Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Today, the Safari heads to Papua New Guinea to talk to Jim Thomas of the Tenkile Conservation Alliance, an organization dedicated to the conservation of tree kangaroos in their natural habitat. You'll hear about three species of tree roos we've never talked about before on the pod, learn the amazing conservation work being done to save these animals, and get a Poop Story that will blow y...

Dateline: January 31, 2025. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a quick update from Texas!  Our headline story this week is Zoë talking about a proposed change to the veterinary field that is NOT a great idea.  We then move on to our births for the week, featuring animals from Dicke...

Today, the Safari sits down with Josh Courteau of Species 360 to talk all about ZIMS, the Zoological Information Management System that is basically involved in every aspect of life in zoos and aquariums. If you've ever wondered what facilitates moving animals between facilities, how veterinary records travel from facility to facility, how research done at one facility is shared with others,...

Dateline: January 24, 2025. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off by welcoming a new Patron, and discussing the Patron sticker program!  Our headline story this week is me ranting about politics. You can skip to 14 minutes and 10 seconds in to avoid it.  We then move on to our births for t...

Today, the Safari heads back to the Metro Richmond Zoo to bring you the story of Poppy, the world-famous baby pygmy hippo that is taking the internet by storm! Come meet mom, dad, and America's Princess, Poppy! You'll get to hear a lot of cool stuff about pygmy hippos and what having a sudden celebrity has been like for the zookeepers and the rest of the staff at the zoo!  EPISODE LINKS:...

Dateline: January 17, 2025. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a quick look Look at what I have coming up soon with my gigging life, and also some exciting podcast news! Our headline story this week is about a new study showing that sea pens may not be the best option for cetaceans...

Today, the Safari heads to Norfolk, VA, to visit the Virginia Zoo. This is the zoo that made me fall in love with binturongs, and you'll hear about the bint that calls the zoo home, as well as the red pandas, cranes, and tapirs that live there! In fact, you'll come behind the scenes with me to hang out with the tapirs at the zoo!  EPISODE LINKS:  @virginiazoo on socials  virginiazoo.org ...

Dateline: January 10, 2025. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a huge announcement - The new website is live at rossifari.com ! We then also talk about my life and such. Our headline story this week is about fires raving areas in the US and Australia.  We then move on to our births...

Today, the Safari heads to the Metro Richmond Zoo for our first episode from this facility. We talk about all kinds of stuff, including a huge penguin colony, a special friendship between a cheetah and a dog, a binturong who is the most binturong to ever binturong, snow leopard cubs, and more! This is a really fun and freewheeling interview!  EPISODE LINKS:  @metrorichmondzoo on socials  metrorich...

Dateline: January 3, 2025. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with an update on what's going on with the pod and a quick discussion of my life. Our headline story this week is about a few elephant deaths that have occurred since last week's episode, and how keyboard warriors s...

Today, the Safari heads back into the Holiday Special to release the unedited version of my interview with Amy Fennell about the 12 Days of Christmas and how all of them are birds. This episode is filled with so many more facts and silly moments and is honestly just a great, fun way to end your year. Enjoy!  EPISODE LINKS:  naturalencounters.com  @naturalencountersinc  ROSSIFARI LINKS:  patreon.co...

Dateline: December 27, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a discussion of the programming for the next two weeks, then talk about the holiday special, then do an update about my life. Our headline story this week looks at something freaking insane. Apparently the anti-vaccina...

It's here! The Rossifari Old Timey Non-Denominational Holiday Special 2024 is the perfect way to get a laugh and still learn some animal stuff during the crazy holiday season! This episode features:  Interviews with fan favorites Amy Fennell of NEI and Ren Howell of SeaLife Sydney! A fun and informative poetry reading by Sarah Lynn Bowser Musical guests The Shakedown Shuffle, Pinecone Rockets...

Dateline: December 20, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a quick update on my life, and a reminder about the upcoming holiday special!  Our headline story this week looks at a new law that is looking like it will get passed in Canada. We look at both sides of the discussion,...

Today, the Safari heads to Florida and Maryland to bring you some audio I thought I lost...three episodes of the short-lived Conservation Tails podcast that I launched a while back. The full story is at the top of the show, but these interviews are incredibly impactful and feature two incredible guests. Enjoy!  ROSSIFARI LINKS:  rossifari.com  @rossifari on socials  @rossifaripod on TikTok  patreo...

Dateline: December 13, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with the usual updates from my life, including a review of the Wicked movie.  Our headline story this week looks at the current situation facing the SeaQuest brand of aquariums. It's not good, y'all.  We then move...

Today, the Safari heads to Calgary to sit down with Lohwana Halaq to discuss her passionate work done with the Philippine Eagle Foundation in the hopes of saving this absolutely incredible bird species. The work done at this organization is amazing, and really looks at how a personal connection to an animal can help conservation efforts for it.  EPISODE LINKS:  @phileaglefdn on socials  philippine...

Dateline: December 6, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a random explanation of Lake Effect Snow, talk about meeting baby tree kangaroo Ren, and share about my experience on the NEI TEC Talks Podcast! Our headline story this week looks at the difference between sanctuaries a...

Today, the Safari sits down with Justin Williams of the Edmonton Valley Zoo to talk about the Pathways to AZA Program, to argue about whether the letter "z" is pronounced "zee" or "zed," baby red pandas, an elephant that takes her keepers for walks, and so much more! This episode was recorded live at the AZA Conference! EPISODE LINKS: @edmontonvalleyzoo and @zoodevelo...

Dateline: November 29, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a discussion of my last few days, and some reflections on a journey I went on.  Our headline story this week looks at the AZA's Trends Report, and some controversy surrounding two of the topics addressed within. ...

Today, the Safari brings you our first ever Holiday Gifts Guide, featuring interviews from multiple incredible companies that have the perfect gifts for yourself or the other animal lovers in your life! In this episode you'll hear from:  Peppermint Narwhal (starts at 5:04). Use offer code ROSSIFARI at peppermintnarwhal.com for 10% off your order from now through 12/20!  Cappy Trails (starts a...

Dateline: November 22, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with a very special announcement about Tuesday's episode and also a limited edition bit of merch you can get your hands on NOW!  Our headline story this week looks at the AZA's Animal Wellbeing Summit, and the sur...

Today, the Safari sits down with Emily Mack to talk about grief. In a short period of time, the zoo Emily formerly worked at lost four animals on her string. To put it mildly, this was NOT a good time for Emily or her team. So we go into great detail on the relationships she had with her animals, what the losses felt like, and what living with and getting past that grief looked like to Emily.  ROS...

Dateline: November 15, 2024. Rossifari Zoo News is back with a round up of the latest news in the world of zoos, aquariums, conservation, and animal weirdness!     We start off with my life. Yay.  We then do a quick headline story about a study that looks at the best way to experience a zoo or aquarium. My guess is you won't be surprised.  We then move on to our births section, including babi...

Today, the Safari sits down with Jamie Delk in Dallas to talk a little bit about her career at the zoo, but a whole lot about the journey she has been on since she was the guest on the Season 1 finale of Rossifari. We talk about changes in her life and in her perspective that led her to walk away from zookeeping entirely, what she did in her time away from the field, and what finally drew her back...