Dateline: April 4, 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 discussion about my time spent at Tanganyika Wildlife Park this week, and go into a lot of detail about what makes this such an incredible, and incredibly unique, facility.

We then get to our headline story for the week: Two currently running polls, one for the best zoo in the country, and one for the best aquarium in the country.

We then move on to our births for the week, featuring animals from the Nashville Zoo, Point Defiance Zoo, Stone Zoo, Milwaukee County Zoo, Wrocktaw Zoo, the Bronx Zoo, and Zoo Berlin.

We say goodbye to beloved animals at Happy Hollow Park and Zoo, Chattanooga Zoo, ZooAtlanta, and Rockhampton Zoo.

The rest of our Zoo News stories feature items from the San Diego Zoo Safari Park, Nova Wild Zoo, Chester Zoo, Smithsonian's National Zoo, Mesker Park Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, SeaWorld, the Oakland Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, and Roger Williams Park Zoo.

Then in Conservation News we have good news for sea turtles, a hippo tragedy, the Trump administration doing Trumpy things, and a look at an interesting situation involving koalas in Australia.

In Other News, we talk about why you never see an obese Gila monster.

ROSSIFARI LINKS:
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Today, the Safari heads to Boston to visit our friends at the New England Aquarium to talk all things penguins in celebration of World Penguin Day! Learn about the incredible habitat at the Aquarium that makes life fascinating for the penguins and the trainers there, how the two species that currently call the facility home are similar and different, and so much more! You'll also get to go on an audio tour of the various penguin habitats with me, including the new penguin retirement home!

EPISODE LINKS:

newenglandaquarium.org

@newenglandaquarium on socials

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

@rossifari on socials

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Dateline April 18, 2025

Rossifari Zoo News is back with a collection of stories that go deeper than usual, but less so than last week! This week we share some personal stories, and then look at three headlines from the field.

First, we discuss what an Executive Order signed this week means for animal conservation. Spoiler alert: It's not good.

Then we dive into the labor unrest at the San Diego Zoo.

And we finish up by taking a look at the negative effect the #AIActionFigure trend had on zoos and aquariums this week, and how some facilities rose above the fray to participate in creative ways.

Also, Animal Holidays!

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Today, the Safari heads back to Buttonwood Park Zoo, to talk to newly appointed director Shara Rapoza along with returning friends Sarah Henry and Sara Van Wormer! We talk about the new Ambassador Animal building the zoo is nearing completion on, and what that will look like when it has its glorious opening to the public later this year! We also talk about some of the amazing ambassadors that call the zoo home, what goes into deciding to turn a barn into a state-of-the-art Ambassador building, and so much more! And of course, I start with an update about my girl, Emily the elephant!

EPISODE LINKS:

bpzoo.org

@buttonwoodparkzoo on socials

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

Rossifari.com

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

@rossifari on socials

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Dateline: April 11, 2025.

You knew it was coming, and it's here. An entire episode digging into every aspect of this week's announcement of the "de-extinction" of dire wolves by Colossal Biosciences. We talk about this from a variety of angles, and dig into some of the other claims the company has made. We also look at what this might mean to the current administration, and most importantly, what effect this can have on conservation. And shockingly, Jurassic Park and Game of Thrones references are kept to a minimum. For me.

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod and get stickers

Rossifari.com

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Today, the Safari takes a journey (on Zoom) to Peru to discuss RAREC, the RAINFOREST AWARENESS RESCUE EDUCATION CENTRE, located in Peru! We have a wild and sprawling conversation with John Garnica, the founder of the organization, talking about how his career took him from Kanye to the rainforest, how our friends at The Nashville Zoo made his dream a reality, how a motorcycle accident almost derailed everything, and how, time and again, John has overcome the odds to create a magical place that is doing so much for animals!

EPISODE LINKS:

rarec.org

@rarec.center on socials

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

Rossifari.com

patreon.com/rossifari

@rossifari on socials

@rossifaripod on TikTok

Dateline: April 4, 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 on me and a story about how I saved a beaver this week. Totally good normal stuff.

We then get to two headline stories: one looking at how recent Executive Orders can affect the Smithsonian's National Zoo, and zoos and aquariums in general; and then as a pallet cleanser, a look at some of the best April Fool's posts from facilities we all love!

We then move on to our births for the week, featuring animals from Colchester Zoo, Long Island Aquarium, Hertfordshire Zoo, Altina Wildlife Park, Zoo Miami, Opel Zoo, The Alaska Zoo, and Longleat.

We say goodbye to beloved animals at Brevard Zoo, Gladys Porter Zoo, Columbus Zoo, Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium, the Detroit Zoo, and the Nashville Zoo.

The rest of our Zoo News stories feature items from the New Zoo, Duke Lemur Center, the San Antonio Zoo, SeaLife Sydney, and more.

Then in Conservation News we have good and bad news for wolves and a look at a recent bust in the illegal wildlife trade.

In Other News, we talk about dogs.

ROSSIFARI LINKS:
patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod
rossifari.com
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@rossifaripod on TikTok

Today, the Safari heads back to Providence, RI, to sit down with some incredible team members at Roger Williams Park Zoo. Diana and Emily are an amazing duo that work with ambassador animals and in the commissary (which we never even get to), and have a LOT of fun doing it. This duo has come up in their careers together, and the relationship they share is as amazing as the work they are currently doing. With shoutouts to SANCCOB, VulPro, Amy Fennell, and Dani Poirier-Larson, this episode has it all!

EPISODE LINKS:

rwpzoo.org

@rwpzoo on socials

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

@rossifari on socials

@rossifaripod on TikTok

Rossifari.com

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod