Rossifari Podcast - Zoos, Aquariums, and Animal Conservation

Today, the Safari heads to Portland, Oregon, for the 2026 AZA Annual Conference! I chat with multiple guests about their experiences at the conference! Guests include:

Dr. Lisa Dabek of Woodland Park Zoo and the Tree Kangaroo Conservation Program

Dr. Jenn Torpie of the Pittsburgh Zoo and Aquarium and SAFE Red Panda

Schaneé Anderson of Sedgwick County Zoo

Kaylee Doughty, Andrew Evans, Heidi Schultz, Sean DePaola, and Jaiden Landsdowne-Vaughn of Friends University

Elaina Jones, a former student at the start of her career

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

Support the pod at Patreon.com/rossifari

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/hvWZguvu4

Find us on social media @rossifari and @rossifaripod on TikTok

Email: rossifaripod@gmail.com

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dateline: October 2, 2026 - Rossifari Zoo News is back with a deep dive into some surprising breaking news this week: The Indianapolis Zoo has lost the gold standard accreditation that can only be obtained through the Association of Zoos and Aquariums. We talk through what we know, what we don't yet know, and what might be next for this zoo.

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

@rossifari on socials

@rossifaripod on TikTok

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, the Safari heads down to Brazil (via Zoom), to talk to Suzanne Smith, the founder of the Amazon River Dolphin Conservation Foundation. Suzanne gives a fascinating look into these incredible animals, then shares her story of falling in love with them and starting the work to save them. We talk about connecting with the local populations, how eco-tourism can drive conservation, and so much more!

EPISODE LINKS:

www.ardcf.org

@ardcfoundation on socials

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

@rossifari on socials

@rossifaripod on TikTok

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Dateline September 25, 2026: Today's episode is a deep dive into the legislation that stopped allowing cetaceans in human care, and the absolute failures of the Canadian government and the "empty the tanks" movement to help the animals further than passing that law. We look into the animals that have moved to SeaWorld San Antonio, SeaWorld San Diego, The Georgia Aquarium, Shedd Aquarium, and Oceanografica Valencia, and the health issues and deaths that have occurred since those animals were moved. Why did this happen? What could have been done better? We dig deep to find the answers.

Episode Links:

Rossifari.com

Patreon.com/rossifari to support the pod

@rossifari on socials

@rossifaripod on TikTok

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/hvWZguvu4

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Today, the Safari heads back to Baltimore to visit the Maryland Zoo. We head to the enrichment lab to discuss how modern technology is really helping us understand how to enrich the lives of animals in incredible ways in zoos, and how inspiration from the past is leading the charge today. Truly one of the most exciting episodes we've had.

EPISODE LINKS:

@marylandzoo

marylandzoo.org

ROSSIFARI LINKS:

rossifari.com

Support the pod at Patreon.com/rossifari

Join the Discord at https://discord.gg/hvWZguvu4

Find us on social media @rossifari , and @rossifaripod on TikTok

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.