Episodes

In this week’s conversation, we speak with Dr. Laurie Marker, founder and executive director of the Cheetah Conservation Fund (CCF). Dr. Marker walks us through the history of the plight of cheetahs, and how she and CCF have saved this exquisite species from certain near extinction to now introducing them to places around the world where the cheetah has long been absent. Dr. Marker tells us about the incredible programs working to solve the human-wildlife conflict in the context of cheetahs, and...

In this week’s episode, we speak with (multiple-time!) bestselling author, Sy Montgomery about her deep connection, understanding, and passion for animals. We were lucky enough to have this conversion on the day her most recent book launched, titled, Of Time and Turtles: Mending the World, Shell by Shattered Shell. In this book, Sy gives us an intimate gaze into the world of the turtle and inspires us to save and protect this incredible animal, one that’s quiet and stoic, has bursts of humor an...

Welcome back! NEW episodes start dropping on October 24th, on our regularly scheduled (bimonthly) Tuesdays. We have some compelling episodes coming your way and some heavy hitters... Let me tell you! And we have some exciting news, so hit play and get caught up on where we are and what’s new. Thank you for listening, sharing, and supporting our Kindred Team! And endless gratitude for our guests, for giving us their time and effort. See you soon. Lots of Love, Kate & Jenn Please find out mor...

We are dropping in to say thank you to our guests, our listeners, and our mighty little team. We appreciate that we are able to do this podcast because of all of YOU! We also talk about our overall take-aways from this season, and what's coming next for Season 5! We'll be back in October so look out for our drop announcement then! Lots of Love. Please find out more info and message us at ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠kindredpodcast.co⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. Follow Us ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Instagram @thekindredpod ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Facebo...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Dr. Mathias Osvath, Cognitive Zoologist at Lund University about all things corvids and specifically the raven. We’ve known how smart these birds are but, um, did not realize HOW smart! You will never look at a crow, magpie, jay, nutcracker, jackdaw, rook, or raven (all corvids) the same after listening to this conversation. Thank you to Dr. Osvath for taking a super brainy subject and breaking it down for us on Kindred so that we can understand how and why...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Dr. Wai-Ming Wong, the director of small cat conservation science for the organization Panthera. Dr. Wong introduces us to only a few of the 33 small wild cat species (there’s a fishing cat?!?) and breaks down why we know so little about them! We love learning about the little ones out there, and it turns out these small creatures have BIG lives and personalities. Grateful to Dr. Wong for explaining why small wild cats are so important and why, often, it's ...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Rachel Gardner, the conservation translocation officer for the executive agency Forestry England, about her job in species reintroductions. Rachel takes us on a walk back in time into England’s ancient forests and shows us what the future of forests and the landscape could look like. She talks about her work in species reintroductions and recovery projects with their Forest Wilding Programs, and the delicate but critical balance that’s needed to restore the...

In this week’s episode, we speak with Matt Rader, the President of the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society. We dig deep into environmental justice and what it means for people to have access to green spaces and the many positive effects it has not only on the aesthetic of a city but the many mental, physical, social, and overall health benefits. We’ve been wanting to cover this for a long time and Matt beautifully walks us through what environmental justice is, how it affects all of us, and the m...

In this week’s episode, we speak with wildlife photographer Meaghan Garrahan. Meaghan talks to us about why she got into wildlife photography, what it means to her, and what she hopes to offer not only us but the world she captures. Two things stand out about Meaghan’s work. One is the detail, intensity, and mood that her images hold, and two, the fact that this is a relatively recent focus for her. One of her most powerful images is that of a keen-eyed golden eagle, quiet and powerful, emerging...

In this week’s episode, we speak with wolf researcher, interpreter, and award-winning author, Rick McIntyre. Wolves are one of our favorite beings to talk about and to be able to speak with Rick about them is an honor and an absolute joy. In 1996, wolves were relocated from Canada to Yellowstone National Park and thus began the Wolf Reintroduction Project. What would follow would not only greatly impact the park and wolf conservation, but the incredible story of these wolves would travel across...

In this week's episode, we speak with Dr. Andy Suarez, head of the Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Behavior at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign on all things ants. Although we didn't get a chance to cover all 15,000 different species of ants, Dr. Suarez takes us underground into the life of ants, how they operate, and what an absolutely critical part they play in all our ecosystems. Dr. Suarez highlights not only how critical they are to the health of our planet, but also wha...

In this week's episode, we are checking in with Dr. Kate Stafford about the state of the Arctic. Dr. Stafford talks about her latest trip back and what's been going on with the Bowhead whale in the Chukchi and Beaufort Seas, north and northwest of Alaska. Dr. Stafford talks about the rapid pace of the melting ice, and the impact this is making not only to the sweet Bowhead whale but to the Inupiaq people of Alaska. It's a chilling recounting of what she is seeing out on the melting ice. We are l...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Tracy Wilson, the Nevada State Director for American Wild Horse Campaign (AWHC) on a critical subject we knew little to nothing about the wild Mustangs and Burros of the West and North Western United States. She walks us through their challenges, the critical edge they live on, and why we must save this iconic historical animal. AWHC believes "There Is A Better Way" to work with supporting and managing these beautiful and powerful animals through progra...

Welcome back to Season 4 of The Kindred Podcast! We are so excited for this next season. We continue to explore the intricate and interdependent relationship that humans have with animals and the environment. And we dig deeper into how we are not above but equal to the Natural world. And through our conversations with people who make this their life work, we work to inspire a new consciousness in all of us in order to repair our relationship with the natural world. Our conversations take us to e...

We’ve asked Shawn Heinrichs to drop in and walk us through what has happened at a few of the big conventions, like COP 15, COP 27, and CITES, as far as what concrete action has been implemented in support of slowing climate change and specifically in context to protecting the high seas and marine wildlife. He gives us the reality check we all need, and more importantly how our oceans and the beings that live in them are desperately trying to survive in a brutal climate of indiscriminate fishing ...

In this week's episode, we speak with Rebby Sebei, conservationist and manager at Ruko Wildlife Conservancy. Rebby talks about her work uniting two warring communities and how through saving the endangered Rothschild's Giraffes, land, and a deeply divided community, can be restored and healed. It's a beautiful story of how the giraffe became a sign of peace and hope. Baringo Conservancies Save Giraffes Now Northern Rangelands Trust Kenya Wildlife Services FGM World Health Organization Fact She...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Tony Incashola Jr., forest manager for CSKT (Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes), and Stephanie Gillin, information and education program manager and former wildlife biologist for the CSKT at the Flathead Indian Reservation. Tony and Stephanie walk us through the history of fire and what it means to their tribes and how the criminalization of their fire practices not only impacted the health of the landscape but significantly changed how fire affe...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Dr. Kelly Slattery of Home & Shore Vet about grief in specific context to the non-human members of our families. Grief and losing a loved one, human or non-human, is something nearly all of us have experienced and we feel the topic of grief is a really important one to cover and one that is often shied away from because, well, it's a tough subject. But Kelly walked with us through this whole conversation with grace and a deep understanding of the beau...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Dr. Elaine Ostrander about all things dogs and why they look like they do. In layman's terms, Dr. Ostrander explains how dogs don't often look like their closest genetic relatives, the wolf. She answers the long standing question and for us the mystery, of how Freddy the Great Dane doesn't look like Franky the Dachshund. We might even have those fancy Victorians to thank for it. Elaine A. Ostrander, Ph.D. Natural Human Genome Research Institute Kindre...

This episode consists of Part 1 & Part 2. In this week's conversation, we speak with Ecologist Monica Gagliano about her groundbreaking research with plants in context to perception, learning, memory, cognition, and intelligence. Her work opens a new awareness of how we perceive the plant world and challenges traditional thinking about plant and animal intelligence, and how we might connect on a much deeper level than we ever thought. We hear about the patient little Mimosa plant, or Sensitive ...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Ecologist Monica Gagliano about her groundbreaking research with plants in context to perception, learning, memory, cognition, and intelligence. Her work opens a new awareness of how we perceive the plant world and challenges traditional thinking about plant and animal intelligence, and how we might connect on a much deeper level than we ever thought. We hear about the patient little Mimosa plant, or Sensitive plant, and how they learn, remember and rea...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Itsaso Velez del Burgo about her work at the Lwiro Primate Rehabilitation Center in the Democratic Republic of Congo rescuing and rehabilitating chimps and other vulnerable species. She talks to us about how the devastating effects of extreme poverty and hunger lead to poaching and the trauma that echoes through the chimpanzees and their families. We hear her intimate account of what little baby chimps go through when they are taken from their killed mo...

In this week's conversation, we speak with Ph.D. Student Shelly Eshleman about the incredible journey migrating birds take every year. Shelly talks about her ongoing research and her work at Willistown Conservation Trust tracking migrating birds along the East Coast of the United States with the MOTUS Avian system. We get a peek into the long and sometimes dangerous journey of migrating birds, and the little backpacks they take along the way. Lights Out Philly The Big Collision Bird Cast Willis...

In this week's episode, we speak with Dr. May Berenbaum on all things insects and her work focusing on interactions between insects and plants and the intricate reciprocal relationship they have with each other, some of which is focused on honey bees. Dr. Berenbaum walks us through a field of information highlighting the extraordinary way bugs keep our world clean, and fruitful, and full of all the good things like flowers and honey. About Dr. May Berenbaum National Geographic: Stick Insects Ha...