ZSL Wild Science Podcast

Deep in the dense rainforests of southern Chile lives a tiny amphibian. Just 3cm long, expertly blending into the browns and green of the forest floor, with a narrow-pointed nose and angular body, the Darwin's frog is fighting for survival.

Scientists at ZSL have spent more than 20 years working on a disease known as chytridiomycosis, which has devastated amphibian populations globally, to try and understand underlying drivers of the distribution, spread and impacts of the disease. In this episode, we hear about the work being done to protect and restore Darwin's frog populations, and how funding from the Postcode Lottery enables this vital research.

Overview

00:12 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:21 Dr Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Research Fellow in Wildlife Health at ZSL 28:48 Will Humpington, Climate Change and Environment Advisor at the Postcode Lottery 33:35 Thank you and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Find out more about the Postcode Lottery's work supporting charitable causes: https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/charities
• More about ZSL's relationship with the Postcode Lottery: https://www.zsl.org/support-us/charitable-trusts-and-foundations
• Find more information on amphibian chytridiomycosis: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/amphibian-chytridiomycosis
• Darwin's frog vocal sac brooding behaviour: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZQGJR6FGgh/
• The first time that chytridiomycosis is documented in a terrestrial species, having previously thought to be only transmissible through water: Valenzuela-Sánchez, A., Delgado-Oyarzún, S., Azat, C. et al. Localized transmission of an aquatic pathogen drives hidden epidemics and population collapse in a terrestrial host. Nat Ecol Evol 10, 308–317 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02930-1
• Watch A Leap of Hope, a ZSL film capturing the rescue mission and 7000-mile expedition made by conservationists to protect the Darwin's frog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs1SIs0KRlk
• Ranita de Darwin and their work in Parque Tantauco: https://www.ranitadedarwin.org/en/rescatetantauco

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Happy World Swallowtail Day to our listeners! 🦋

To mark this special day and celebrate these incredible insects, we catch up with Sophie Ledger, Red List Research Associate and Manager at ZSL's Institute of Zoology, and Dr Mark Collins, President of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, to explore the ecology, adaptations and challenges of this remarkable family of butterflies, and hear about the work being done to protect and conserve them. Whether you're a lifelong lepidopterist, or simply enjoy watching a butterfly in flight, we hope you enjoy this episode.

Overview

00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:19 Sophie Ledger, Red List Research Associate and Manager at ZSL's Institute of Zoology gives an overview of the swallowtail butterfly family, the threats they currently face, and the wonderful (and sometimes weird) adaptations they have evolved to increase their chances of survival 13:29 Sophie and Harriet discuss the work of the IUCN Butterfly and Moth Specialist Group and what comes next for swallowtail populations 22:44 Dr Mark Collins, President of the Swallowtail and Butterfly Birdwing Trust, discusses the work of the Trust both further afield in Malaysia and Bhutan, and closer to home in Norfolk, UK 38:05 Thank you and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Sophie Ledger: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/sophie-ledger
• Collins, N. M., & Morris, M. G. (1985). Threatened swallowtail butterflies of the world: the IUCN Red Data Book. IUCN. Available for download from: https://portals.iucn.org/library/node/6844
• IUCN SSC Butterfly and Moth Specialist Group: https://iucn.org/our-union/commissions/group/iucn-ssc-butterfly-and-moth-specialist-group
• IUCN Red List of Threatened Species assessment overview https://www.iucnredlist.org/assessment/process
• Genital photoreceptors have crucial role in oviposition for females and copulation for males (sees with its genitals). References:
  • Kentaro Arikawa, Hindsight of Butterflies: The Papilio butterfly has light sensitivity in the genitalia, which appears to be crucial for reproductive behavior, BioScience, Volume 51, Issue 3, March 2001, Pages 219–225, https://doi.org/10.1641/0006-3568(2001)051[0219:HOB]2.0.CO;2
  • Kentaro Arikawa, Nobuhiro Takagi "Genital Photoreceptors Have Crucial Role in Oviposition in Japanese Yellow Swallowtail Butterfly, Papilio xuthus," Zoological Science, 18(2), 175-179, (1 March 2001)
• Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust: https://www.sbbt.org.uk/
• Saving Swallowtails Conference: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLbsU_zSUBrn7qcbUIxv1vONuqzcOhnHO-&si=mBA8eg-8cwmSu1pS

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Modern zoos play a critical role in global conservation, but supporting wildlife under human care goes far beyond habitat design. Hear how ZSL's experts use science, behavioural insight and veterinary care to help animals thrive and support species on the brink of extinction. From ensuring penguins can express their natural behaviours, to delivering tailored veterinary care to supports lions' long-term health and welfare, this episode of Wild Science shines a light on the dedication and expertise within ZSL's Evidence-based Animal Care Team and beyond.

