Welcome to the forty third episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Robi starts by talking about the unusual fake news claiming that the government is planning to cull 95% of the ponies on Dartmoor. Emma discusses the unprecedented global temperatures we've been experiencing this summer. Robi and Emma then compete for the sexiest bird in their species of the week. Robi talks about the Malaysian rail babbler, and Emma sheds light on the plight of the Javan magpie. To end, Robi and Emma delve into the secret return of the Eurasian eagle owl to Britain.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Zoology Ramblings Merch: https://zoology-ramblings.teemill.com/

Welcome to the forty-second episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi return with busy updates, including Robi's recent fieldwork adventures in Africa and Emma's bittersweet time at work wrapping up a year-long programme with the Wildlife Champions she supports. For their species of the week, Emma goes rogue and Robi goes cute. Emma talks about the death ball sponge and Robi talks about his adventures looking for pygmy hippos in West Africa. For their local conservation stories, Robi delves into the genomic fragility of Europe's Grey Wolves and Emma pays tribute to Sir David Attenborough, who recently celebrated his 100th birthday. To end, Emma talks about the rise in trafficking of the golden lion tamarin and Robi shares some exciting news about the discovery of two species of marsupial thought to only exist in the fossil record.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the forty-first episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi start by welcoming the newest Patreon members and sharing some exciting news about Robi's new research paper and Zoology Ramblings merch on Teemill. For their species of the week, Robi talks about the brilliantly named snot otter and Emma discusses the small but mighty giraffe weevil. For their local conservation stories, Robi sheds light on a little known hunting practice in the UK called the guga hunt and Emma talks about the importance of toad patrols in helping toads reach their breeding ponds. For their global conservation stories, Robi shares some good news for forest elephants, with DNA from dung helping improve the accuracy of recording this species across its range. To end, Emma spotlights the amazing work of 'pangolin lady', Dr. Tulshi Laxmi Suwal, who has been pioneering pangolin research in Nepal over the last 15 years.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the fortieth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi share some exciting news about the launch of their new merch range on Teemill, featuring beaver t-shirts, bison hoodies, stork tote bags, lynx jumpers and more. These have been designed by the awesome artist Nature Squiggles. You can browse our awesome nature merch here:

https://zoology-ramblings.teemill.com/

Emma and Robi then delve into their strange species of the week, with Emma talking about the highly invasive Chinese mitten crab and Robi discussing the Antechinuses which display suicidal mating behaviours (aka death by sex). Emma and Robi then delve into a 'Rewilding Deep Dive', exploring the proposed reintroduction of elk to the UK.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-ninth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi adopt a wintery, festive theme for this December episode. They start by looking back at their wildlife adventures from 2025. Robi also explores the question 'to Beave or Not To Beave?', when considering the role of beavers contributing to natural flood management. For his species of the week, Robi discusses the festive reindeer and Emma talks about the Arctic fox and her special connection to them in Iceland. For their local conservation stories, Robi spotlights some exciting new research showing how reintroducing wolves in Scotland could help regenerate forests and sequester carbon. Emma platforms the European Young Rewilders, with Emma and Robi keen to join the movement. Robi and Emma end with their global conservation news, with Robi delving deeper into polar bear hunting and management, breaking down WWF's stance on this topic. Emma ends by sharing some sad new for snowy owls in Sweden, but also some better news for the species in North America. We look forward to bringing you with us into 2026!

