Explore every episode of the podcast Mammalwatching

Charles and Jon get a glimpse into the fascinating world of African mole-rats with Kyle Finn, a Postdoctoral Fellow from Linnaeus University, Sweden and one of the world's foremost experts on this family of species.

Kyle talks about his work studying Damaraland Mole-rats for his master's degree at the Kalahari Research Centre and then studying Natal Mole-rats in the Drakensberg for his PhD.

He runs through many of the ways in which mole-rats are exceptional. They are exceptionally long-loved, immune to cancer and, with an ability to fight the aging process at a cellular level, may hold the secret to the fountain of youth. And two species live - like bees - in colonies with defined roles including a single reproducing queen, making them the world's only eusocial mammals. 

Kyle also shares some of his adventures from his time in the Kalahari including almost missing a Temminck's Ground Pangolin that he was convinced was an April Fool's Day prank.

We start the episode by discussing whether feeding wildlife can ever benefit conservation. Jon also shares some recent travel highlights from a trip with Kyle across South Africa, that featured - of course - five mole-rat species, and 12 days in Kenya where he saw a stunning Mountain Bongo and a spectacular Welwitsch's Myotis. 

Notes: Jon's trip report from South Africa is here. And his Kenya report is here. Here is more on the 'Alexander' - Richard D Alexander - Kyle mentioned. "In 1974 he created a detailed model for a eusocial vertebrate, having no idea that a mammal with these characteristics actually existed. It turned out that his hypothetical eusocial rodent was a "perfect description" of the Naked Mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber)."

If you are interested in visiting South Africa in November 2027 with Jon and Kyle please write to mammalwatching@gmail.com.

Here is a list of papers that discuss some of the issues around feeding wildlife.

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Cover art: Kyle and a Cape Mole-rat

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 120 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Stratton Hatfield and Koen Betjes, two conservation researchers involved in a range of fascinating work in Africa.

We cover a lot of ground from Giant Pangolin research in Kenya to the importance of taxonomy for conservation and mammal listing.

The pair talk about how they have just - together with Charles - solved the mystery of a mysterious mongoose, a case worthy of Sherlock Holmes.

And Stratton and Koen run through a set of mammal encounters guaranteed to send any mammalwatcher weak at the knees from close encounters with Allen's Swamp Monkeys and Mountain Bongos to having a bath with a Giant Otter Shrew!

Notes: Stratton Hatfield grew up in Zimbabwe and moved to Kenya when he was 12. He spent his childhood exploring the African bush and now lives in the Netherlands where he's finishing is PhD at Wageningen University (on the foraging ecology of Martial Eagles in Kenya’s Maasai Mara). He continues to spend a great deal of time travelling throughout Africa working on wildlife research and guiding, with much of his current focus on conservation through his job with the BAND Foundation, supporting projects across southern Kenya and northern Tanzania. He is an avid fan of wildlife mysteries especially those related to cryptic diversity, biogeography and taxonomy.

Koen Betjes studied wildlife management in the Netherlands and has since worked in some remote regions in Africa, including on Mandrills in southern Gabon, and biodiversity surveys south of Salonga National Park in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. He also works with the Dutch evolutionary biologist and television presenter Freek Vonk on wildlife and conservation projects. 

Koen and Stratton are now working together in Kenya for the Pangolin Project, which works to protect Kenya's last remaining Giant Pangolins.

Jon's trip report from Northeast Brazil is here. And here is some information on the Matto Grosso Primate Route.

Here is information on the Lost Species Initiative we mentioned.

Please take a minute to complete this survey about becoming a contributing member of mammalwatching.com.

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

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Cover art: Jackson's Mongoose (camera trap), David Gulden.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to mammalwatcher and environmental lawyer Brett Hartl from his home in Prescott, Arizona.

After beginning his working life as a ranger in Montana's Glacier National Park, Brett went to law school and now coordinates the Center for Biological Diversity's work on federal legislative issues that affect endangered species and other environmental concerns.

Brett explains how - and why - he made the transition from a field biologist to environmental lawyer.

He explains the process behind mounting a legal case, using Wolverine protection as an example. And he outlines the vital role mammalwatchers can play in helping environmental advocacy groups mount a legal case (see notes below). 

And Brett talks about some of his favorite mammalwatching adventures including bumping into a Wolverine in Montana and swimming with Blue Whales in Sri Lanka.

At the start of the episode we get an update from Marc Bozon about progress to date on his 2026 Big Cat Year. You can read all about Marc's adventures, and his support for conservation, on his website including his encounter with the mythical Bornean Bay Cat.

Notes: Brett explained that if any mammalwatcher has seen, tried to see, or has plans to see, a specific species then you could be key to mounting a legal case to protect a that animal, particularly for one of the more obscure mammals where it can be hard to find someone who would personally be harmed by that species' extinction. We, however, can legitimately explain why our hopes and dreams are in tatters if that particular vole or shrew were to disappear. 

So if you would like to help US environmental advocacy groups protect mammals, then consider becoming a member of one of the key groups fighting to protect US wildlife: the Center for Biological Diversity, Defenders of Wildlife, NRDC, and/or Wildearth Guardians. If you would like to be a standing declarant in particular, feel free to reach out to Brett at bhartl@biologicaldiversity.org and he will keep your contact information for future legal fights to better protect mammals under the law.

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Brett Hartl in the Central African Republic.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon compare notes from their recent trips to China, and talk the joys of travel there, especially the country's superb mammalwatching opportunities. 

Charles and his family spent 10 days in China's Qinghai Province in May, while Jon was in China for a month from mid-April, including almost two weeks in Yunnan Province and a few days in Qinghai.

We discuss the Gouli Valley, and the extraordinary carnivore watching there, due in large part to a guide with superhuman vision. Charles has a close encounter with some Tibetan caterpillar connoisseurs and Jon discovers that seeing any species might be possible with the help of the right friends in China, especially when one is the 'mammal lord'.

Notes: Jon's 2026 reports from China - Yunnan, Qinghai, Tangjiahe, Guangxi and Zhejiang - are already available on mammalwatching's China page. If you are interested in details of the tour he will lead across Qinghai next year, including to the original Valley of the Cats, please email.

The study of Fishers predating Lynxes that Charles discussed at the start is here.

If you would like to submit you own notes from the field then please get in touch with Jon at info@mammalwatching.com

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Pallas’s Cat in the Gouli Valley, February 2026. Photograph by Man Fu.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to conservationists and primatologists Tom Butynski and Yvonne de Jong from their base in Kenya.

Tom and Yvonne run the East African Primate Diversity and Conservation Program and research primates and other mammals in East Africa.

After explaining how their rural childhoods fostered a love for nature, Tom and Yvonne outline very varied career paths that took them around the world and eventually to Kenya - and each other - 25 years ago.

They talk about the importance of citizen science and describe some of the work they are undertaking on a range of species, including the critically endangered Southern Patas Monkey. And they outline the process they have followed to describe the several new primate species and subspecies they have described.

Charles is delighted to hear that if people looking for a new purpose in life then "dik-diks are the way to go", while Jon is shocked when Yvonne claims that she and Tom are not yet "as cool as the birders"!

The episode begins with Charles and Jon taking about their March 2026 weekend in Florida featuring a Florida Mouse and a very lengthy wrong turn!

Notes: Tom and Yvonne's Wild Solutions website is a goldmine of mammalwatching information, including some excellent free pocket guides to African primates, and a sound library of vocal profiles of many galago species (the calls of which are often indispensable to species identification).

Jon and Charles's weekend in Florida report is here.

If you would like to submit you own notes from the field then please get in touch with Jon at info@mammalwatching.com

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Tom & Yvonne in the field by Rick Strooper.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Joel Sartore, founder of NatGeo's Photo Ark project and one of the world's most preeminent wildlife photographers.

Joel describes his passion for conservation, a passion inspired by parents who cared and a childhood spent in nature. 

He outlines his career, which took him from a cub photographer with the Wichita Eagle, to National Geographic where he now runs the Photo Ark and has photographed more than 18,000 species in human care. 

Joel explains his photographic techniques and the influence of the artist John James Audubon. 

And he offers hope for the future, despite the extinction crisis we are facing, talking about how zoos and ecotourism are helping to save nature. Meanwhile Joel frightens Jon at the prospects of life "in the chocolate factory".

Notes:  You can follow Joel on Instagram, along with almost 2 million other people. There are many articles and videos about Joel online, including this PBS show Rare: Creatures of the Photo Ark about his work.

Here's the article about the Banteng recovery in Thailand which Charles discusses at the beginning of the episode. You can find many Thailand trip reports here.

If you would like to submit you own notes from the field then please get in touch with Jon at info@mammalwatching.com

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Portrait of Joel Sartore, 2021, by Ellen Sartore.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon chat with Nick Mcphee, founder of Nick's Adventures Bolivia, from his home in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia.

Nick explains how a childhood love of wildlife - inspired by growing up near Steve Irwin's Australia Zoo - led him to Bolivia after five years in the Australian army and another three working in Afghanistan's Helmand Province. 

He talks about the many - and exceptionally diverse - mammalwatching opportunities in Bolivia that range from what is arguably Latin America's best Jaguar watching through to mega-mammals like Chaco Peccaries, Giant Armadillos and Goeldi's Monkey. Plus Nick describes the many and diverse threats these animals are facing: threats that he is passionate about tackling through the ecotourism he is pioneering.

Nick has more than his fair share of funny stories from running tours. We hear about the time that someone mistook a cup of vinegar for water. And we learn what can happen when a married couple turn up on a jungle trip with wildly differing expectations!

The podcast opens with notes from the field from Jon's February trip to Guatemala and we chat about our 2023 visit to Klalik Village in West Papua that is now in the news.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There are dozens of trip reports from tours with Nick's Adventures on mammalwatching's Bolivia page. Here's a report of Charles's 2023 trip with Nick to Jaguarland and Kaa Iya and this is Jon's report to Beni and Pando from 2024.

You can follow Nick on Facebook and Instagram. This is his listing on mammalwatching.

Jon's trip report from Guatemala is here (a research tour led by former podcast guest José Gabriel Martinez-Fonseca).

Here's a fun Instagram reel about our visit to Klalik and the scientific and conservation impacts that one night in that forest created. If you haven't heard our podcast episode about that trip then it is one of our most popular.

If you would like to submit you own notes from the field then please get in touch with Jon at info@mammalwatching.com

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here. https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Nick rescues a sloth

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City.

Charles and Jon turn the podcast over to three of the youngest mammalwatchers we know: Ellen Linton (20), Bruno Kovacs Gomez (16) and Moses Swanson-Mwamasika (15).

In a lively chat the three share stories about their passion, why they love it and what their friends and family think. We hear stories about pizza with a Caracal in South Africa; close encounters with pouched rats in Zimbabwe; and a quest for a Golden Jackal in Hungary. The next generation also offer advice on how to encourage friends to join a trip. So press play if you want to learn how to sneakily turn a road trip with your bestie into a pocket gopher safari or are contemplating more extreme measures ... 

The podcast starts with 'notes from the field' from Jannico Kelk and Nicolas Rakotopare, recorded live in Darjeeling moments after a spectacular Red Panda encounter.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: All three of our guests have submitted several reports to mammalwatching. See for instance Ellen's road trip through Oregon and Idaho; Moses's goodbye to Zimbabwe report; and Bruno's family trip through Corfu, Vienna and Hungary.

Download Scythebill to manage your mammal list here https://www.scythebill.comhttps://www.scythebill.com

You can find wildlife filmmaker Nicolas Rakotopare and wildlife photographer Jannico Kelk on Instagram. Their notes from the field was recorded on a scouting trip for their upcoming Red Panda photo safaris.

If you would like to submit you own notes from the field then please get in touch with Jon at info@mammalwatching.com

You can support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee here https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: The Next Generation

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon don't have a guest this month. Instead we talk to each about our recent trips to southern Tanzania (Charles) and Tierra del Fuego (Jon).

Charles's adventure coincided with the Tanzanian elections and an outbreak of protests. These may have shut down the country but did not deter its mammalwatchers! In between negotiating their way through road blocks and buying diesel from trucks stuck on the road, they managed to see a ridiculous number of mammal species (almost 80) including the Kipunji, a primate only discovered by scientists a few years ago.

Jon's trip through Patagonia went more smoothly. The highlight was a day looking for Leopard Seals in a remote area of Chilean Tierra del Fuego. He had crippling views of the seal amongst jaw dropping scenery. One of his best days ever.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Charles's report is here https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/rare-mammals-and-riots-in-southern-tanzania/ . He organized his tour through African Pangolin Safaris. The owner, guide, and all round troubleshooter, Mansoor Mohamed can be reached at info@africanpangolinsafaris.com. Learn more about the discovery of the Kipunji in Season 1 Episode 4 of this podcast when we talk to Tim Davenport.

Jon's Patagonia report is at https://www.mammalwatching.com/community-post/patagonia-buenos-aires-province-december-2025/. He organized his trip with Marcelo Gavensky from Birds Argentina, also a former podcast guest.

If you interested in joining Jon's trips to Brazil or Antarctica the details are here

NE Brazil for primates and porcupines with Jon Hall & Regina Ribeiro, May 27 – June 8 2026

Antarctica with Jon Hall & Naturetrek, January 2027

And if you want to support mammalwatching and buy us a coffee please do! https://buymeacoffee.com/mammalwatching

Finally did you know you can sign up to receive a weekly mammalwatching newsletter here? https://www.mammalwatching.com/subscribe-to-updates/

Cover art: Leopard Seal, Jon Hall.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

In the first podcast of 2026 we talk with professional bird and mammal guide János Oláh from his home in Hungary. János set up Sakertours in 1994. Initially focussing on birding tours in Eastern Europe they expanded to run hide-based photography tours and now mammal tours.

János explains how he was drawn to birding as a child, and the formative role an aversion to summer camp chores played in the process. He describes how and why he set up his Romania Mammal Tour, on which participants can expect to see over 50 mammal species in 9 days! And he shares a very important life lesson he learned as a boy while looking for a 'Dawn Bird': preferred habitat is far more useful to a successful search than a species' common name!

The podcast begins with a 'live from the field' account of our heroically unsuccessful search for a Sumatran Striped Rabbit, which János was lucky enough to be a part of.

You can stream the episode here or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Here is the most recent Romania Mammal Tour report from Sakertours. Details of the 2026 tour and how to join are here. Other Sakertours reports are on mammalwatching's Romania page including the 2025 Mole-rat safari we talked about.

A report of our ill-fated trip in search of Sumatran Striped Rabbits is here.

Cover art: János in Ladakh.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

The Season 4 opener to the mammalwatching podcast has Charles and Jon talking about their September 2025 expedition to Sulawesi.  

This is a blow by blow - and mammal by mammal - account of a remarkable two week trip that recorded over 80 mammal species. Our story is interspersed with interviews from the field with Carlos Bocos, the trip leader; bat guru Prof Juliana Senawi; and the other participants (Stuart Chapman, Nick Cox, János Oláh, Martin Royle and Ian Thompson). We also include a conversation witth Ating Solihin from Sulawesi's Malenge Island about his role in bringing the Togean Babirusa back from the brink of extinction.

Highlights include:

• Explaining why the initial excitement of seeing species that were likely new to science quickly turned to frustration.
• Hearing why giving a seven year old a mammal book might just dictate the rest of their life.
• Advice for others planning to visit Sulawesi, including the importance of bringing your own sleeping mats and never wearing flip flops into a bat cave!

You can stream the episode here or listen on your favourite podcast platform.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: The trip report from our expedition to Sulawesi should be available here by the end of 2025.

Cover art: Togean Babirusa, Carlos Bocos

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon speak to conservation power couple Nachiket Kelkar and Kadambari Deshpande from their home in Bangalore. for the finale to Season 3 of the podcast.

Kadambari and Nachiket both work to better understand how wildlife and people can co-exist in India, with Kadambari focussing on bats and Nachiket looking at riverine ecosystems and wildlife including the Ganges River Dolphin.

In a fascinating interview they discuss some of the threats facing the species they are working to protect as well as some of the facets of Indian society - and its sometimes striking tolerance for living alongside wildlife - that help to allow  wildlife and people to co-exist.

They describe a recent trip in search with Bob Pitman (a 2022 podcast guest) in search of India's remaining two Indus River Dolphins and also explain how Indian Flying Foxes are a cashew-farmer's best friend!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Jon's recent Borneo trip report - during which a few seconds birding almost cost him his binoculars - is here:

Details of the IUCN-approved splitting of the Giraffe into four species is here.

Cover art: Kadambari & Nachiket

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in almost 120 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with carnivore conservation expert Laila Bahaa-el-din.

Laila studied the near mythical African Golden Cat for her PhD in Gabon from 2010 - 2015 and was the first to study the species for a PhD.

She explains how her grandfather inspired her to follow a career in conservation and how a chance encounter with a mislabeled photo of an African Golden Cat saved her from studying raptors and took her to Gabon.

Laila describes how she studied the cats using camera traps and how a bird flying into a tent led to her one and only sighting during four years in the field. 

She also recounts some of her very many adventures in Gabon that range from pleading with a female gorilla to keep quiet so as not to alert the silverback, to fleeing from an elephant while trying to get out of a poncho.  No wonder she turned to poetry for solace!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Here is an African Geographic artlce from Laila about her work with the Golden Cat. And here is the video she mentioned of an African Golden Cat hunting Red Colobus in Uganda.

Jon's report of his recent trip to Japan in search of Sato's Beaked Whales is here. And hs report of a weekend in China is here.

Cover art: African Golden Cat, Laila Bahaa-el-din

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with wildlife filmmaker and presenter Nigel Marven from his home in the UK.

Nigel describes how a childhood fascination with wildlife led to his first job in TV, 'wrangling worms', and from there to working with Sir David Attenborough and ultimately presenting and making his own shows and films.

He explains why his films have often put the spotlight onto smaller, less well-known but fascinating mammals including Russian Desmans, Chinese Mole-shrews and Star-nosed Moles. 

And he describes some of his most memorable mammal encounters from Bactrian Camels in China to swimming with Belugas in the Canadian Arctic.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Details of Nigel's forthcoming wildlife tours are on his website. You can read more about his trip to Madagascar here.

This is the article about the discovery of Leadbeater's Possum in New South Wales that Charles talked about.

Jon encouraged listeners to visit mammalwatching.com's Join a Trip page. More details on the two trips he is helping to convene are here:

Primates and Porcupines in Northeast Brazil, May 2026

Mammalwatching Cruise to Antarctica, January 2027

Cover art: Nigel Marven

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with Rachel Ashegbofe Ikemeh, founder of the SW/Niger Delta Conservation Project. Rachel, a Nigerian conservationist and visionary, has built a team of almost 100 people working at the grassroots community level to save the wildlife of the Niger Delta. The delta, densely populated and home to oil and gas reserves, is one of the most degraded environments on the planet. It contains over half of the swamp forest in West and Central Africa and is the world's largest mangrove forest. But 95% of that forest has been lost in the past 15 years.

Rachel describes her career and how she stumbled into conservation work despite the many obstacles she faced from a society where young women are expected to get married and have children and definitely not become biologists!

She talks about some of the delta's many special mammals including critically endangered primates like the the Niger Delta Red Colobus that Rachel's team is bringing back from the brink of extinction with the help of local communities.

And Rachel talks about some of the very many dangers she has faced working in this difficult area. She has run the gauntlet of everything from death threats to drowning and also had a very close encounter with an angry Elephant.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: You can follow Rachel's team on Instagram here. And here is a short video, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, celebrating Rachel as a winner of the 2020 Whitley Awards for her work with Chimpanzees. This is the opinion piece Rachel wrote on the Western media's role in the decline of West Africa's Wildlife.

Jon's Texas report is here.

Cover art: Rachel at work.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Shavez Cheema, founder of Borneo1Stop Wildlife, from his home in Sabah.

Shavez talks about a childhood in Brunei surrounded by wildlife and how, at the age of nine, he was inspired to work in conservation after seeing a neighbour's senseless killing of a monitor lizard. 

We discuss the massive potential for growth in conservation tourism across Borneo, and both the benefits and problems it might create. And Shavez explains why Borneo1Stop Wildlife is committed to opening up new mammalwatching areas and what visitors can expect from them. 

Any conversation about Borneo will feature some premier league mammals. Shavez's favorite moments include an unexpected encounter with a Tufted Ground Squirrel and walk away views of a Clouded Leopard.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: More details of Borneo1Stop Wildlife's destinations in Tawau Hills, Beluran and INIKEA are here. And this is a report of a 2024 bat photography workshop. 

There are many many Borneo trip reports on mammalwatching.

The jaw-dropping photographs from the migration in South Sudan that Charles mentioned were part of the media pack accompanying this African Parks press release. Check out this extraordinary image!

Jon's Romania mole-rat safari report is here.

Cover art: Walk away views of a Clouded Leopard, Shavez Cheema.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with mammalwatching power couple Venkat Sankar & Nicole Haseley from their base at Stanford University in California. 

Nicole and Venkat 'accidentally' turned 2024 into a Big California (Mammal) Year and ended up seeing a record breaking 150 species in the state by December 31.

They talk about some of their big year's highs and lows as well as their favourite places in California to mammalwatch, and offer advice on how to identify small mammals in the field. 

Plus Nicole explains why browsing iNaturalist pictures in public can be a fast track to romance.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: a Big Year - a concept well known among birders - sees participants look for as many different species as possible within a geographic boundary (in this case California). Venkat and Nicole's Big Year report is here (there are many more California reports here). Meanwhile Charles's epic 2019 Big Mammal Day report from Tanzania is well worth a read!

A report from Charles's Royle Safaris' trip to Ghana will eventually arrive here. 

The ethical mammalwatching cartoons Jon mentioned are here.

Cover art: Venkat & Nicole

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to legendary mammal guide Sid Francis from his home in Sichuan.

Sid runs through a career as geographically diverse as it is professionally. After studying agriculture in the UK he worked as - among other things - a shepherd in the Falkland Islands shepherd and a school teacher in Denmark before moving to China and becoming a wildlife guide. 

We talk about how much China - and the public's interest in wildlife there - has changed over the past few years. 

Sid describes the current mammalwatching scene in Sichuan and Qinghai Provinces, both packed with a set of mouthwatering mammals. 

And in a world exclusive we learn that mammalwatchers are almost 'normal' ... at least compared to some birders!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: You can contact Sid at chengduuk@hotmail.com or through his website https://sichuanbirding.cloudaccess.net/. 

There are dozens or reports from Sichuan and Qinghai on mammalwatching's China page https://www.mammalwatching.com/gd_place/china/

Charles and Jon spoke about their trip to Sax-Zim Bog: a report is here.

There are several reviews of thermal scopes at the bottom of the mammalwatching gear page.

Cover art: Sid Francis.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

In the first episode of 2025 Charles and Jon talk about their December 2024 trip to Ethiopia's Somali Region and Djibouti. From Dik-diks to Dibatags we discuss some of the rare mammals we encountered along with spectacular species like the poison-covered Crested Rat.

We describe the agony of arriving in a camp that looked like the set from a slasher movie, to the ecstasy of taking what appear to be the first ever photos there of a live Abyssinian Genet. 

And we reveal how we faced up to one of our darkest fears: dinner in a Djibouti seafood restaurant.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Our trip report from the Somali Region is here. The Djibouti report will be available soon on Djibouti page.

Cover art: Crested Rat, Jon Hall

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

In the last podcast episode of 2024, Charles and Jon talk to Marcelo Gavensky from his home in Buenos Aires. Marcelo is director of Birds Argentina, a tour company that recently expanded into running mammalwatching safaris.

Marcelo talks about the varied career that led him to establish his tour company. He describes some of his favourite encounters and his work to find a reliable method to see the rare Franciscana or La Plata River Dolphin. We also discuss Argentina's massive mammalwatching potential. The country is home to 14 species of cats, 13 species of armadillos and - for the rodent enthusiasts - 44 species of tuco-tuco!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Mammalwatching has several reports of trips that Marcelo has run including Jon's 2023 trip around Buenos Aries province.

Cover art: Franciscanas, Jonathan Ben Simon

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with Rodney Jackson the director of the Snow Leopard Conservancy, who is widely considered the leading world expert on the snow leopard, having devoted over forty years to researching and conserving this elusive cat in South and Central Asia.  

In a wide-ranging chat Rodney describes his journey from a young boy looking for wildlife around his Harare home to the mountains of Nepal and embarking on a lifetime's quest to study one of the world's most enigmatic cats. He describes the difficulty in even seeing a cat in those early years and discusses the vital role well-managed community-based ecotourism is now playing in protecting them. He also describes many of his adventures along the way including perilous hikes and mysterious shamans.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Rodney mentioned Adam Riley's photos of a Snow Leopard hunt from Hemis National Park in 2013 which you can see here.

There are dozens of trip reports on mammalwatching that feature Snow Leopard sightings. Check out the India, China and Mongolia pages in particular.

Charles talks about the latest bioluminescent mammal that was revealed in this post while Jon talked about this piece he and Charles wrote for the conservation news site  Mongabay.

Cover art: Rodney and Snow Leopard, Darla Hillard

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon chat with two Bangkok-based mammalwatchers, Alexander Coke Smith and Jirayu 'Tour' Ekkul.

Coke, an American, moved to Thailand a decade ago. He has travelled extensively and many mammalwatchers will be familiar with his superb photos and trip reports. Tour, a Thai citizen, began running trips in the Gulf of Thailand in 2012 to watch the resident Eden's Whales. His company, Wild Encounter Thailand, has grown to offer birding and mammalwatching trips across Thailand and beyond.

We talk about the rapid growth of ecotourism in Thailand and ask what that means for conservation, before discussing Thailand's mammalwatching potential in largely unexplored areas. Coke remembers an epic adventure across the Gobi desert in China in search of Bactrian Camels. And Tour describes a strange dolphin - with a very long-beak - from the Andaman Sea which, if indeed a new species, might be named 'Delphinus pinocchioensis'.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There are many trip reports on mammalwatching's Thailand page.

Coke's report from his trip into China's Xinjiang autonomous region in search of wild camels is here.

Cover art: Eden's Whales feeding off of Bangkok, Coke Smith.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Fernando Tortato from his  home in Cuiaba in Brazil's Pantanal. Fernando is Brazil Conservation Program Coordinator for Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization. 

Dr Tortato talks about his work researching and championing the rapidly growing Jaguar tourism industry in Brazil. Twenty five years ago it was very difficult to see a wild Jaguar anywhere. Today some of the Pantanal lodges offer 'Jaguar Express Trips' that pretty much guarantee a Jaguar sighting before lunch.

In a fascinating interview he talks about trying to balance the intersection of economics, conservation and cultural values when working with local communities and cattle ranchers and the parallels with Chile's growing Puma tourism.

We also learn what it feels like to be charged by an angry Jaguar who blames you for wrecking his chances for romance.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: You can see Fernando's impressive list of publications here. And here is a recent interview with him about his work from the Pew Charitable Trusts.

There are dozens of reports on seeing Jaguars in the Pantal on mammalwatching.com's Brazil page.

Cover art: Jaguars, Sebastian Kennerknecht

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon are joined from South Africa by Rod Cassidy who runs world famous Sangha Lodge in the Central African Republic. A true mammalwatching nirvana.

Rod talks about his early career as a bird guide and conservation researcher including his entry for the Darwin Awards during an ill-fated attempt bat collection expedition. He talks about the importance for conservation of the work he and his wife Tamar are doing in the Central African Republic and some of the spectacular mammals they regularly encounter including huge gatherings of Forest Elephants in Sangha Bai, Lowland Gorillas, pangolins and Bongos.

Rod also talks about the very real challenges of persuading people to visit such a remote area and the importance of getting bums in beds to protect one of the last great strongholds of the Congo basin.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: The Sangha Lodge website has more information about the lodge and how to visit.

Jon's 2011 and Charles's 2018 trip reports from Dzanga-Sangha National Park are among those on mammalwatching.com.

Jon's trip report from the Azores will appear here in September 2024.

Cover art: Non-habituated Lowland Gorilla, Dzanga-Sangha National Park, Jon Hall

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon are joined by Claudia Diaz, from Wild About Colombia, at her home in Bogota.

Claudia and Robin Smith founded Wild About Colombia in 2017 and the company quickly developed a reputation for high quality and adventurous mammalwatching trips.

Claudia talks about a career which has taken her from marine biology in Mexico's Gulf of California back to her native Colombia, via studying conservation in the UK. She describes her passion for involving local communities in ecotourism and runs through some of the particular difficulties she and Rob faced in bringing not just ecotourism, but mammal tourism, to a country emerging from 60 years of conflict. From navigating travel insurance company red zones to trying to persuade birding guides that some clients prefer to walk past megabirds (some clients like Jon for example), she describes a challenging but rewarding journey through an extraordinary country.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There are several trip reports featuring Wild About Colombia on mammalwatching.com including reports from Jane Kempler, Venkat Sankar and Jon.

Charles talked about a New York Times article on freeze dried bats which is here (though it is behind a firewall).

Cover art: Claudia Diaz.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Dr Barbara Taylor (USA) and Dr Lorenzo Rojas-Bracho (Mexico), who together lead the global efforts to save the Vaquita from extinction.

The Vaquita, a tiny and beautiful porpoise, is found only at the top of the Gulf of California and holds the unfortunate distinction of being the world's rarest marine mammal (possibly the rarest of any mammal species). There may be as few as 6 animals left alive.

The story of the Vaquita's precipitous decline from its discovery in 1958 is as tragic as it is complex. In a fascinating conversation we learn about the Vaquita's biology and how gillnetting has driven the species to the very edge of extinction. We also discuss why illegal fishing - fueled by organized crime and a demand in East Asia for the swim bladder of the Totoaba fish - is so difficult to prevent. But Barb and Lorenzo offer some optimism for the future: there may be more Vaquitas hiding in the Gulf of California and it is not to late to save the species.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There is a lot more information online.

Viva Vaquita is a coalition of scientists, educators and conservationists who strive to increase attention on the Vaquita. They host an International Vaquita Day every year to update folks on the latest situation.

There are several documentaries about the Vaquita story including Sea of Shadows which you can find here https://www.vaquitacpr.org

The IUCN's Cetacean Specialist Group website has all recent Vaquita survey reports (with 2024 coming soon) as well as reports from the recovery team (CIRVA).

If you would like to help save the Vaquita you can donate money to - or volunteer to join - Sea Shepherd the conservation society who are doing very important work in the Gulf of Mexico to help tackle the illegal fishing that is killing the species.

If you want to check whether the seafood you eat is sustainable then you can visit Seafood Watch even if they do not as yet carry information about the fisheries that most impact the Vaquita.

Jon's report on joining the 2024 Vaquita Survey with Barb and Lorenzo is here.

Finally here is the Guardian article on the 6 million antelope migration in South Sudan that Charles mentions at the start.

Cover art: Barb, Lorenzo and a model Vaquita with Consag Rock in the background.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Australian author, broadcaster and wildlife nut Bradley Trevor Greive (BTG) from his home in California.

BTG has an extraordinary CV: he was a paratrooper and cartoonist before becoming a successful author and broadcaster. In between he found time to win the French Polynesian Rock Lifting Championship, graduate from the Russian Cosmonaut Space Program, spend 6 years working on Brown Bears in Alaska and still practice on his ukulele. And he devotes considerable energy to supporting conservation work around the world. As you might imagine we had plenty to talk about.

In an entertaining hour Bradley talks about some of his formative experiences with wildlife as a child living around the world, his research work with the enormous Brown Bears of Alaska's Alexander Archipelago, and some of the many painful encounters he has had with wildlife along the way. He has plenty of useful advice that every mammalwatcher needs to hear. For instance you will learn what not to wear if you don't want a flying fox to ejaculate into your ear, and what not to do if it happens anyway.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: read BTG's Wikipedia page and you will almost certainly be familiar with some of his work. From his 'The Blue Day Book' to the (really very lovely) Penguin Bloom book and movie on Netflix. He provided several of the voices on Finding Nemo and his new show Queer Planet launched on Peacock in June 2024. You can follow him on Instagram @Tasmanian_Grizzly

Cover Art: BTG (Stacey Lorraine).

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to conservationist Bill Robichaud, best known for his work to protect what many would argue is the world's most enigmatic mammal: the Saola.

Saolas - a beautifully marked 100kg bovid - are often referred to as the 'Asian Unicorn' because of their scimitar-like horns and rarity. The species, first discovered by scientists in 1992 in the mountains of Vietnam, is one of the most stunning zoological discoveries of the past 100 years. Bill has dedicated his career to trying to learn more about - and protect - them, including helping to set up the IUCN's Saola Working Group and the Saola Foundation.

In a fascinating conversation he talks about how the species was first discovered, and the handful of live animals that have been seen since. He offers hope for the species' survival and what more might be done to save them from extinction.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There are plenty of interviews with Bill online including this video of a talk he made in 2015.

Before talking to Bill we had a chat with fellow mammalwatcher Greg Easton, who has submitted several trip reports over the years including this guide to the mammals of Yellowstone.

Cover Art: Saola.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

Charles and Jon open Season 3 of the podcast from the jungles of the Ivory Coast, before talking to Peter Kaestner, the world's most accomplished birder.

In February 2024 Peter became the first person ever to see 10,000 bird species, though, as we hear at the very end of the episode, the climax of his record came with more plot twists than a Hitchcock movie.

Peter talks about his fiercely competitive family, and his older brother Hank's pivotal role in starting a lifelong love of birding. He explains how he chose a career that would best support his birding. And that luck - and lucky stones - have played a role in getting him to his 10,000th bird.

NB. We recorded the interview in late January before Peter had broken the record. He joined us again in late March to provide the update at the very end of this episode.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: There has been a great deal of coverage of Peter's record and the intrigue around it.

On the record itself: The New York Times: With an Orange-Tufted Spiderhunter, Birder Breaks Record for Sightings, while the American Birding Association published a piece by Peter in January on his plans to reach 10,000 birds.

And on the the intrigue: The Guardian How birdwatching's biggest record threw its online community into chaos, and this is the lively thread on Birdforum that Peter referred to. Plus an entertaining Tiktok video from Aerithgirl outlining the story of Peter Kaestner's 10,000th bird and Jason Mann's claim. 3 million views and counting!

Jon and Charles have already both written reports on their Ivory Coast trip.

Cover Art: Peter (left) and Hank Kaestner with a 'lucky stone'.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 110 countries.

In the season finale to Season 2 of the podcast, Charles and Jon talk to the founder of Cat Expeditions - camera trap virtuoso and feline aficionado - Sebastian Kennerknecht from his home in California. 

Sebastian explains how his passions for wildlife and photography were formed and talks about the powerful role photography can play in conservation. He shares fascinating stories that demonstrate both his dedication to - and the skills behind - camera trapping. And we hear about some of his many adventures while photographing 31 of the world's cat species: from almost treading on a Snow Leopard in Kyrgyzstan to almost being trodden on by an elephant in Gabon!

The mammalwatching podcast will return in the spring of 2024. The first episode features Peter Kaestner, who just saw his record breaking 10,000th bird species.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Sebastian's tour company Cat Expeditions, has produced several reports featuring his superb photos (a selection of reports are here). Meanwhile here is Jon's report on looking for - but not finding - Snow Leopards in Kyrgyzstan.

The answer to the mystery mammal call from Episode 22 is revealed at the start of the episode. Many thanks to Chris Scharf for sending in the recording. His podcast episode is well worth a listen! And thank you to everyone who took the time to guess. Some of the entries arrived after we had recorded the episode so sorry if we didn't mention you.

Cover Art: Sebastian in the field.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon meet conservation legend and primatologist Patricia Wright.

Dr Wright is most famous for her work in Madagascar, including her discovery of the Golden Bamboo Lemur. She is Founder and Executive Director of Stony Brook University Institute for the Conservation of Tropical Environments, and Founder and Executive Director of the Centre ValBio, a research and training center in Ranomafana, Madagascar. Some of her many achievements during a very distinguished career include being the first woman to win the Indianapolis Prize (the 'Nobel Prize for Conservation'), won a prestigious MacArthur Fellowship (Genius Award) and had three medals of honor from the Malagasy government. 

During a fascinating chat we learn how a chance encounter with a night (owl) monkey in a Brooklyn pet store changed the course of Patricia's life from New York social worker to primatologist. She describes the thrill of discovering a new species - the Golden Bamboo Lemur - in 1986, and the daunting challenge of trying to establish its habitat as a national park and a UNESCO World Heritage Site: Ranomafana National Park.

Patricia explains why she feels it is so important to get local people involved in conservation: the 'jigsaw puzzle' of an integrated approach. And how the community in Ranomafana were ready to support its protection in exchange for better access to health care, education and ... soccer balls!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes:  Patricia Wright has published over 200 scientific papers, authored four books and has given hundreds of lectures around the world. Her work has been featured by the media many times, including in the award winning documentary "Island of Lemurs: Madagascar" narrated by Morgan Freeman; David Attenborough's Life of Mammals; and Anthony Bourdain's Parts Unknown.

There are some great trip reports from Madagascar up on mammalwatching.com. The island is, in our opinion, one of the world's great mammalwatching destinations.

Cover Art: Patricia Wright and Coquerel's Sifakas. Photo by Noel Rowe.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to conservationist and tapir champion Dr Patricia Medici from her home in Brazil's Pantanal.

Patricia is a founding member of the Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas (Institute for Ecological Research), a Brazilian non-governmental organization which she helped set up in 1992. She also chairs the IUCN's Special Survival Commission Tapir Specialist Group, a network of over 130 tapir conservationists from 27 different countries.

We talk with Patricia about her work and the threats the different tapir species face. She explains how her professional career took a sharp turn towards conservation after meeting Brazil's most boring architect, and she describes the difficulties in working with a 300kg animal, particularly if you find yourself in a pitfall trap with a Lowland Tapir that is regaining consciousness.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: If you are inspired to donate to Patricia's NGO - the I.P.E. - then click here.
Jon's latest trip report will soon be available on the Chile and Argentina pages.

Cover Art: Patricia Medici at work.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon meet Connor Burgin a PhD student working on mammalian systematics at the University of New Mexico. As a young boy Connor was fascinated by Wikipedia's list of dinosaurs. His fascination shifted to lists of present day fauna and at the age of twelve he began to create and update his own list of the world's mammals which quickly became the state of art. His childhood project turned into the American Society of Mammalogists' Mammal Diversity Database, which is now widely regarded as the most uptodate and authoratative list of the world's 6500 living mammal species. Connor's taxonomy was also used by Lynx Nature Book in their seminal Illustrated Checklist of the World's Mammals (2020) and All the Mammals of the World (2023).

Taxonomy is as much art as science: if you laid all the world's taxonomists end to end you still wouldn't reach a conclusion. So Connor explains the challenges of decision-making when it comes to some of the most controversial issues to hit the mammalwatching world: when to split and lump a species and how to treat domestic animals? Plus Jon is seriously impressed with Connor's choice of the mammal species he mosts wants to see!

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: If you have suggestions on where mammalwatchers can submit interesting records that can benefit science please write to jon@mammalwatching.com and we will include them in the notes. INaturalist is the most obvious places to start as well as IGoTerra and your local museum or university biology department. Here is a video from Valentin Moser with more information.

Jon's reports should appear soon from his 2023 trips to Chile and Argentina.

Cover art: All the Mammals of the World, Lynx Publishing.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to the legendary John Newby about his 50 years in Chad and Niger working to save some of the rarest antelopes in the world. This is a fascinating story, which begins in the 1970s when John recalls seeing vast herds of Oryx, Addax and Dama Gazelle in the Sahara. Yet 15 years later these species had reached the edge of extinction. A warning on how quickly things can change. But this is also a story of hope and of nature's resilience when it is is given a chance: thanks to the work of John and his colleagues at Sahara Conservation these iconic antelope - the "children of Chad" - are living wild there once again.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Read more here about the work of Sahara Conservation. Jon's trip report to Chad in 2023 is here.

Cover art: John Newby at work.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Professor Joel Berger from his home in Colorado. Joel has spent a lifetime studying 'extreme species in extreme places' as a senior scientist with the Wildlife Conservation Society and at Colorado State University and the University of Montana. He has worked on many mammals including Huemul in Chile, Musk Ox in Russia and Pronghorn in the USA. And he has focussed his work on some of the larger and unsung species that live in the world's deserts (of all types).

In an entertaining chat, Professor Berger talks about some of the many highlights in a distinguished career that has seen him a three time finalist for the Indianapolis Prize, receive a lifetime achievement recognition from the prestigious Aldo Leopold Conservation Award and be featured in the Archie comic! Some of his adventures over the years include being mistaken for a CIA agent - and put on trial - in the Russian arctic, being charged by multiple Moose, and dressing up as a Polar Bear to try to frighten Musk Oxen.

Here is the YouTube trailer

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Joel Berger has written several books, dozens of articles and won many awards. You can learn more about him - and his work - on his website. Jon's report from his latest California trip is here.

Cover art: Joel Berger discarding his Polar Bear Suit.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries

Charles and Jon are reunited with Carlos Bocos who inspired, designed and guided their hugely successful trip to West Papua in June 2023. From Long-beaked Echidnas to Long-fingered Trioks, we talk about the incredible mammalwatching on New Guinea, the extraordinary local communities who helped us along the way, and a death-defying BASE jumping Ground Cuscus.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Here is Jon's trip report from West Papua.  Page 22 of the IUCN Antelope Specialist Group's Gnunewsletter has the article that Charles mentioned at the start of the podcast: using Dromedary Camel patrols to search for the last few Addax in the remotest areas of Niger. And S3 E48 of Charley Hesse's Naturally Adventurous podcast, where he talks mammalwatching with Charles and Jon, is here. 

Cover art: Western Long-beaked Echidna, Jon Hall

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Luke Hunter, the director of the Big Cat Program at the Wildlife Conservation Society and one of the world's leading experts on wild carnivore conservation. Luke discusses his work to protect Lions in west and central Africa, the reintroduction of Cheetahs in India, and a tragic story of Cheetah conservation in Iran. We also talk about the growing potential of wild cat eco-tourism around the world and how giving a child a set of toy zoo animals can spark a lifetime of mammal research (or mammalwatching in Jon's case).

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Luke has written hundreds of articles and eight books including Carnivores of the World which - we believe - every mammalwatcher should have in their library. Here's an article about the Cheetah researchers who are imprisoned in Iran.

Cover art:  Luke Hunter at work  

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon chat with Harriet Kemigisha - founder of Harrier Tours - from her home in western Uganda.

Harriet talks about a life that has taken her from a young village girl exploring the forest with her grandfather on hunting trips, to the founder of a successful wildlife tour company. She recounts her rediscovery of the Green-breasted Pitta in Kibale National Park when she was a ranger in 2005. And she describes how she figured out a strategy to see an African Golden Cat, one of Africa's most secretive and sought-after animals, with the help of her grandfather's friend Kaheru, a man she once arrested.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: there are several recent reports of successful mammalwatching trips across Uganda with Harrier Tours on mammalwatching.com including this one from Alex and Tomer (podcast S1E13 aka The Hard Boys) and this one from Jon Hall.

Cover art: Harriet, Jens Hauser. The camera trap footage in the Youtube video is courtesy of Wise Birding Holidays.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk with Brendan and Dan Nugent - Australian mammalwatching newcomers - about their recent expedition to Chad with Jon. They talk about the other-worldly scenery of the Ended Massif; the Dama Gazelles of Ouadi-Rimé - "the most beautiful things they have ever never heard of"; and a safari on steroids in Zakouma National Park, including being in the middle of tens of millions of Red-billed Quelea (yes, birds!). Plus Brendan explains how ear plugs can help you survive the horrors of a pit toilet.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Brendan, Dan and Jon travelled to Chad with Pictus Safaris. Jon's trip report will very shortly be up at https://www.mammalwatching.com/gd_place/chad/. You can add you cat and primate lists here.

Cover art: Dama Gazelle, Jon Hall.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Whitley Award-winning conservationist Arnaud Desbiez, from his home in the Brazilian Pantanal. Since 2010, Arnaud and his team have been studying one of the planet's most iconic and secretive animals: the Giant Armadillo. Very little was known about this magnificent mammal before their work began and the more the project uncovers the more we understand just how important a role this species plays in the ecosystems it inhabits. Arnaud talks about the challenges both Giant Armadillos - and Giant Armadillo researchers - face. We learn about Giant Armadillos dedication as parents, their longevity and why their burrows have earned the nickname "Hotel Armadillo".

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Notes: Hotel Armadillo, an episode in the BBC's Natural World series, featured Arnaud's research on the armadillos. Here is more information on Arnaud's other project: Giant Anteaters & Highways.  And this is a report of Jon's 2013 trip when he first met Arnaud, Isobel and Daisy.

Baias das Pedras, the beautiful hotel & fazenda that is the Giant Armadillo research base camp now have their own website. You can also arrange to visit there through local guides like Regina Ribeiro, who was a guest on this podcast in 2022 (S1 E20).

Cover art: Arnaud and a Giant Armadillo.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Produced and edited by Charles Foley.

Charles and Jon talk to distinguished mammalogist Dr Roland Kays, head of the Biodiversity lab at the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences and a Professor at North Carolina State University. Roland has published on sloth sleep and incognito Olinguitos and written a North American mammal field guide - also an app - that many of you will have. Roland talks about his work describing the Olinguito, one of the most significant new mammal discoveries of the 21st Century (it was the first new carnivore for the Western Hemisphere in 35 years). He explains his love of both Fishers and Porcupines and the quest to capture footage of the former hunting the latter. And he explains, with great clarity, the secret recipe to Canis soupus!

Notes: Roland's Field Guide to the Mammals of North America is also available as an Apple and Android app (look for "Mammals of North America").

Roland's Wild Animals Podcast is now into Season 3, and he has a Youtube Channel with the same name. This is the Fisher vs Porcupine video he mentioned.

Cover photo: Roland and a Kinkajou by Mathias Klum.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

You can email us at mammalwatching@gmail.com

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to legendary mammalogists and conservationists John and Terese Hart about 50 years' of work in the Congo rainforest.  John and Terese have made an enormous contribution to studying and protecting African biodiversity and have had way more than their fair share of adventures en route. From discovering new monkey species to studying Okapis, they share spellbinding stories that are guaranteed to make mammalwatchers weak at the knees.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Cover photo: Radio collared Okapi. The MaMbuti taught us how to capture them safely. John & Terese Hart.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

We chat with Venkat Sankar about how we plan and prepare for the perfect trip. From designing an itinerary and choosing target species to taking the "right" pictures. We also swap tips on how we identify some of the world's most obscure mammals either in the field or after we get home.  And Jon talks about his recent trip to Bioko Island, a place where the primates were nervous and the pedestrian crosswalks plentiful.

Notes: Bioko Island trip reports are here.  Venkat's Colombia report is here .

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Cover photo - Pennant's Red Colobus (Piliocolobus pennantii), Bioko Island. Jon Hall.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Professor Jo Setchell from her home in the UK. Dr Setchell, a distinguished primatologist and anthropologist, has studied primates in Cameroon, Gabon, the DRC and Borneo and has particular research interests in sexual selection among Mandrills and primate conservation. Destined for a career in primatology from the age of two, when she was inseparable from her toy monkey, Jo's fascinating research has proved important for science and conservation. And some work - such as discovering that the reddest male Mandrills are a sort of simian Brad Pitt - has cast a whole new light on Mandrill romance.

Notes: Jon's trip report from Bioko Island will soon be available at https://www.mammalwatching.com/bioko-island/.  Charles's 2022 Lynx trip is here.  And this is a video of the UK "mole hunter" Jon mentioned. But is it a hoax? And if not, how can we learn this magic?!

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Cover photo - Jo Setchell.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to recently converted mammalwatchers about their early mammalwatching experiences. Admittedly, some of our guests might deny they have been converted but we know different.

We talk to Steven Arthur, Cheryl Antonucci's partner, about being stalked by Swamp Rabbits in Missouri. We hear about a trip to Guyana that could have gone very wrong for Ian Thompson, his partner Tracey Watchurst, and their kids Josie and Ben.  And Amber Melhouse talks about the romance of wading through a guano-filled bat cave with "wildlife enthusiast" Jon.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Cover photo - Amber prepares to go spotlighting  in Tanzania - by Jon Hall.

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon are joined by Season 1 podcast veterans Mac Hunter and Cheryl Antonucci who starred in the first two podcast episodes, along with professional birding - and now mammalwatching - guide Carlos Bocos who dialed in from his home in Spain. 

We talk about guides: the benefits they bring to conservation, trips and to mammalwatching more generally, as well as the skills every good guide needs. Carlos also offers his thoughts on what makes for a good client and reveals that some clients can be quite difficult. Shocker! Any resemblance - to birders living or dead - is purely coincidental.

Notes: Carlos has some great trip reports on mammalwatching including from West Papua and Sulawesi. You can find others by searching on the site.

Jon finally gets the chance to interview his co-host Charles Foley. Charles shares adventures from a life spent working with African Elephants in Tanzania's Tarangire National Park with his wife Lara. His thirty years of research has generated many advances in our understanding of Elephants, including the long-term impact that poaching can have when it kills all of the older animals in a family. Elephants do indeed have long memories, and so remembering where water can be found might be critical to a family's survival during drought. Charles also explains why it is a good idea to check the tyres on the truck if you plan to propose at sunset in the African bush. And - if you do forget - why it might then be a good idea to check only after your partner says 'yes'.

Notes: This is a summary of Charles's research on elephant memory and survival during drought. Two of the Foley's Big Mammal Day reports are here and here. You can buy  Charles' and Lara's Field Guide to the Larger Mammals of Tanzania. And here is a report of Charles and Jon in Sierra Leone, and a short jubilant video taken seconds after we saw our Pygmy Hippo. Best day ever. Cover art: Fujo, Charles Foley.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Russian biologists and mammalwatchers Karina Karenina  and Andrey Giljov (aka The Travelling Zoologists) from their new home in Paraguay.  In a journey that runs from the Russian steppes to the Paraguayan chaco, they talk about their work to save Russia's Saiga Antelopes and the role mammalwatching has played. They discuss how their experience as biologists has helped them to develop new techniques to watch mammals around the world. And we learn that Long-beaked Echidnas make wonderful pets.

Notes: Here is more information on the comeback of European wildlife including carnivores that Charles talked about. Cover art: Selfie by Karina and Andrey.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon talk to Christopher Scharf about his 30 year quest to photograph the planet's most iconic wildlife - a project that is destined to be a time capsule of 21st century wildlife observation. Chris talks about some of the near mythical mammals he has seen and the near mythical adventures along the way. We hear how a quest to photograph a Markhor required an undercover journey into Afghanistan disguised as a local. He explains why finally seeing a wild Sumatran Rhino this year - after repeated attempts - still wasn't enough to take that species off his bucket list. And he recounts some worryingly close encounters with both Tigers and tapirs. 

Notes: Chris's website is here. He doesn't have many reports on mammalwatching.com but here's a summary of his last three (extreme) Sumatran Rhino expeditions from Martin Royle. Cover art: Chris and a Black and White Ruffed Lemur in Madagascar.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.

Charles and Jon report back from the inaugural mammalwatching meeting in Asturias, Spain. Join us as we watch Brown Bears, Common Genets and Broom Hares and chat with the participants. In a podcast first you can share the ecstasy of people seeing lifer mammals, followed by the agony when one - a water vole - is devoured by a bear before being fully identified.

Notes: The meeting was organized by a Felis, an NGO supporting conservation of the world's wild cats. A report - of both the meeting and the mammals - is here.

Here is the YouTube trailer.

For more information visit www.mammalwatching.com/podcast

Dr Charles Foley is a mammalwatcher and biologist who, together with his wife Lara, spent 30 years studying elephants in Tanzania. They now run the Tanzania Conservation Research Program at the Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago.

Jon Hall set up mammalwatching.com in 2005. Genetically Welsh, spiritually Australian, currently in New York City. He has looked for mammals in over 100 countries.