Welcome to The Geographical Podcast, brought to you by Geographical Magazine. The official magazine of the Royal Geographical Society. 

This month, we turn our attention to the changing geography of sexuality. As historic bars and clubs close down in many of the world’s cities, or even where such spaces never existed, queer people are finding other ways to gather. Our long read this month was written by Katie Burton, Geographical’s editor, and is narrated here by actor Simon Paisley-Day. 

In the second half of the podcast, we bring some promising news from the world of lion conservation. Government officials in South Africa have announced plans to reconsider the breeding of lions in captivity for trophy hunting and tourist encounters. The decision marks a shift in South Africa’s stance on the so-called ‘canned hunting’ industry. We speak with Will Travers OBE, co-founder of Born Free Foundation – an animal welfare charity that has long campaigned to bring an end to the ‘canned hunting’ industry. Dr Paul Funston, Director of the Lion Program at conservation charity Panthera then talks us through the industry’s links with the illegal wildlife trade, and what the decision could mean for the illicit, international market for lion body parts. 

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Contributors:

Panthera:
https://www.panthera.org/
@pantheracats

Born Free Foundation:
https://www.bornfree.org.uk/
@BornFreeFDN

Simon Paisley-Day (narration): https://www.unitedagents.co.uk/simon-paisley-day