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-eighth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi comment on recent updates to the UK's Planning and Infrastructure Bill, and myth bust the idea that sharks are older than trees. Robi also shares some exciting news about presenting his masters research at a BioShorts conference. Deviating away from mammals, Emma talks about the Salk Creek tiger beetle for her animal of the week and the efforts underway to conserve the species and its habitat. Robi enlightens us on the Yokozuna slickhead - a mysterious, understudied fish found 2,000 meters under the sea. Emma and Robi then delve into a 'Rewilding Deep Dive', exploring the possible reintroduction of the European tree frog to the UK.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-seventh episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi start with some news, with Robi talking about a farmer who's used beavers not only to stop flooding, but boost income on his farm. Emma offers a tribute to the wonderful Jane Goodall, looking back at her legacy. For his species of the week, Robi talks about the Vietnamese mossy frog and Emma discusses the Gollum-looking water opossum. Onto their local conservation stories, Robi talks about the impact of growing populations of Atlantic Bluefin Tuna off in Cornwall and Emma shares news of an exciting new pine marten release in Exmoor National Park. To end, Robi delves into the 'forgotten leopards' and Emma discusses the importance of hopeful journalism.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-sixth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi talk about their recent meet up at the Ealing Beaver Project for a Big Gay Beaver Day. Robi also shares some exciting news of eDNA and sniffer dogs rediscovering lost Sumatran rhinos. Emma then talks about the Ethiopian wolves for her species of the week, including an exciting new discovery of them feeding on nectar. Robi then talks about the ingeniously adapted antbed parrot moth that lives in temperature-regulated termite mounds. Emma and Robi end by delving into Scottish wildcats and their suitability for reintroduction across the UK.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-fifth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this episode, Emma and Robi start with some news, including good news for spoonbills in Norfolk, and bat-friendly lighting in the Netherlands. Robi and Emma then review Attenborough's new Oceans film, sharing highlights as well as differing opinions about the effectiveness of top-down vs bottom-up influence. They then dive into their species of the week, where Emma talks about the Aesculapian snakes in the UK and Robi talks about the amazingly camouflaged proboscis bat. For their local conservation stories, Emma discusses the ladybird swarms that have been spotted all across the UK due to warmer weather. Robi takes us on an interesting thought experiment about the history of dholes in Europe and their relationship to big bats. They end this episode with their global conservation stories, where Emma talks about glow in the dark marsupials and Robi shares exciting news about the rediscovered little kiwi.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife

Welcome to the thirty-fourth episode of the Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

In this special episode, Emma and Robi answer their most commonly asked question: how did you get into zoology/conservation? Emma and Robi offer a personal dive into their professional pathways, looking at how they got into the jobs they are in now, outlining the challenges of the environmental sector and what makes it all worth it.

Emma and Robi also share some news to start, including welcoming our first Patreon members - thank you for supporting the podcast! Robi gives an update about the silver-backed chevrotain, which now has its own conservation breeding programme. Emma explores the first documented case of tool use in orca, talking about how orca are using kelp to mutually remove parasites from each other. Robi also talks about the exciting African Parks Rhino Rewild initiative, which has see 70 southern white rhinos transferred from South Africa to Rwanda. For their species of the week, Emma talks about the basking shark and Robi discusses the forest-dwelling Guam kingfisher.

Robi Watkinson is a Conservation Biologist and wildlife filmmaker specialising in the spatial and movement ecology of large carnivores, camera trapping survey methods, rewilding, metapopulation dynamics and conservation planning. He has an MSc in Conservation Biology from the FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, and the Institute of Communities and Wildlife in Africa, University of Cape Town. He is based between Cape Town and London, and has strong interests in equitable and inclusive conservation, palaeontology and wildlife taxonomy and evolution!

Emma Hodson is a Zoologist and wildlife content creator, currently working in the community and engagement team at Avon Wildlife Trust. Emma’s role as a Wildlife Champions Project Officer involves supporting and upskilling people to take action for nature in their local communities. Emma has experience in remote wildlife fieldwork, and has been part of Arctic fox, macaw and cetacean research teams in Iceland, Peru and Wales respectively. She has also been involved in animal care and rehabilitation work in Costa Rica and South Africa. Emma is particularly passionate about the interface between community engagement and wildlife monitoring, and enjoys running workshops and giving talks on topics including camera trapping, beaver ecology and rewilding. 

You can watch "Rewilding A Nation" for free on WaterBear by following this link: https://www.waterbear.com/watch/rewilding-a-nation . You can follow more of our weird and wonderful wildlife adventures on instagram: @zoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife