Episode 11: tayra, monito del monte, zoonotic diseases, African elephants, Welsh beavers and white storks

Welcome to the eleventh episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast! In episode 11, Robi and Emma ramble first about their species of the week: the enigmatic tayra of Central and South America, and the tiny monito del monte, a South American marsupial lost on a sea of time! Then for our global conservation section, the dynamic duo focus on zoonotic diseases and the lessons we can learn from the Covid-19 pandemic on our relationship with the wild, and also highlight why the taxonomic classification of the African elephant really does, truly, matter. For our UK conservation topics, Emma talk about the very exciting reintroduction of beavers to Wales for the first time in 400 years and Robi talks about the fantastic white stork project and our recent interview with the wonderful conservationist and project manager of the white stork project Lucy Groves.  ⁠https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048969720364494⁠ ⁠https://oneworldonehealth.wcs.org/About-Us/Mission/The-Manhattan-Principles.aspx⁠ ⁠https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24933240-800-how-our-abuse-of-nature-makes-pandemics-like-covid-19-more-likely/⁠ ⁠https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/zoonoses⁠ 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 Coordinator 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: @thezoologyramblingspodcast & @robi_watkinson_wildlife & @emma_hodson_wildlife To get exclusive access to podcast notes, background research and references, consider supporting our Patreon (link to come), where you can get all sorts of extra goodies and Zoology Ramblings merch!