During this episode of the Conservation Cast, Maya spoke with Wes Larson who is a biologist who has experience studying polar bears, black bears, and sloth bears. The two discussed human-animal conflict for black bears and sloth bears ranging from habitat encroachment to the “dancing bears” of India that are tortured for street entertainment. Wes shared wild stories from his field expeditions and answered a variety of questions from the live chat. The donations from the podcast went to Wildlife SOS to support their vision of “coexisting in the same landscape in a manner in which both conservation and welfare are addressed for both man and wildlife.”

Maya’s community raised $1,283.01 for Wildlife SOS, an organization committed to protecting India’s national heritage, biodiversity, and forests while addressing welfare for the people that live amidst the wildlife.