Overview

00:13 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:05 Jim Mackie, Animal Behaviour Management Officer, ZSL A history of animal enrichment in zoos, recorded at London Zoo's Penguin Beach 06:57 How zoo animal welfare can contribute to wild species recovery, recorded in the Blackburn Pavilion 20:16 Training for health checks and veterinary care, recorded in the Land of the Lions 39:22 Thank you and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Jim Mackie: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/jim-mackie
• The Science of Saving Species: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/events/science-saving-species
• Lion feeding enrichment example: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hqrweox2UA&t=290

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

How does our DNA, the tiny building blocks that make every species, and every individual, totally distinct, impact our evolution? In this episode, we learn how we can visualise our DNA, or genome, to allow us to better organise the tree of life, and how learning more about this genetic make-up can provide insights into how a species survives in the face of a changing environment. We head to Cambridge, to ring native UK birds and collect samples of their DNA, and then to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, to see learn how those samples are processed and sequenced as part of a collaborative project aiming to sequence the genomes of all eukaryotes in Britain and Ireland; the Darwin Tree of Life project.

Overview

00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:26 Bird ringing in Cambridgeshire and Dr Ava Jenkins, Wildlife Veterinarian and Postdoctoral Research Associate, ZSL Institute of Zoology 03:13 Professor Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life Programme, Wellcome Sanger Institute 06:18 Dr Tom Mathers, Senior Computer Biologist, Wellcome Sanger Institute 12:44 A word of thanks 18:44 A final thought from Mark Blaxter 22:57 Outro

Hi-C contact map of the common crane (Grus grus)

Hi-C contact map showing the common crane genome (https://wellcomeopenresearch.org/articles/10-119/v1) after manual curation. Each block represents a chromosome in order of size from left to right and top to bottom, with dark red cluster in the bottom right hand corner showing unplaced repetitive content.

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Darwin Tree of Life project: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/darwin-tree-life-project
• Dr Ava Jenkins: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/dr-ava-jenkins
• BTO ringing scheme: https://www.bto.org/get-involved/volunteer/projects/bird-ringing-scheme
• Bortoluzzi, C., Wright, C.J., Lee, S., Cousins, T., Genez, T.A.L., Thybert, D., Martin, F.J., Haggerty, L., The Darwin Tree of Life Project Consortium, Blaxter, M., Durbin, R. (2023) Lepidoptera genomics based on 88 chromosomal reference sequences informs population genetic parameters for conservation. Pre-print: https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2023.04.14.536868v1.full.pdf

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Do you know where the wood in your floorboards comes from? Or your desk, or dining chairs? In this episode, we dig deep into the grain of a global issue that is often hidden in plain sight in our offices, our houses and our cities – tracing timber back to its source.

Harriet talks to Annabelle Dodson, ZSL's Sustainable Business Project Manager, and Victor Deklerck, Director of Science at World Forest ID, about how scientists use isotopes to pinpoint where the trees behind our wood products were grown, the role of digital tracking systems in supply chains, and real-world cases where traceability has driven more responsible sourcing and enforcement. This project is funded by Fondation Lombard Odier and the EU through the ECO-SOLVE project.

This episode is part of a series showcasing ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance work.

Please note that this podcast was recorded before the European Commission confirmed changes to the implementation timeline of the EU Deforestation Regulation (EUDR). Compliance requirements for micro and small enterprises have been delayed to 30 December 2026 (previously June 2026), while medium and large enterprises must still comply by 30 December 2025.

