Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Today, the Safari heads back to the AZA Annual Conference to sit down with Sara Walker of the AZA and Danielle Kessler from IFAW to discuss #notapet and the Wildlife Confiscation Network. We dive deep into what is happening in the illegal wildlife trade right now, how messaging can help make social media posts better, and more.

Episode Links:

ifaw.org

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Today, the Safari heads to Seattle for a non-workshop? What is that? Tune in to find out.

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

Support the pod at Patreon.com/rossifari

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/Zn522A9v2

Find us on social media @rossifari , and @rossifaripod on TikTok

Email: [email protected]

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Today, the Safari heads to Chattanooga by way of Zoom to talk to Dr. Tony, Dom, and Jake of the Chattanooga Zoo. We are discussing Masala, the new spicy red panda cub at the zoo. It turns out her story is a bit of a miracle, and you're going to love hearing every aspect of it.

EPISODE LINKS:

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

Support the pod at Patreon.com/rossifari

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/Zn522A9v2

Find us on social media @rossifari , and @rossifaripod on TikTok

Email: [email protected]

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Dateline: October 16, 2026

Rossifari Zoo News is back with an update on all things zoos, aquariums, conservation, and general animal weirdness.

We start off with me sharing an absolutely crazy story of friendship and a puppy!

Our Headline Story this week is about the man mauled to death by a tiger at Yorkshire Wildlife Park.

Then we have Zoo News stories starting with a look at the facilities that earned accreditation from the AZA at the recent conference, and then additional stories from Chattanooga Zoo, Bronx Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Nashville Zoo, Denver Zoo, Cincinnati Zoo, Smithsonian's National Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Shedd Aquarium, Virginia Aquarium, and still another controversy around Vantara.

In Conservation News we talk about two new species discovered in different ways, killing owls to save owls, and do a deep dive into what population numbers mean, and why the definition of what a species is can matter so much, all in light of research shared at the first ever Red Panda Symposium hosted by Red Panda Network in partnership with SAFE Red Panda!

In Other News we share a reason you need to get to IKEA ASAP!

All that plus Animal Holidays!

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

Support the pod at Patreon.com/rossifari

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/Zn522A9v2

Find us on social media @rossifari , and @rossifaripod on TikTok

Email: [email protected]

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Today, the Safari brings you the first of many interview episodes from the AZA Annual Conference in Portland Oregon! I had the pleasure of sitting down with Dan Ashe and Sarah Milberg of the AZA to talk about some recently conducted public perception polling. We discuss what the polling found, what it means, and where accredited zoos and aquariums go from here.

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Today, the Safari heads to Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 AZA Annual Conference! I chat with Caitlin Doggett, my boss at the Virginia Living Museum, about her time at the conference and how our facility benefitted from sending multiple people. Then I recap my conference day by day.

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Today, the Safari heads to Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 AZA Annual Conference! I chat with multiple guests about their experiences at the conference! Guests include:

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Dateline: October 2, 2026 - Rossifari Zoo News is back with a deep dive into some surprising breaking news this week: The Indianapolis Zoo has lost the gold standard accreditation that can only be obtained through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. We talk through what we know, what we don't yet know, and what might be next for this zoo.

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rossifari.com

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Today, the Safari heads down to Brazil (via Zoom), to talk to Suzanne Smith, the founder of the Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation. Suzanne gives a fascinating look into these incredible animals, then shares her story of falling in love with them and starting the work to save them. We talk about connecting with the local populations, how eco-tourism can drive conservation, and so much more!

EPISODE LINKS:

www.ardcf.org

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rossifari.com

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Dateline September 25, 2026: Today's episode is a deep dive into the legislation that stopped allowing cetaceans in human care, and the absolute failures of the Canadian government and the "empty the tanks" movement to help the animals further than passing that law. We look into the animals that have moved to SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, The Georgia Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Oceanografica Valencia, and the health issues and deaths that have occurred since those animals were moved. Why did this happen? What could have been done better? We dig deep to find the answers.

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