34: Better unguLATE than never with George Ledgard
George knows everything there is to know about hooved creatures that walk on their toes—ungulates, for those in the know—and he’s a keen hunter as well as a technical advisor on the topic of wild animals.
Hear about where we’re at with hunting and wild animal control, from one of our foremost experts who is also a hunter. George wears all the hats.
The audio at the beginning of the episode is a Western weka.
The music used is Let’s Get Down to Business by Cast of Characters
Content warning for (respectful and scientific) discussion of hunting and dead animals
Full shownotes and transcript at www.doc.govt.nz/podcast
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43:01
33: Pen(guin) pals with Cassie Mealey
Cassie has the most interesting answer possible to the question ‘what do you do for fun?’ She rehabilitates penguins.
As one of our technical advisors specialising in fauna, in addition to running swim practice for penguins in her backyard, Cassie has a lot of wildlife rehabilitation stories and tips.
Listen to this unmissable episode now.
The audio used at the beginning is a tawaki/Fiordland crested penguin splashing in pool and making honking sound
The music used is Let’s Get Down to Business by Cast of Characters
Shownotes and transcript at www.doc.govt.nz/podcast
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45:04
32: Parrot patter
Terry is an expert in all kinds of parrots, specifically kākā, kākāriki karaka/NZ parakeet and kākāpō.
He’s spent a lot of time catching and monitoring birds, studying them, and advising on the impacts of predator control on non-target species. Plus, he has some field stories that are so incredible, you’ll think he’s lying. At first, we thought he was lying.
The audio at the beginning of the episode is the call of the North Island kākā
The music used is Let’s Get Down to Business by Cast of Characters
Transcript and shownotes available at www.doc.govt.nz/podcast
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33:37
31: All things kākāpō part 2
Part 2 of our special with kākāpō scientist, Dr. Andrew Digby. We ask listeners’ questions about kākāpō, talk about some of the biggest wins and disappointments in kākāpō management, and learn new facts about this rare, unusual species.
Transcript and shownotes at www.doc.govt.nz/podcast
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21:15
30: All things kākāpō part 1
Dr. Andrew Digby does a deep dive on the science of kākāpō management, recalls weird behaviour he’s observed from them in the field, and explains some of the big challenges the population are facing, including disease outbreak and low fertility.
Transcript and full shownotes at www.doc.govt.nz/pocast
New Zealand