The First WildLife Podcast with Founder Laurel Neme

Short preview of our first new episode! Why are vultures called the "soap of the savanna"? THE WORLD OF VULTURES In this episode, Laurel Neme and Jeff Barbee will delve into the world of vultures—what they are, why they’re important, the threats they face, and crucially, what happens if we lose them? Guest:  Dr. Corinne Kendall, conservation biologist and Southern Africa Program Director for The Peregrine Fund. Vultures are big, high-flying birds that can soar on thermals with little effort. They also have keen eyesight and sense of smell that lets them find carcasses even from miles away. They play a critical role in the ecosystem by consuming the remains of dead animals, which in turn keeps diseases at bay. On the African continent, vultures are in serious trouble. One of the main threats to them is poisoning. As scavengers, they're particularly susceptible—especially when carcasses are laced with lethal pesticides. This can lead to high mortality events and cause populations to plummet. Yet The Peregrine Fund, Endangered Wildlife Trust and others are doing a lot to help them, such as helping rangers find the birds in time for them to be rehabilitated. How can you help? Here are some vital links to support these incredible animals today!  THE PEREGRINE FUND: https://peregrinefund.org/ ENDANGERED WILDLIFE TRUST: https://ewt.org/ EXPLORE VULTURES: https://peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species?species=vultures  Got feedback? email us: [email protected]

Short preview of our first new episode! Why are vultures called the "soap of the savanna"? THE WORLD OF VULTURES In this episode, Laurel Neme and Jeff Barbee will delve into the world of vultures—what they are, why they’re important, the threats they face, and crucially, what happens if we lose them? Guest:  Dr. Corinne Kendall, conservation biologist and Southern Africa Program Director for The Peregrine Fund. Vultures are big, high-flying birds that can soar on thermals with little effort. They also have keen eyesight and sense of smell that lets them find carcasses even from miles away. They play a critical role in the ecosystem by consuming the remains of dead animals, which in turn keeps diseases at bay. On the African continent, vultures are in serious trouble. One of the main threats to them is poisoning. As scavengers, they're particularly susceptible—especially when carcasses are laced with lethal pesticides. This can lead to high mortality events and cause populations to plummet. Yet The Peregrine Fund, Endangered Wildlife Trust and others are doing a lot to help them, such as helping rangers find the birds in time for them to be rehabilitated. How can you help? Here are some vital links to support these incredible animals today!  THE PEREGRINE FUND: https://peregrinefund.org/ ENDANGERED WILDLIFE TRUST: https://ewt.org/ EXPLORE VULTURES: https://peregrinefund.org/explore-raptors-species?species=vultures  Got feedback? Email us: [email protected]

Go behind the scenes of a pangolin rescue with Thai Van Nguyen, founder and executive director of Save Vietnam's Wildlife, and Gillian Foster, the organization's Communications Advisor. Save Vietnam's Wildlife is the first Vietnamese NGO dedicated to saving pangolins. Pangolins are arguably the world's most trafficked mammal, with an estimated 100,000 captured each year. People hunt them for their meat and their scales, which are used in traditional Asian medicine. Vietnam has two of the eight pangolin species, Sunda and Chinese pangolins, both critically endangered. In just eight months (July 2015-February 2016), Save Vietnam's Wildlife rehabilitated and released 75 pangolins rescued from the trade.

While researching bats for one of her films, documentary filmmaker Carol Foster learned that humans were also doing what bats could do, namely using echolocation to see.That set her off on a project to help the blind in Belize learn this amazing skill. She’s even launched a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo to fund the effort. In this interview, we talk about what we can learn from bats and how the blind uses flash sonar to see the world.

In 2007 fellow Girl Scouts Madison Vorva and her friend Rhiannon Tomtishen embarked on a campaign to save the orangutan by targeting unsustainable palm oil production and the many products that use it, including Girl Scout cookies. Both young women have been featured on major media outlets and have won several awards for their activism, including the United Nations Forest Heroes award.