Episode 1: American sloths, Australia ghost bats, African canned hunting and British badger culling

Welcome to the inaugural episode of The Zoology Ramblings Podcast!

For the species of the week, Emma and Robi delve into the fascinating world of the sloths, those strange Xenarthrans of the Americans, as well as the cryptic and carnivorous ghost bat of Australia! The dynamic duo also touch on a (new?!) species of wolf in Africa! Then for the conservation section of the episode, Robi and Emma take a deep dive into the complex practices of canned hunting of African lions and the UK government's disastrous badger culling policies.

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 up-skilling 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

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