at the only high school in America with an AZA-accredited zoo, The Trevor Zoo at Millbrook School! We talk about what it means to be a student zookeeper, and what types of leadership are required of student curators. We also talk red pandas and ot...

Dateline: November 11, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about baby pandas and tree kangaroo joeys, and baby hippos and even some non-baby animal news!  In Conservation News, we talk about shooting wolves with paintballs, blue whales, and a new owl species! And in Other New...

Today, the Safari heads to Oakland to sit down with Sarah Lynn Bowser, an incredible guest who shares her love of ambassador animals with the pod. We talk all about the ethics of ambassador animals, and even get to meet a few. This is one of those episodes where, at the end, I'm just like, "This is why I do this work."  EPISODE LINKS:  oaklandzoo.org  @oaklandzoo  @sarahlynnbowser ...

Dateline: November 4, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we talk about the Extreme Zoo Makeover competition, talk about peclets and a baby hyena, say goodbye to an elephant and a red panda, discuss the lions that escaped at Taronga Zoo, and more!  In Conservation News, we talk about...

Today, the Safari heads to San Diego for my honeymoon...and I bring you all along with me! First stop: The San Diego Zoo Safari Park, where I sat down with Rick Schwartz, Ambassador of the San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance. If you've ever seen any of the videos SDZWA puts out, or visited the social media pages of the Zoo or Safari Park, then you know exactly who Rick is. In this episode, we tal...

Even though I'm super busy right now, I couldn't let another year go by without doing something fun on the pod to celebrate Halloween! So it is time for another Spooky Spectacular, this time as a mini-sode with Tiffany James of Zoo Knoxville and Sarah Lynn Bowser of The Oakland Zoo (more from her soon!).  ROSSIFARI LINKS:  www.rossifari.com  patreon.com/rossifari  @rossifari on social me...

Dateline: October 28, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   In Zoo News, we start off by saying goodbye to a number of amazing zoo animals, including Baby Spice at the Toronto Zoo, then we talk about a lioness with a mane, the amazing surgery coming for a famous elephant in Albuquerque, share my fi...

This is the one you've been waiting for! Today, the Safari heads to Buttonwood Park Zoo in Massachusetts to talk you through the currently viral video you've all been watching...me drumming with Emily, one of the elephants at Buttonwood Park Zoo! I talk you through the entire experience, playing a lot of audio along the way, and sharing my thoughts and feelings. Then, after that, I spend...