#57 Helen, bighorn sheep, mountain caribou and WDA2025 (Canada)
Join host Dr. Cat Vendl with Dr. Helen Schwantje, British Columbia's pioneering wildlife veterinarian of nearly three decades. Journey from her unexpected career beginnings to her groundbreaking work with bighorn sheep and the complex fight to save mountain caribou through a variety of conservation strategies. Helen shares insights about Indigenous partnerships and previews the upcoming WDA conference in Victoria, where scientific presentations will blend with diverse perspectives in a spectacular coastal setting – where you might just spot an orca! Discover how building communities and fostering collaboration has shaped a remarkable career dedicated to protecting Canada's iconic wildlife.LinksWild sheep foundationCaribou Conservation AllianceInternational WDA2025 conference in Victoria, BC, CanadaWe'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
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29:16
#56 Janelle and the kiwi (NZ)
Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she travels to New Zealand's Sanctuary Mountain Maungatautari, where Dr. Janelle Ward leads native species restoration behind the country's largest predator-proof fence. Discover how four kiwis introduced in 2005 grew into hundreds, leading to the largest kiwi translocation in history. Janelle reveals the challenges of managing this booming population, from specialized conservation dogs tracking elusive birds to navigating new health conditions as the sanctuary reaches carrying capacity. Learn how deep partnerships with local Māori iwi enrich conservation through co-governance and cultural practices, creating a sanctuary where biodiversity thrives and a thousand-year vision for restoration unfolds—one bird at a time.Linkshttps://www.sanctuarymountain.co.nz/ & https://www.linkedin.com/in/janelle-ward=b692a01b We'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
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27:04
#55 Sonia and the science of pushing boundaries (USA)
Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she speaks with Dr. Sonia Hernandez, Wildlife Disease Association president and professor whose research spans continents and species. From studying prehistoric-looking tapirs adapting to human landscapes in Costa Rica to tracking white ibises navigating between Florida's wetlands and city parks, Sonia shares insights from her remarkable career.Discover how her journey from intimidated veterinary student to association leader has shaped her vision for science communication in an era of growing skepticism. Along the way, Sonia offers valuable wisdom for wildlife health professionals about staying adaptable and finding unexpected paths to meaningful work—crossing borders both geographical and disciplinary to address today's complex wildlife health challengesLinkshttps://hernandezlabuga.wixsite.com/wilddisease/dr--sonia-hernandezhttps://hernandezlabuga.wixsite.com/wilddiseasehttps://warnell.uga.edu/directory/people/dr-sonia-m-hernandez-dvm-daczm-phd We'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
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29:12
#54 Will and the raccoons (USA)
Join our host Dr. Cat Vendl as she takes you to Oklahoma, where Will Funk directs wildlife rehabilitation at WildCare Oklahoma, caring for over 8,000 native patients annually – from hummingbirds to bald eagles, and even tarantulas! Will shares his fascinating journey from studying red kites in London to investigating mysterious neurological outbreaks in raccoons that challenge conventional wisdom about parvovirus. Discover his research on raccoon roundworm, a zoonotic parasite with serious public health implications for both wildlife and humans.Will makes a compelling case for wildlife rehabilitation centers as vital surveillance stations bridging conservation, disease monitoring, and public health. From heartbreaking losses to triumphant recoveries – including a remarkable bald eagle that survived highly pathogenic avian influenza against all odds – this episode offers a unique window into the evolving world of wildlife health at the intersection of rehabilitation, research, and One Health.Wanna learn more about Will’s work? Follow these links!https://www.wildcareoklahoma.org/"Funk's Wildlife Disease Lab" on Facebook and @ok_wildlife_disease on InstagramWe'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
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#53 Tim and conservation chemistry (USA)
In this episode, our host Cat Vendl sits down with Dr. Tim Cernak, who is revolutionizing wildlife conservation through an unexpected lens: Conservation chemistry. From developing human medicines at Merck to fighting wildlife extinction with artificial intelligence, Tim shares how he's creating a "One Health Pharmacy" – where cutting-edge drug development meets conservation. Discover how the same tools used to combat COVID-19 are now being deployed to save endangered species, from frogs battling deadly chytrid fungus to hemlock trees threatened by invasive insects. Through fascinating examples and accessible analogies, Tim demonstrates how modern chemistry, AI, and robotics could help prevent the next mass extinction – one molecule at a time.Linkshttps://cernaklab.com/https://lsa.umich.edu/chem/people/faculty/tcernak.htmlWe'd love to hear from you ... share your thoughts, feedback and ideas.
This is the podcast of the Wildlife Disease Association (WDA, https://www.wildlifedisease.org). Our host Dr Catharina Vendl chats with wildlife health professionals including researchers, vets, pathologists and more, about the joys and challenges of their job and the emerging issues of wildlife health locally and worldwide. All of our guests have a longstanding affinity with the WDA and a true passion for wildlife in common. So brush up your knowledge of current wildlife issues and One Health with Wildlife Health Talks.
South Africa