Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: October 21, 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 new sensory-friendly experience at the Akron Zoo, genetics research at the San Diego and National Zoos, share fake stories about okapis (or, let's be real, faux-kapi), and more!  In Conservation News, we d...

Today, the Safari brings you an interview recorded AT the AZA Annual Conference in Baltimore, MD. I'm talking to Clay Carbajal of The Abilene Zoo and The Wild Side with Clay, a YouTube series that Clay hosts and produces! This is a really deep episode, in which we discuss Clay's career, his unique path to his current job, and his time working at SeaWorld...during the Blackfish controvers...

Dateline: October 14, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!   I'm on my honeymoon this week, so we start the episode off with Zoë and I telling you all about our zoo wedding and honeymoon so far! Then we get to a brief news episode: In Zoo News, we talk about the new elephant expansion at the Sa...

Today, the Safari heads back to Columbus, Ohio, to sit down with Shane Gorbett! We talk about his life before Columbus, taking care of the pinnipeds (seals and sea lions) at the zoo, and The Animal Behavior Management Association (ABMA). This is a really fun and goofy episode that I'm really excited to share with y'all!  EPISODE LINKS:  @columbuszoo  columbuszoo.org  @theabma on Instagra...

Dateline: October 7, 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 have so many amazing turtle conservation stories from local zoos, say goodbye to a few animals I really loved, and say hello to some amazing new animals, including some koala joeys! In Conservation News, we discuss African pe...

Today, the Safari brings you a bonus episode from former guest and awesome friend of the pod, Hillary Hankey. Hillary runs The Avian Behavior Lab and also does free flight work with birds in Escondido, CA, and was a guest on an episode of the podcast last season! Today, you get an episode of her podcast, The Avian Behavior Podcast, talking all about mentorships in the animal field. Mentorships are...

Today, the Safari heads all around the world with National Geographic Explorers Steve Winter and Sharon Guynup! This amazing couple takes us through what it means to be a Nat Geo Explorer, what life is like in the field trying to catch photos of big cats, how an inspired artist can truly make a difference, and so much more! We also touch on the Big Cat Safety Act currently going through Congress,...

Dateline: September 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 Hurricane Ian and Florida facilities, Adira moving to the San Diego Zoo, the Potter Park Zoo red panda cub naming contest, some cool frog stories, and so much more! In Conservation News, we discuss AI helping w...

Today, the Safari stays put in Knoxville, but our story certainly doesn't. Last week, I brought you an interview with Emily Mack, a hoofstock keeper at Zoo Knoxville who teamed up with recurring guest Tiffany James, also from Zoo Knoxville, to head to Moholoholo Wildlife Rehab in South Africa to do some in situ conservation work! Now they are both here to share all about their time in Africa!...

Dateline: September 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 talk about controversy at Marineland in Canada, share cool red panda news, talk about an adorable manatee, have two stories about sperm, and so much more! In Conservation News, we discuss the project moving wild-caught Af...

Today, the Safari heads back to Knoxville to sit down with hoofstock keeper Emily Mack! We talk all about zebras and giraffe, including some amazing birth stories.  The entire Poop Story section is absolutely incredible. You'll also get to hear about Emily teaming up with former guest Tiffany James to book a trip to Africa to work with animals over there...and next week, Emily will be back wi...

Dateline: September 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 learn the names of some bintlets, make Colleen Lenehan happy, talk about a few viral otter stories, say goodbye to an ancient lion and adorable elephant shrew, and so much  more! In Conservation News, we discuss sea turtl...

Today, the Safari heads back to California to sit down with my good friend Justin Fairchild, the brains behind www.redpandafinder.com ! Red Panda Finder is a website devoted to tracking the genealogy, location, births, and deaths of the red panda population in the US, in Japan, and beyond, sharing a bunch of information about each animal along with a TON of amazing pics (more than a few of which c...

Dateline: September 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 follow up on our Noah's Ark story, talk about a lot of the stuff going on at Henry Vilas Zoo right now, discuss flooding at Roger Williams Park Zoo, touch on a few animal escapes, and more! In Conservation News, we di...

Today, the Safari heads to Scottsdale, AZ, to visit OdySea Aquarium! I got to do a dual interview with Senior Animal Care Specialist Kassie Harrold and Animal Care Specialist Kyle Snell! We talk about some amazing and unique exhibit design at OdySea, go through a discuss of the fun personalities and tragic stories that brought each individual sea turtle to the aquarium, and then discuss the sharks...

Dateline: September 2, 2022. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a special edition bringing YOU to the AZA National Conference! Today, we step away from our normal reporting to bring you an in-depth look at what life is like at the AZA National Conference! Katie Propp of Penguins International, Dr. Zoë Vesley-Gross and I sit down and take you through the first part of the conference, talking about the...

Today, the Safari heads to Albuquerque (ABQ), land of not only Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul, but also some pretty amazing birds and other animals that live at ABQ BioPark! I got to hang out with Nick Lopez, a bird keeper at the zoo, and a bunch of his flock! We are talking corvids and hornbills and cranes and so much more! We also talk about the job Nick has taken since leaving the BioPark, a...

Dateline: August 26, 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 look at a weird story about Noah's Ark sanctuary in Georgia, talk about zoo insurance at the Philly Zoo, share small ways people are making a big difference at Roger Williams Park Zoo and Adventure Aquarium, share some...

Today, the Safari heads to New York City to sit down with Dr. Gabby Wild to talk about her new book, How To Speak Animal! This is an awesome book dealing with animal communication, and we discuss some incredible examples of the complex world of animal communication, and how humans and animals communicate as well.  Dr. Wild is also a NatGeo and WCS veterinarian, can be seen on the NatGeo Kids show...

Dateline: August 19, 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 5 stories about red pandas, talk about the Vancouver wolf situation, feature two stories about baby hippos, and more! In Conservation News, we discuss the new climate bill in the US, the potential return of th...

Today, we head back to the Akron Zoo to sit down with Colleen Lenahan, the buyer for the gift shop, who also works on the social media team and does SO much more! Colleen is a longtime fan and supporter of the podcast, and if you're recognizing the name, it's because I say it EVERY WEEK in Zoo News, as she is always sending me material.  But today we sit down to talk about her job at the...

Dateline: August 12, 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 a baby hippo update from Cincy, get into the drama unfolding at Henry Villas Zoo, talk about zookeeper unionization, introduce you to the word touron,  and more! In Conservation News, we discuss the new climat...

Today, the Safari heads back across the country to California to speak with Katie Sindewald of the California Wolf Center! Katie is an awesome ambassador for the Center, and we spend a lot of time talking about wolf conservation and the amazing work being done at the Center.  While we mostly talk wolves, there are definitely some fun conversations about how ravens and snakes have an impact on the...

Dateline: August 5, 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 an update from Bibi at Cincy, talk about a bunch of births and a few deaths, an incredible initiative by the Memphis Zoo,  and more! In Conservation News, we discuss the Big Cat Public Safety Act, celebrity CO2...

Today, the Safari heads back to Adventure Aquarium for our fifth episode in our special events series there as we help them celebrate Shark Tooth Summer! You'll get to learn about the shark species that live at the aquarium, including Anchor, the great hammerhead shark that is only one of two that lives in an aquarium in North America! EPISODE LINKS:  www.adventureaquarium.com  @adventureaqua...