Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: April 8, 2021.  Rossifari Zoo News is officially live!  Each week, one episode of The Rossifari Podcast will be dedicated to bringing you the latest news from the world of zoos and conservation! Today's episode features some amazing conservation successes for frogs and toads from the North Carolina Zoo, an important rebranding happening at the San Diego Zoo and Safari Park, a quick...

Today, the Safari heads to Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to talk to Dr. Vickie Clyde and Adine Nicholson of the Wild Animal Health Fund.  This is an incredibly important organization funded by the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) which helps to fund studies into the various medical needs of animals in captivity.  Did you know that we actually don't know a ton about the subtle differen...

Today, the Safari heads to Schnecksville, PA, to visit the Lehigh Valley Zoo.  Natalie Hildebrand, the Lead Education Specialist at the zoo, talks all about the amazing ambassador animals there, and shares a message of why it is important to leave wild animals in the wild.  You'll meet some awesome animals including an awesome African Gray parrot named Douglas and a tarantula with the totally...

Today, the Safari heads to the only AZA-accredited zoo in Delaware, The Brandywine Zoo.  I bring you my interview with Brint Spencer, the Director of the zoo, who brings a world of knowledge and a lifetime of experience to the show.  We talk about master planning, the new and future exhibits at Brandywine, and so much more.  Brint has a wonderful and deep way of thinking about things, and I really...

Today, the Safari heads to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to talk to Cathy Schlott of The National Aviary!  That's right, we have an official national bird zoo, and today's episode is all about that.  We get into how this aviary earned it's "National" title, and what that does and doesn't mean for it.  We also talk about a ton of amazing birds, and spend a LOT of time on o...

Today, the Safari heads to Erie, PA, to speak with Emily Smicker, the Marketing and Events Coordinator for The Erie Zoo.  We talk all about life as a PR person for a zoo, including the incredible opportunities Emily gets to spend with a variety of incredible animals.  We also revisit one of my favorite moments ever, as I get to go see the little red panda cub I met, now way more mature and living...

Today, the Safari heads to Florida to have a chat with Kaitlyn Bock, the Africa Operations Manager of the Pan-African Sanctuary Alliance!  Kaitlyn's journey is an international one, with lots of amazing stories, and with such a clear amount of passion that it's all just incredible.  We talk about so much of the amazing work being done to conserve primates, especially the great apes of Af...

Today, the Safari heads back to Memphis, Tennessee, to talk to Melissa Peterson, primate keeper and all-around wonderful human! Melissa has been on the podcast before, as she was the keeper who taught us all about bonobo sex on Rossifari After Dark Part 2! Now she's back for a longer, and less adult, conversation about all the primates she takes care of at the zoo, such as orangutans, gorilla...

Hello!  Welcome back for a short musical Safari straight out of NYC!  As most of you know, I am a professional drummer and music director.  Today, the latest single I worked on drops everywhere!  The song is called Anthem, by Jennifer Walder. You can find it on Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon Music...and, of course, you get to hear it here first! You'll also recognize the musicians involved in t...

Today, the Safari sits my butt down in the interview chair again, as I bring you the two episodes of The Rewildology Podcast featuring me as a guest! You'll get to hear host Brooke Mitchell-Norman interview me for almost two hours! We talk all about my music career, what the lockdown has done to my life and industry, and all about how I started and make The Rossifari Podcast.  You'll als...

Today, the Safari heads to Denver, CO, to talk to Brooke Mitchell-Norman, conservation biologist and host of Rewildology, an incredible new conservation-focused podcast! Brooke and I decided to collaborate on our episodes this week, meaning you can also find me as the guest on her podcast!  On this episode, we talk all about Brooke's time as a zookeeper, and her transition into the conservati...

Today, the Safari heads to New England to meet with Robin Sullivan, enrichment consultant and President of The Leather Elves, which is a company that sells animal enrichment items!  Robin has been at the forefront of animal enrichment as the practice has developed, and since 2000 has consulted at zoos all around the world, helping them to improve their enrichment practices! This episode has a lot...

Today, the Safari heads to Los Angeles, CA, to speak with Shira Scott Astrof.  Shira is the president and founder of the Animal Rescue Mission, an LA based shelter saving dogs in her area and all around the world.  This episode really helped me to understand the amazing work being done to save domestic animals such as dogs, and how much wildlife conservation and domestic rescue have in common.  Oh...