Overview

00:14 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 02:10 Annabelle Dodson, Sustainable Business Project Manager, ZSL 03:19 How does illegal timber enter supply chains, and how does traceability help? 05:17 ZSL Cameroon and World Forest ID 07:50 Victor Deklerck, Director of Science, World Forest ID 09:06 From chemical fingerprints to final verification 12:36 Implications for industry 17:05 The future of supply chain transparency 19:21 What can consumers and companies do to support traceability? 20:40 Harriet McAra, summary and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Read more about the project: www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/responsible-sourcing-africa
• World Forest ID: https://worldforestid.org/
• The Alliance for Wood ID Testing: https://worldforestid.org/insights/partnership-with-wwf
• ZSL SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments of timber and pulp companies: https://www.spott.org/timber-pulp/
• Free training materials on forest-driven commodities: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/
• Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected]
• Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation
• Email [email protected] for questions about SPOTT assessments, methodology, or partnership.
• Follow SPOTT on LinkedIn @ZSL SPOTT, X @zslspott or BlueSky ‪@zslspott.bsky.social‬ ‬‬‬‬‬
• ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team offers advisory services to help companies and investors take practical, science-based action for nature. Get in touch: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services

What do car tyres, yoga mats and trainers have in common? They all contain natural rubber, tapped from trees by millions of small farmers, mostly in Asia. While natural rubber production is renewable, its impact on the environment through deforestation, habitat loss and soil degradation, can be great when not managed sustainably.

In this episode, we hear from a Thai rubber farmer, about the challenges faced on the ground, as well as one of the world's biggest tyre makers, Michelin, about rubber's colonial history, its tangled supply chains, and how they're working with farmers on sustainability. Finally, we explore how investors can use their influence to demand better practices and drive industry-wide change that benefits both people and nature.

This episode is part of a series showcasing ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance work.

Overview

00:15 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, and Rachel Poluan, ZSL SPOTT Team: Episode introduction 02:58 Introduction to the natural rubber sector and how rubber is produced 07:30 Edouard De Rostolan, Michelin: The historical legacy of rubber production and supply chains 12:54 Exploring ESG risks and opportunities 23:52 Khun Soontorn, a rubber smallholder in Thailand: A smallholder perspective 32:04 Agroforestry and the environmental aspects of rubber farms 41:38 Joe Horrocks Taylor, Columbia Threadneedle: How can investors and buyers affect change? 1:02:15 Rachel Poluan, summary and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• SPOTT: https://www.spott.org/
• Natural rubber: SPOTT'S ESG policy transparency assessments: https://www.spott.org/natural-rubber/
• SPOTT training hub: https://www.spott.org/training-hub/
• Help keep SPOTT going. Without continued funding, these assessments can't continue. Donate today at https://donate.zsl.org/spott/ or email [email protected]
• Find out more about ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation
• Email [email protected] for questions about SPOTT assessments, methodology, or partnership.
• Follow SPOTT on LinkedIn @ZSL SPOTT, X @zslspott or BlueSky ‪@zslspott.bsky.social‬ ‬‬‬‬‬
• ZSL's Sustainable Business and Finance team offers advisory services to help companies and investors take practical, science-based action for nature. Get in touch: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/working-with-business/advisory-services

The coastal waters of Wales are home to a whopping 27 species of sharks, skates and rays, known collectively as elasmobranchs, and they are a fundamental part of Wales' natural heritage. But even so, research on their biology and conservation status is lacking. In this episode, Wild Science hits the road to join scientists from Project SIARC and the Ocean Predator Lab in North Wales as they work with local fishing communities to monitor tope sharks, and contribute to better understanding and conservation of shark species in the region.

Overview

00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 01:26 Welcome to Pwllheli 03:13 Interview with David Curnick, Research Fellow, Institute of Zoology, ZSL and Head of the Ocean Predator Lab 06:18 How to tag a tope shark 12:44 Interview with Daniel Montgomery, Postdoctoral Research Assistant, Institute of Zoology, ZSL 18:44 Interview with Jake Davies, Project SIARC Technical Specialist, ZSL and Natural Resources Wales 22:57 Outro and final reflections

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Project SIARC: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/project-siarc
• Ocean Predator Lab: https://www.oceanpredatorlab.com/
• David Curnick: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/david-curnick
• A fisher's perspective: Using half a century of local fisher knowledge to identify socio-economic, ecological and legislative trends influencing angelshark (Squatina squatina) records in Wales: https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/pan3.70044

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

Making sure that the animals held in ZSL's two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, are fed a diet that can help them thrive is crucial, both for keeping them healthy under managed care, and ensuring they are in the best possible shape for a return to the wild. Amanda Ferguson is ZSL's Diet Management Officer and is responsible for creating tailored diets for all the animals across both ZSL Zoos, from snails to elephants! We learn how to feed an animal for which there are no guidelines, why enriched feeding methods are so important, and why you'll rarely see a monkey at London Zoo with a banana.

