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PODCAST

Wildlife Health Talks

WDA Communications Committee

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

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All Episodes

29:03

# 67 Pat and the parrots (USA)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/09/21

Nearly one-third of all parrot species are threatened with extinction, yet most people picture these charismatic birds as noisy pets in cages rather than the complex, emotionally intelligent wild creatures they truly are. In this captivating episode, host Dr. Cat Vendl speaks with Dr. Pat Latas, a founding member of the newly founded IUCN Wild Parrot Specialist Group, whose four-decade journey spans from rescuing a tiny house sparrow as a child to working with critically endangered kakapo on ...

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31:14

#66 Kate and the albatrosses (USA)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/09/07

A snowstorm that closed highways led English literature student Kate Huyvaert to an unexpected path—becoming one of North America's leading experts on wild sheep disease. From discovering that 25% of albatross chicks aren't raised by their biological fathers to unraveling the devastating cycle of respiratory disease threatening bighorn sheep across the American West, Kate's journey spans fleas on prairie dogs, boobies with complete sexual agency, and the deadly mycoplasma bacteria creating ch...

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28:16

#65 Nick and the Lord Howe Island stick insects...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/08/24

Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she meets Dr. Nick Doidge, zoo veterinarian and researcher, working to save the world's rarest insect – the Lord Howe Island Stick Insect, nicknamed the "tree lobster." Thought extinct for 80 years, these living fossils were dramatically rediscovered on a volcanic rock stack in the Pacific Ocean. But after bringing them back from just two individuals, a new threat emerged: deadly bacterial infections threatening the entire captive population. Discover how Nick has d...

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22:44

#64 Melting the Ice in People's Hearts: Indigenous...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/08/11

In honor of International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples on Aug 9, join host Dr. Cat Vendl for a special episode featuring two powerful Indigenous voices in health and healing. Meet Dr. Nicole Redvers, a member of the Deninu K'ue First Nation and Western Research Chair in Indigenous Planetary Health, who reveals how Indigenous healers have always treated humans and animals as interconnected beings. Then hear from Angaangaq, a traditional healer from Greenland whose spiritual mission is...

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26:34

#63 Nelson and the gorillas (Uganda)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/07/13

Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she ventures into Uganda's misty mountains to meet Dr. Nelson Bumba, one of the world's few gorilla doctors providing life-saving veterinary care to our planet's most endangered relatives. Nelson's journey from a heartbroken 10-year-old making a promise to his dying dog Simba to treating wild mountain gorillas is nothing short of extraordinary. From 3 AM wake-up calls to tracking gorilla families across 321 square kilometers of impenetrable forest, Nelson reveals w...

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26:24

#62 Sam and the swift fox (USA)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/06/29

Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she ventures into Wyoming's vast wilderness to meet Dr. Samantha Allen, the state's wildlife veterinarian who juggles budget spreadsheets and helicopter captures of bighorn sheep. From her unforgettable first WDA conference moment wielding a Stryker autopsy saw on a porpoise, Sam shares her journey from small-town kid told she'd only work with "cows and cats" to tackling Wyoming's diverse wildlife health challenges. Discover how chronic wasting disease has become e...

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27:07

#61 Damien and Canadian wildlife diseases

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/06/15

Join host Dr. Cat Vendl as she heads to Vancouver Island to meet Dr. Damien Joly, CEO of the Canadian Wildlife Health Cooperative – though he insists he's just a "boring old disease ecologist!" But this couldn’t be further from the truth. Discover how Canada's unique cooperative approach tackles wildlife diseases across the world's second-largest country, from bird flu that's here to stay to chronic wasting disease threatening deer and potentially caribou. Damien shares captivating stories fr...

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25:51

#60 Alexandra and wildlife conservation in times of...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/06/01

Meet Alexandra Youssef, Lebanon's first and only certified wildlife rehabilitator and co-founder and vice-president of the NGO Lebanese Wildlife, based in Beirut. Alexandra fights to save wildlife amid economic collapse, war, and ancient cultural myths that drive species toward extinction. From the striped hyena (Lebanon's national animal, yet its most killed) believed to hypnotize victims, to snakes executed on sight despite most being harmless, Alexandra battles superstition alongside bulle...

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32:34

#59 Steve and the tale of the Storytelling Ape...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/05/18

Self-described "systems thinker" Dr. Steve Unwin has spent decades working at the human-wildlife interface across four continents and believes we've got our scientific name all wrong. According to Steve, we're not Homo sapiens but Pan narrans: the storytelling ape. Host Dr. Cat Vendl explores Steve's journey from "pretending to be a zoo vet" to creating vital conservation networks and leading Wildlife Health Australia's International One Health Program. Discover how orangutans taught him pati...

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27:37

#58 Brett and rabies in Cape fur seals (South Africa...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/05/04

In this captivating episode, host Dr. Cat Vendl speaks with zoo veterinarian and researcher Dr. Brett Gardner about the unprecedented rabies outbreak in Cape fur seals along South Africa's coast. Brett reveals how this once-impossible disease jumped from black-backed jackals to marine mammals, creating a new wildlife health crisis. Discover the detective work behind tracing the virus's origin, the devastating impacts on both seal colonies and human communities, and the race to protect sub-Ant...

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29:16

#57 Helen, bighorn sheep, mountain caribou and...

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/04/20

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 specta...

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27:04

#56 Janelle and the kiwi (NZ)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/04/06

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 reac...

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29:12

#56 Sonia and the science of pushing boundaries

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/03/23

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 comm...

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17:44

#54 Will and the raccoons

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/03/09

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 pu...

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32:05

#53 Tim and conservation chemistry (USA)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/02/23

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 battl...

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28:19

#52 K9 and queer ecology (Australia)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/02/11

Join us for an eye-opening conversation with K9 Jenns, a PhD candidate at the University of Sydney's Bat One Health Research Team, who brings a transformative perspective to the study of flying foxes and their viruses. Through the lens of queer ecology, K9 reveals how their personal journey has enriched their understanding of the complex relationships between bats and viruses, challenging traditional binary thinking in both science and society. Discover how their team's collection of ov...

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25:32

#51 Anna and the microbats (Australia)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/01/26

In this episode, our host Cat Vendl takes you to Berlin to meet Anna Langguth, a PhD candidate studying one of the most devastating wildlife diseases recorded in mammals: white nose syndrome. From childhood bat enthusiast to innovative researcher, Anna shares her fascinating work on understanding how Australian microbats might respond to this deadly fungal disease before it reaches their shores. Learn about her groundbreaking approach to studying bat immune responses by growing bat wing cells...

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34:23

#50 Dianna and the wombats (Australia)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2025/01/12

Join us for an extraordinary conversation with Dianna Bissett, an Australian wildlife carer whose journey spans from creating equipment for James Cameron's deep-sea expeditions to rehabilitating wombats and kangaroos at Rocklily wildlife refuge. Diana shares her firsthand experience of the devastating 2019-2020 Black Summer bushfires and their profound impact on wildlife, challenging long-held beliefs about the Australian bush's resilience. Through moving stories, including the remarkable rec...

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22:48

#49 Michele and wildlife tuberculosis (South Africa)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2024/12/09

In this episode, we are taking you on a dive into the world of wildlife tuberculosis with Professor Michele Miller. Michele is the NRF South African Research Chair in Animal TB at Stellenbosch University in South Africa. Her career has spanned from clinical work in major U.S. zoos to groundbreaking research in South Africa's Kruger National Park. Her multidisciplinary approach has combined veterinary medicine, immunology, and public health. We'll be discussing Michele's current research, incl...

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20:13

#48 Laura and the muskoxen (Canada)

Wildlife Health Talks ·

2024/11/10

In the 1960s, the Canadian government decided to relocate 14 muskoxen to the Eastern Arctic, a region where these large bovines had never been native. The intention was to support the local Inuit community by providing a new source of food and other resources. However, it appears the government did not consult the community about its needs or preferences. Farming the muskoxen was suggested, but the practice wasn’t culturally relevant. With little interest shown, the government released the mu...

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67 results

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