The Origins Foundation Podcast

Steven McCurrah and Don Bailey are board members of an organization called “The Bateleurs”, referencing the African eagle species and its aerial view. The nonprofit, though, is made up of bush pilots and helicopter pilots that service the environmental conservation movement in South Africa. A fascinating podcast learning about some really cool people, doing some really cool things for wildlife con...

Mega charismatic fauna create a deep seated emotional response as it pertains their management - ie wolves, bears, and in Africa, elephants. Elephants are one of Africa’s most debated conservation challenges, Robbie sits down with Dr. Sam Ferreira, large mammal ecologist for South African National Parks, unpacking the complex reality of elephant management in Kruger National Park. Drawing on decad...

If you are into conservation in this world you are thinking about how wildlife conservation is funded today and how it will be funded in the future. The two new kids on the block are Carbon or Biodiversity credit systems. Eleanor Harris, an academic with the Biodiversity Credit Initiative, talks with Robbie about this strategy to value wildlife conservation around the world. They discuss how the b...

Oscar Goodman, founder of wild vision technologies, a new AI-driven platform to help hunters identify where animals actually already and proprietary technology that proves the changes in attitude. Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org  Support our Conservation Club Members! Garry Kelly Safaris: https://garrykellysafaris.com/  La...

There is belief in the hunting industry space that we do not have a cogent argument to defend the "ethical killing" of animals. How can we defend that killing animals is ok? Well there is one guy who has taken it upon himself as a mission to figure that out. Robbie is joined by Dr. Ben Allen, a conservation scientist in Australia working in wildlife management and living the dream - going camping,...

Patrick O’Reilly, a social scientist hired by the British Association of Shooting and Conservation was hired 2 years ago to connect about social license and the sociology that “allows” people to hunt chock full of information between an irishman talking to a South African about social license and how it extrapolates onto the narrative around hunting not just in Europe or far flung places but right...

Robbie and Ashlee are back after both respectively traveling the last couple of weeks, with updates on new legislation passed by Congress to ensure lead ammunition and fishing tackle is not banned without scientific justification called the Protecting Access for Hunters and Anglers Act, the 9th Circuit's ruling that a California law banning firearms marketing in a manner attractive to minors is un...

Lucy Biggers, a climate activist turned realist and in so doing is an example we want to show people of someone deeply committed to her beliefs and the psychology of how she changed her mind and became a “realist” on climate. Get to know the guest: https://discoveredfoods.com/  Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org  Support our...

After a scheduling mishap, Robbie is joined by Gordon Putteril, an Elephant guide from Zimbabwe that’s been around since the mid-70’s. From his time as a part of the amazing Zim parks board and beyond, Robbie picks his brain on old school elephants and what it looked like back in the day. Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org  S...

Paul Anderson, owner-operator of El Dorado Outfitters, joins Robbie for the first of a series of podcasts tied to our operators and outfitters in the Helix program. Join Robbie as he explores the true impact of these outfitting businesses on the landscape and the resources they pursue. Do you have questions we can answer? Send it via DM on IG or through email at info@theoriginsfoundation.org  Supp...

Most of everyone has heard of Theodore Roosevelt, some of you may have heard of Frederick Courtney Selous. But did you know that they were really good friends? Did you know how they became friends? Do you know how they both shaped conservation? In this second of a two part podcast Paul Hubbard, our favorite historian and archaeologist and “doer of great things”, rejoins Robbie to continue talking...

Most of everyone has heard of Theodore Roosevelt, some of you may have heard of Frederick Courtney Selous. But did you know that they were really good friends? Did you know how they became friends? Do you know how they both shaped conservation? In this first of a two part podcast, returning guest Paul Hubbard, our favorite historian and archaeologist and “doer of great things”, talks about the fam...

Robbie fights through “the crud” (we promise, that’s the scientific term for it) to bring you this important interview with David Reid-Daly. Originally an inbound DM to our instagram account that started out pretty hard AGAINST hunting, we learn about David, his life (his father was the original commander of the Selous scouts) to his thoughts on hunting and his realization that an open dialogue br...

Robbie and Ashlee jump into this week’s Roundup with a fast and furious run through the news around the country, including New Hampshire’s Right to Hunt and Fish epic crash after a disinformation campaign by anti-hunters derailed it, the failure of BOTH the bear harvest bill and the deer harvest reporting bill in MS, passage of the Hunter Education in schools bill in TN, a predator bill in AZ plus...

Hannah Mabbott, hunt operations manager for Hunt Oregon, joins Robbie to discuss her experiences as a six foot two volleyball player in the hunting world. She describes the stigma she faces around her hunting prowess and lifestyle, guiding 90% men on their hunts, along with the predator prey dynamics of mule deer, wolves and beyond. A fascinating podcast into the hunting world in Oregon. Do you ha...

Wild Horses across the range in the West are likely the most significant wildlife issue facing wildlife and habitat across the western range. Art Lawson, Director of Shoshone and Arapaho Fish and Game in Wyoming shares the amazing efforts they’ve put in removing feral horses in the Wind River Valley. The council, the community and the team, facing a lack of funding, rounded up almost 7,800 horses...

While Ashlee is on Spring Break down in Florida, Robbie grabs Charles Whitwam from Howl for Wildlife to sub-in. Charles and Robbie naturally discuss the 4 step-children of the anti-use, anti-hunting community right now - which is California, Washington State, Colorado, and Oregon. Robbie and Charles give an update to where things stand with Catalina Island and the possible deer eradication by the...

Hugo and Carlo Engelbrecht are 6th generation farmers and game owners in South Africa. They currently reside in Kwazulu Natal and they came onto Robbie's radar due to a film about a significant rhino poaching incident that occurred on their farm. Robbie invited Carlo and Hugo to join the podcast to kick off our Rhino Wars podcast series. This special series is aiming to educate people about the re...

Robbie first stumbled across Hunters for Hope on Facebook. Two individuals that were on a mission, to feed venison to the needy and hungry in Christchurch in New Zealand. their story went so viral that a coffee company in South Carolina, the legends at Quail Covey Coffee, made a special coffee blend to raise money for them. Well Adam and Steve of Hunters 4 Hope in New Zealand are back, and connect...

As Robbie prepares to jump on a flight to South Africa, he and Ashlee visit about the EXTREME anti-hunting and farming ballot initiative push in Oregon IP28, a Sandhill crane harvest bill that just passed the Wisconsin House and is headed to the Senate, a renewed legislative push in NY to ban the import of African hunting trophies and California’s attempt to cull all deer or Catalina island by aer...

Robbie is joined by Carel Verhoef, a photo tourism operator in the Serengeti area of Tanzania. After learning to love the world of protecting humans from human-wildlife conflict, Carel came up with a groundbreaking strategy to use thermal imaging drones to push elephants away from human habitation and crops. While not a hunter, his pragmatism is infectious and he puts some nuggets of wisdom out th...

Ashlee is joined by Representative Neil Riser, a current House and former Senator of the Louisiana House of Representatives, where they discuss legislation he has helped pass, his leadership forming the CWD Task Force, some of his adventures in extreme hunting all over the world in exotic environments, a near miss being a polar bear’s lunch, to being stranded in the Alaskan Outback to for over 40...

Ashlee is joined by United States Fish and Wildlife Service Director Brian Nesvik almost 6 months to the day that he assumed service, to discuss all the hot topics, including the role USFWS plays in North American wildlife management, public lands access, the Endangered Species Act, delisting of species (or lack thereof), wolves and the situation in CO, the Barred Owl Management Plan, status of gr...

Tara Medina, cofounder of Australian based wild venison company ‘Discovered Wild Foods’ sells “quarter beasts” of Samba deer sausages, tenderloins, steak cuts, and more. Tara was introduced to Robbie via their favorite pie maker Jo Barrett. Tara joins Robbie to talk about the wild foods economy in Australia, about being the first company in Australia distributing wild shot animals into the economy...

Ashlee and Robbie are back from a few weeks of travel and the flu and get ready to meet up at SCI in Nashville this week, but before doing so, delve into what’s happening around the country, including the Right to Fish and Hunt in and a slew of Mexican Wolf Bills that passed the House committee in AZ last week, a Hunter Education in Schools bill heading to the Governor’s desk in GA plus expansion...