Overview

00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction

01:10 Interview with Amanda Ferguson

25:16 How does nutrition help us recover wild populations?

33:04 Outro and final reflections

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• The Evolution of Enrichment, a public event held at ZSL featuring a talk from Amanda Ferguson on how diet presentation can meet the behavioural needs of animals: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Hqrweox2UA
• Amanda Ferguson: https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Amanda-Ferguson-9
• Corncrake conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/conserving-native-birds
• Mountain chicken frog conservation: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/mountain-chicken-frog-conservation
• Comparison of the nutritional content of the captive and wild diets of the critically endangered mountain chicken frog (Leptodactylus fallax) to improve its captive husbandry https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30221785/

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

After our Nature's Negotiators miniseries, where we learned all about the complexities, challenges and importance of United Nations climate and biodiversity meetings, we wanted to give the gift of a bonus episode to round things off! We catch up with Bethan to hear how things went after she attended COP29, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Azerbaijan.

Overview

00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction

00:54 Bethan Laughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, on how the finance negotiations at COP29 played out

06:37 Bethan on the strength of language used in texts agreed at COP29, and how that came to be

10:38 Bethan on the accuracy of the portrayal of COP29 in the media

12:38 The other themes discussed at COP29

14:04 What can be expected at the next climate COP in Belem, Brazil

16:17 Outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Bethan Laughlin: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/bethan-laughlin
• ZSL's United Nations and Intergovernmental Policy Engagement: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/conservation/creating-change/informing-policy/united-nations-and-intergovernmental-engagement
• ZSL's COP16 position statement: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/CBD%20COP16%20Key%20Asks%20-%20October%202024.pdf
• "Negotiations ran out of time, but action on biodiversity loss cannot be postponed…" Blog written by Georgina Chandler: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/cbd-cop16-negotiations-ran-out-time-action-biodiversity-loss-cannot-be

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation

2024 has been a big year for international climate policy, with two UN Conference of Parties, or COPs, taking place in quick succession; COP16 in Colombia followed just a few weeks later by COP29 in Azerbaijan. In this episode of Wild Science, we follow on from part one of our Nature's Negotiators miniseries, and are once again joined by Bethan Laughlin, ZSL Senior Policy Specialist. We discuss the challenges and successes of the two biodiversity and climate COPs, tackle some new UN lingo, and hear about key hopes for the future of climate policy.

Overview

00:12 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction

01:12 Bethan Laughlin, ZSL's Senior Policy Specialist, speaking from COP16 in Cali, Colombia

02:13 Interview with Bethan Laughlin on the successes of COP16

04:05 Insights on the ground at COP16: Davi Teles, Mónica Franco Gutiérrez & Liliana Patricia Saboyá Acosta

07:47 Georgina Chandler, ZSL's Head of Policy and Campaigns, on digital sequence information

10:34 Continued: Interview with Bethan on the challenges of COP16 and opportunities for the future

17:56 Carly Siege, Manager for International Policy Conservation International

19:30 Thomas Pickford, UK Partnerships and Policy Lead, The Nature Conservancy

30:45 Final reflections, an update from Bethan, and outro

Resources

• If there's a topic you'd like to hear on a future podcast, or if you'd like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
• Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
• Bethan Laughlin: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/bethan-laughlin
• Georgina Chandler: https://www.zsl.org/about-zsl/our-people/georgina-chandler
• Read more about our EDGE Fellows: https://www.edgeofexistence.org/edge-fellows/
• ZSL's COP16 position statement: https://cms.zsl.org/sites/default/files/2024-10/CBD%20COP16%20Key%20Asks%20-%20October%202024.pdf
• "Negotiations ran out of time, but action on biodiversity loss cannot be postponed…" Blog written by Georgina Chandler: https://www.zsl.org/news-and-events/feature/cbd-cop16-negotiations-ran-out-time-action-biodiversity-loss-cannot-be

Get in touch

• Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
• Tweet us @ZSLScience with the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
• Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation