Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Dateline: November 8, 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 thoughts about the election, kind of. Just listen or skip that part, whatever you need today.  We then move on to our births section, including red panda triplets at Lincoln Childrens Zoo, a cool giraffe birth story...

Today, the Safari heads to SeaLife Grapevine to talk to Chase Stryhal all about the guitarfish, sea turtles, eels, flashlight fish, and other animals that call the aquarium home! From a background in theatre to a love of red pandas to a mutual friend, Chase and I have a lot of fun finding the things we have in common as we talk about the incredible animals he gets to care for!  EPISODE LINKS:  @se...

Dateline: November 1, 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 bunch of stuff from my life.  We then get to our headline story, discussing the uplisting of African penguins to critically endangered.  We then move on to our births section, including a bintlet at Wild Discovery, pi...

Today, the Safari heads to Rochester, NY, to visit with Dr. Chris McKinney, the full time veterinarian at the Seneca Park Zoo! I actually spent the day shadowing Chris during his early work and morning rounds, and then we discussed what that looked like for all of you, so this is literally a step into the day of a zoo veterinarian. On top of that, you get the dish on the red panda kindergarten cla...

Dateline: October 25, 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 cool collaboration story and more stuff about my life. We then get to our headline story, discussing the announcement that Ruth the elephant at Buttonwood Park Zoo is entering hospice care. We then move on to our birth...

Today, the Safari heads back to the Fort Worth Zoo to talk with Dr. John Griffioen, who has a really unique role at the zoo. You'll hear about his veterinary work, but also how he transitioned to his new position where he takes care of the humans at the zoo along with the animals there. A lot of talking about leadership, flamingos, elephants, and more keep this one interesting and fun!  EPISO...

Hey Friends! Here's a bonus episode for your feed from one of my favorite podcasts, Trainer Talks and Tails! Daisy and Tess are joined by Steph Lauren from Halls Gap Zoo to discuss training the red pandas there, including some things I've not heard of before. Enjoy!  Don't forget to subscribe to the Trainer Talks and Tails podcast and follow along @trainertalksandtails on socials! 

Dateline: October 18, 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 look at how our Season 5 goals are coming along. We then get to our headline story, looking at the aftermath of Hurricane Milton, especially on Mote Marine Lab.  We then move on to our births section, including...

Today, the Safari heads back to the Fort Worth Zoo to discuss the absolutely incredible gharial reproduction efforts taking place there. We do a super deep dive on exactly what the zoo is doing to help this species reproduce...the science, the art, the thought process, and the successes so far! It's a fascinating story. EPISODE LINKS:  fortworthzoo.org  @fortworthzoo on socials  ROSSIFARI LIN...

Dateline: October 11, 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 catch up on my life - actually, there's a whole lot to chat about, y'all.  We then get to our headline story, looking at the preparations being made for Hurricane Milton.  We then move on to our births...

Today, the Safari heads back to Roger Williams Park Zoo to talk to Sean Hoelle and Morgan Lopes of the NEI Bird Show that ran at the zoo this summer! We're back after last year's visit with Amy Fennell, and this year we're talking all about the changes to the show, the new birds and new people working the show, and how one year can make everything both more the same and more differe...

Dateline: October 4, 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 catch up on my life We then get to our headline story, looking at the effects of Hurricane Helene, especially on zoological facilities.  Three places are going to be shut down for a long time because of the storm...

Today, the Safari heads back to Quincy, MA, to bring another unique and incredible part of the New England Aquarium experience to y'all. Today we are talking about husbandry, sustainability, and more as it pertains to raising fish and other aquarium animals through aquaculture. It's a topic I didn't know much about before this episode, and there is a lot of fascinating information i...

Today, the Safari comes to you from Toronto, where I'm attending the joint AAZV EAZWV Conference! I talk to six guests about their time at the conference and share a little bit about my own time here as well. You'll hear from:  - Dr. Meghan Togher, a recent graduate of vet school in London  - Lindsey Rice and Sammy Mould, two vet students attending the conference  - Dr. Katherine Mosley,...

Today, the Safari heads to New England Aquarium to talk about the giant ocean tank, with a heavy focus on the most famous resident of the facility: Myrtle, the incredible green sea turtle that is the undisputed queen of the aquarium. We also talk about the loggerhead turtles and other animals that share the tank with Myrtle, and a bunch of other fun and interesting stuff!  EPISODE LINKS:  @newengl...

Today, the Safari is coming at you from Calgary, Alberta in Canada, where I'm recapping the 2024 AZA Conference. But you won't just be hearing about my experience.  Instead, you'll hear me talk about the conference with NINE guests! You'll hear from:  Tiana, Kelley, and Randolf from the Edmonton Valley Zoo  Jeff Ewalt from ZooMontana  Christine Stephans from the Aquarium of Nia...

Today, the Safari heads to New England Aquarium to talk to Adam Kennedy at the Sea Turtle Hospital run by the hospital. It meant so much to me to get to see these turtles and then attend a release that evening.  EPISODE LINKS:  neaq.org  @neaq on socials  ROSSIFARI LINKS:  Rossifari.com  @rossifari on socials  @rossifaripod on TikTok  patreon.com/rossifari 

Dateline: September 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 a quick programming note and some catching up on my life.  We start off our Zoo News section with births, featuring a new tiger at the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, a new Grivet monkey at Southwick's Zoo, six new le...

Today, the Safari starts our visit to New England with a super fun episode from Roger Williams Park Zoo.  This entire episode is dedicated to how two people came together to change the lives of two binturongs for the better! It's a really deep look at what training, husbandry, teamwork, and passion can mean to the lives of animals! It was also recorded at a food truck festival, so you know it...

Dateline: September 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 the usual recap of my life. I'm playing a show. Yay! I almost died. Boo!  We then get into our headline story for the week.  We talk about the Marsupial of the Year competition taking place in Australia right now,...

Today, the Safari heads to MY aquarium! I volunteer at Aquarium of Niagara, and now I get to bring you there with me as we talk about the brand new Great Lakes 360 building that opened this summer! You get to hear from my friends Nat and Sarah on the Fish and Invertebrates team all about this new building, and more importantly, what working with me is like! Ok, that's not more important, but...

Dateline: August 30, 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 recap of my life. I'm playing a show. Yay!  We then get into our headline story for the week. Sea Turtle Recovery, a sea turtle hospital located at Turtle Back Zoo in New Jersey, was struck by lightning th...

Today, the Safari heads back to our heart zoo...Elmwood Park Zoo in Norristown, PA! The zoo has a brand new entrance area with a new Welcome Center, new exhibits, a new Commissary and, most importantly, a new Vet Hospital! We talk to Michele all about her career and her growth at the zoo, how the new hospital space will impact animal care, how our buddy Slash the red panda is doing, why Elmwood Pa...

Dateline: August 23, 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 recap of my life. I'm playing a show. Yay!  We then get into our headline story for the week, which is a tough one about an accredited facility in New Zealand that has a lot of former and current keepers s...

Today, the Safari heads down to Chattanooga, TN, to talk with Jake and Amanda of the Chattanooga Zoo all about the new stuff going on at the zoo. A new African section? Check. An update on the fennec fox situation at the zoo? You bet. But of course, the main focus is on the new red panda cub that is calling the zoo home, Pilatus! Plus, as usual, we go off topic and have a lot of fun doing so!  EPI...