Today, the Safari heads to Moorpark, California to check out America's Teaching Zoo at Moorpark Community College!  That's right, there is an actual zoo at an actual college where students get to work as zookeepers while learning the field firsthand, graduating with a degree in Exotic Animal Training and Management! I speak to second year student Holly Schmidt, who is an amazing ambassad...

Today, the Safari escapes the winter weather back home for a trip to Jacksonville, Florida, to interview one person working at two great conservation organizations!  Lucas Meers is the conservation program officer at BOTH the Jacksonville Zoo and Gardens AND the Okapi Conservation Project!  This is such a great look at how in situ and ex situ conservation work hand in hand, and how the conservatio...

Today's Safari is going to a couple different places, as I bring you short interviews with Dani Poirier Larson of Southwick's Zoo, and Melissa Peterson of the Memphis Zoo, as well as a short love story by former guest Kara McSweeney!  The second sexy episode of Rossifari After Dark features discussions about flirty birds, bonobos sex, and a sweet story about a tapir! This episode is fun,...

The Safari heads back to our home zoo, Elmwood Park Zoo, but with a sexy twist! I've decided to turn Valentine's Day into Valentine's Week and bring you Rossifari After Dark. Mating is a huge part of life at the zoo, and this episode does a deep dive into what that looks like in the animal kingdom.  This episode is fun, irreverent, and full of good information.  It may not, however,...

Today, the Safari continues it's world tour in India! I bring you my interview with Gunjan Menon, an incredible conservation filmmaker and the director of The Firefox Guardian! Gunjan has an incredible story, and also shares incredible conservation stories with others.  We have a lot of fun sharing our love of red pandas, discussing what filmmaking in the wild is like, and talking about ecofe...

Today, the Safari heads to El Valle, Panama, for a chat with Heidi Ross and Edgardo Griffith of the El Valle Amphibian Conservation Center Foundation.  When I booked this interview, I had no idea how crazy the tale I was about to hear was going to be.  This is a story about the challenges of conservation taking place on the ground during a global pandemic, where the challenges of travel restrictio...

Today, the Safari heads to England, to speak with Becky Whitelegg, a zookeeper at Flamingoland.  Come for the animal facts, stay for the fun accent!  Becky talks about some incredible mongooses, the weight loss plan of a warty pig, and so much more.  We also discuss some of the differences of zookeeping in the UK and the US, what accreditation looks like across the pond, and so much more.  I admit...

Today, the Safari crosses the border back to Canada, to talk to Jordi Segers, the National Bat White-Nose Syndrome Program Coordinator for the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative.  We are here to talk all about the risk of bat extinction from white-nose syndrome, and what Jordi and his partners are doing to prevent it!  Along the way, we also talk about leopard geckos, New Guinea singing dogs, fo...

Welcome to the first ever Rossifari Bonus Episode!  Today, the Safari heads to Brooklyn, NY, to sit down and talk with some members of Sammy Rae & the Friends, an incredible band that I have just fallen in love with.  You'll hear from CBass (drums), JQ (bass), and Sammy Rae (vocals, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter) herself!  Officially, the band is here to promote their new EP, Let&apos...

Today, the Safari makes it's way to South Carolina to bring you an interview with an amazing human who works at an amazing conservation organization.  Kelly Currier is a turtle keeper working with some of the rarest species of turtles in the wold at the Turtle Survival Alliance.  And yes, I avoid jokes like, "It's a shell of a good time" for the entire episode!  TSA is an incre...

Today, the Safari heads to Bergen County, NJ, to talk to Tricia Gunther.  Tricia is the Animal Welfare, Enrichment, and Training Coordinator at the Bergen County Zoo, which is a relatively new position that is starting to show up in the zoo world.  Tricia has a true heart for enrichment, and shares a lot of thoughts on what makes for successful animal enrichment.  You'll also hear about a cha...

Grab your snorkel because today, the Safari is heading to Hawaii, to talk to zookeeper Sam Evans of The Honolulu Zoo!  We talk all about the perks and challenges of being a zoo on an island, and even get a bit of a lesson about snakes on Guam!  We also hear all about some of the adorable animals Sam takes care of, including cheetahs and bongos!  The bongo names alone are worth the listen!   EPISOD...