Animals — Us and them? What is the purpose of zoos in an extinction crisis?

What this episode covers

Zoos are changing — they are no longer just places for us humans to gawk at animals in cages. In the midst of a global extinction crisis, they are now playing a vital role. So what is their future? This event was recorded at the International Society of Behavioural Ecology Congress in Melbourne on 2 October 2024, with thanks to organiser Professor Andy Bennett from the University of Melbourne. Listen to the rest of our special series Animals — Us and Them? Speakers Dr Sally Sherwin Director of Wildlife Conservation and Science, Zoos Victoria Professor John Woinarski Conservation biologist, Charles Darwin University Author, A Bat's End: The Christmas Island Pipistrelle, Cats in Australia: companion and killer and  more Director, Australian Wildlife Conservancy Co-chair, IUCN Australasian Marsupial and Monotreme Specialist Group Member of the science advisory committees of Zoos Victoria and of Invertebrates Australia Associate Professor Lee Berger Melbourne Veterinary School Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science Professor Dan Blumstein Professor of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology and Professor in the Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles Dr Jen Martin (host) Associate Professor in Science Communication, and founder of the Science Communication Teaching Program, University of Melbourne Host, Triple R community radio Author, Why am I like this? The science behind your weirdest thoughts and habits