Wild Encounters

Dr. Richard Linnehan is one of the most unique individuals I have ever talked to. A man who inspires, who makes anything seem possible. Taking multiple trips to SPACE, Dr. Linnehan shed light on his role in the missions, how we perceive our problems, and best of all......aliens. This is definitely an episode not to miss, as we dove into some of the most fascinating conversations.

If you ever think you can't do something in life, give this episode a listen and you'll see just how possible all things are. Being a veterinarian and astronaut, what more could you want? 

Dr. Richard Linnehan's Biography

VETPAW, protecting wildlife on the frontlines. Post 9/11 US Veterans is who makes up VETPAW. These individuals are dedicated to protecting and training park rangers to combat poaching on the ground in Africa. Today I was able to speak with the Founder and President of the organization, Ryan Tate. Ryan is one of the most genuine people I've talked to and being able to hear how he is changing/saving parts of the world was amazing.

Check out their website: Vetpaw.org/ Figure how you can get involved to help TODAY!

Make sure you follow them on Instagram @vetpaw to see some amazing footage!

Growing up in rural Michigan, Dr. Erica was never far from animals and started riding horses when she was four years old. She taught horseback riding lessons and directed a summer camp for kids through high school, university, and veterinary school. Her passion for conservation, volunteerism, and eco-tourism began during a high school ambassador trip to Australia. Soon after that, she made it her dream to pursue a career in veterinary medicine.

She has participated in conservation, veterinary, and eco-tourism programs in Australia, New Zealand, Egypt, Greece, Thailand, South Africa, and Costa Rica. While attending veterinary school at Michigan State University, she developed a deep passion for elephant medicine and spent several months over summer breaks and the clinical phase of school working with elephants in Southeast Asia. After earning her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine, Dr. Erica moved to Thailand to work as a full-time veterinarian at a world-renowned elephant sanctuary. She is now an adjunct professor at the University of Findlay and Loop Abroad’s Academic Director and Head Veterinarian.

Dr. Erica teaches a variety of Loop courses including the Elephant Bonus Week, several courses in the Thailand Veterinary Semester Abroad program, and the Vet School Vet Service program. She also loves sharing her experiences and opportunities with pre-vet clubs both in-person while visiting the US and through virtual meetings.

A few of Dr. Erica’s favorite things are adventure sports, nature walks and hikes swimming, and spending time with her dogs, Mango and Lila.

Contact Erica at [email protected]

Check out Loopabroads opportunity at loopabroad.com

Welcome back to volume 2 of Wild Encounters! Today I had the opportunity to chat with a marine mammal veterinarian. She studies the connections between animal health, ocean health, and our own. Coining the term “Zoognosis”, she shed light on the knowledge spread between humans and animals. She spearheaded neurosurgery done to a sea lion in the New York Times! In this fascinating episode, I learned about her ted talk, marine mammal business, and so much more. We got to talk about the importance of both human and animal medicine working together to create change in the world.

Check out her website, Ted Talk, and article on the sea lion brain surgery below.

New York Times Sea Lion Article

https://clairesimeone.com/

Dr. Claire Simeone's Ted Talk

There are animals that roam the streets in all towns and even those little critters need to be cared for. This is when Dr. Andrew Kushnir steps in to provide medical care to animals both near and far. He has traveled to many countries and worked with some insane animals. His opportunities and steps he's taken to get to where he is today were inspiring to listen to. We dove deep into the world of veterinary medicine and how society perceives those working in the animal field and what we need to do in order to sustain our mental health. 

Check out Dr. Kushnir's Instagram page @thenomadvet. Here you'll find incredible stories and pictures of the animals he has cared for first hand.

Check out San Diego Humane society's Instagram page to figure out how you can help and donate @sdhumanesociety

Dr. Max Polyak is an exquisite sea turtle veterinarian. He completed veterinary school at the University of Florida and took post-graduate training in Aquatic Animal Medicine. This man is an educator in animal medicine and conservation in multiple different countries. Dr. Polyak developed advances in the artificial life support system for organs awaiting transplant. Before becoming an exclusive sea turtle veterinarian, he aided as Medical Director of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, the largest new world monkey sanctuary in North America. We chatted about how he took care of retired animals being brought into a sanctuary as a first of their species and how he treats Sea Turtles on a daily basis. Dr. Polyak works at one of the busiest sea turtle hospitals in the world serving as a veterinarian and helping to treat/release sea turtles back into the wild. You won't want to miss some of the insane stories he shares at the end so give it a listen!!

Check out Dr. Max Polyak's website below!

https://unity.edu/faculty/dr-max-polyak/

Check out his Instagram @drmaxpolyak

Check out the center's Instagram @loggerheadmarinelifecenter

Take a gander at the loggerhead marine life center's youtube channel and website!

https://marinelife.org/

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCmp2XY5XQQuYBmOOzZuPG_Q

 I had a great discussion with a freelance journalist who reports about science for the New York Times, National Geographic, BBC future, and more. Rachel Nuwer has a multi-award winning book, Poached: Inside the Dark world of wildlife trafficking that sheds light on many aspects of the illegal animal trade going on around the world. Back in 2010, she investigated the illegal wildlife trade use in Vietnam ultimately leading to the publication of her research after. We discussed the world's highest-trafficked mammal, her encounters with ivory trade, and traditional medicine black markets in China. 

Check out her book!

https://www.amazon.com/Poached-Inside-World-Wildlife-Trafficking/dp/0306825503/ref=sr_1_4?dchild=1&keywords=poached&qid=1595036447&sr=8-4

Check her out on National Geographic:

https://www.nationalgeographic.com/contributors/n/rachel-nuwer/

Rachel's website:

http://www.rachelnuwer.com/about

Learning about intelligent animals is one thing, but what about those that share over 98% of their DNA with us? Just how smart can they be? Today I had the opportunity to talk with the veterinarian at chimp haven, Dr. Raven Jackson-Jewett. Over the last decade, this woman has cared for and looked after hundreds of rescued chimpanzees to give them a shot at living a normal life. This great sanctuary offers 200 acres of land for the chimpanzees to socialize and form families. The stories told in this episode are mind-blowing and what is even greater is the care that the animal care staff provides for each individual chimpanzee.

Make sure to check them out on Instagram for tons of cool photos and videos of what goes on at the sanctuary @chimphaven.  

Check out their website, https://chimphaven.org/, and see how you can donate to make sure the chimps are getting the best quality of life. You can even sign up to get updates on your favorite chimp! You can learn about their habitats, enrichments, and diets so go check it out!

Have you ever looked at the insects on the ground and wondered what they were up to? Well, as it turns out, they do far more than we think! Today I had the opportunity to talk with Gwendolyn Erdosh, an entomology major at UC Davis. The facts I learned about insects in this episode are only the beginning and thanks to Gwendolyn's Instagram page I can learn so much more. Make sure to check her out @gwentomologist and give that follow button a click to learn all things insects. We discussed Ant lions, giant golden orb-weaving spiders, hummingbird moths, and so many more. These insects are CRAZY and you are guaranteed to walk away knowing so many cool insects facts after this episode.

I was fortunate enough to talk with Cristina Zenato, an underwater cave explorer and shark enthusiast. Just over 25 years ago Cristina traveled to the Bahamas to learn how to scuba dive and soon made it her home. Cristina is a passionate cave explorer and trained diver as she has surveyed dozens of cave systems in the Bahamas. When Cristina isn't diving in underwater caves, she works with wild sharks. Specializing in shark diving and shark behavior Cristina is one of the ONLY known individuals that can induce a state of relaxation in the Caribbean reef shark. Cristina has an enormous heart and has dedicated much of her life to the well-being of the ocean. 

You guys HAVE to check out her website ------->  cristinazenato.com  <-----------

This website is filled with galleries, shark information, diving courses, caves, ways to help and SO MUCH MORE!

Cristina is also the founder of a nonprofit called peopleofthewater. Make sure to check out this page on Instagram and learn how to take action!