Deep in Africa’s wild, rainforest-covered volcanic mountains is one of planet earth’s greatest conservation success stories. For the last forty years a group of dedicated veterinarians has brought one of our most iconic beasts, the mountain gorilla, back from the brink of extinction.

In this episode you will meet Dr. Kirsten Gilardi, the former Executive Director (recently retired) and Chief Veterinary Officer of Gorilla Doctors. Based at the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine, she led this incredible international team for 16 years, who provide hands-on veterinary care to ill and injured mountain and Grauer's gorillas in Rwanda, Uganda, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo.

Dr. Gilardi explains the sheer delight of visiting these gentle forest giants in their mountain homes, and what we can all learn from the successful conservation and preservation of our closest living relatives and the places they live.

So grab a leafy green snack, make a comfy night nest and be delighted by this expedition with National Geographic writers Jeffrey Barbee and Laurel Neme as we explore a wilderness protected by some of the fiercest, and fragile, vegetarians the world has ever known.

Get involved:

Gorilla Doctors is the only organisation in the world providing hands-on veterinary care to wild mountain and grauers gorillas, and every donation directly funds the field teams who race into the forest when a gorilla is ill, injured, or caught in a snare.

Give here: https://www.gorilladoctors.org/donations/

Follow the work case by case on their blog, where the field vets write up real interventions from Rwanda, Uganda, and the DRC: https://www.gorilladoctors.org/category/blog/

Learn more about the team, the science, and the One Health approach behind it all at the main site: https://www.gorilladoctors.org/

Because these are our closest living relatives, keeping them healthy protects people and habitat too, and your support keeps the doctors on call 365 days a year.

You can also back the wider effort to protect gorillas and their forests through the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund, which continues the daily protection and research work Fossey began: https://gorillafund.org/

And through the International Gorilla Conservation Programme, a coalition working across the Virunga and Bwindi landscapes to safeguard gorilla habitat and the communities who share it: https://igcp.org/

The Wildlife Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Barbee and Laurel Neme.

It is directed and edited by Jeffrey Barbee.

Find out more on our websites: www.laurelneme.com and www.jeffreybarbee.com

The podcast is supported by the US based nonprofit www.allianceearth.org

Our theme music was produced just for our show by the amazing Joey Morra, check him out on his website at: www.joeymorra.com

In this week's episode we explore something deep, dark, and surprisingly full of life. Discover some hope in the depths of one of the most mysterious parts of our oceans in this episode with The Center for Biological Diversity's David Derrick.

David is a lawyer whose career path diverged from a more staid legal practice into environmental protection when he moved to California and started to enjoy the outdoor ocean life. Now he is working on protecting the ocean depths and her denizens from exploitation.

Deep sea mining is hard, dangerous and expensive, but these challenges aren't preventing dozens of companies, and the US government, from trying to dredge the ocean floor for financial gain. As the world looks down for more of the minerals and metals that are part of our transition away from the dirty and polluting oil business, we discover why it's critical that the bottom of Davy Jones' locker be left undisturbed.

So join us and find out how the deep sea’s protectors like David are squaring up against this little-known problem, why this is the perfect time for collective action, and how you can get involved and become a deep sea ocean champion yourself.

Get involved:

Everyone’s voice counts! Sign the Greenpeace petition tostop deep sea mining before it starts:

https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/act/stop-deep-sea-mining/

Find out more about the the issues of deep sea mining at The Center for Biological Diversity’s dedicated deep sea mining page:

https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/campaigns/deep-sea_mining/

Check out the The Center for Biological Diversity’s latest April 2026 press release, and support the organisation today at this link:

https://biologicaldiversity.org/support/

Learn more about WHY deep sea ocean mining is a false resource promise from Justin Alger

At The School of Social and Political Sciences at The University of Melbourne in Australia writing in the journal Nature:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s44183-025-00127-4

The Wildlife Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Barbee and Laurel Neme.

It is directed and edited by Jeffrey Barbee.

Find out more on our websites: www.laurelneme.com and www.jeffreybarbee.com

The podcast is supported by the US based nonprofit www.allianceearth.org

Our theme music was produced just for our show by the amazing Joey Morra, check him out on his website at: www.joeymorra.com

Want to know why you should never wake a snoozing sloth for a selfie? Ever wonder what this cuddly-looking creature's quiet genius is? Hint hint- it has to do with poop!

Adriana Aguilar never planned to run a wildlife sanctuary, but then love’s spark also ignited her passion for conservation. Today she and her husband Alvaro run Proyecto Asís, one of Costa Rica's most respected ethical wildlife sanctuaries, where they care for parrots, monkeys, kinkajous, raccoons, herons… and sloths!

In this exciting episode about our slow moving arboreal cousins you will discover all sorts of sloth facts, and if you hang around long enough you may even discover how you can safely help them across the road.

So slow down, grab a low-hanging snack and join us as we grapple with all sorts of fun, fascinating and critically important info about conservation in Costa Rica in general and sloths in particular. Discover how you can support sloths, help fight animal trafficking and be a part of ethical wildlife conservation, without ever getting off of your go-slow sofa.

We guarantee you will get inspired by this incredible team as they drive forward environmental education and support the incredible biodiversity of Costa Rica. Want to help sloths and the wild forests they rely on for their home and food? As Adriana explains in this episode, everyone can be part of the solution, so here is your chance.

How You Can Help

• Visit or volunteer at Proyecto Asís: Book an ethical educational tour or a volunteer/Spanish-immersion program — your visit directly funds the rescue work. https://institutoasis.com/
• Donate to Proyecto Asís: Support the animals and the community directly. https://institutoasis.com/donations/
• Follow and share their stories: Facebook — https://www.facebook.com/volunteerprogramscostarica/
• Report wildlife crime: If you witness illegal wildlife trade or captive animals while travelling in Costa Rica, report it. When in doubt, send the details to Proyecto Asís and they'll help file it.
• Travel responsibly everywhere: Keep your distance, never feed or handle wild animals, and choose sanctuaries that put conservation first.

The Wildlife Podcast is produced by Jeffrey Barbee and Laurel Neme. It is directed and edited by Jeffrey Barbee. Find out more on our websites: www.laurelneme.com and www.jeffreybarbee.com

It is supported by the US based nonprofit, www.allianceearth.org

Our theme music was produced just for our show by the amazing Joey Morra, check him out on his website at: www.joeymorra.com