Pet Science - a look at science from the perspective of our animal companions

Pilot 1 with Dr Karen Gregory

The second in my series of pilots for my podcast project, Pet Science. In this episode, I chat with Paul Mason (Conservationist & Educator with the Taronga Conservation Society) and Daniel Yeow (Scientist, Communicator, Athlete, Musician, and Online Manager at Worldwatch Institute Europe) about a wide range of topics - from human-animal cohabitation to anthropology, history and politics.

Pilot 2 with Paul Mason + Daniel Yeow

This is episode is the last pilot in this podcast series and my guest today is my peer at ANU science communication, Stephanie Kraskov.

Pilot 3 with Stephanie Kraskov

My guest today is Professor Sarah Legge of the Australian National University. In episode we talk about the threats to native wildlife posed by invasive species and our feline friends, the benefits to keeping your cat indoors and the proposed changes to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act.
 
Relevant links for this episode:
Sarah Legge’s profile at TSRH: https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/people/sarah-legge
TSRH projects: https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/projects

‘We need to worry about Bella and Charlie: the impacts of pet cats on Australian wildlife’, in Wildlife Research (CC BY-NC-ND): https://doi.org/10.1071/WR19174

‘Spending to save: What will it cost to halt Australia's extinction crisis?’, in Conservation Letters (CC BY 4.0): https://doi.org/10.1111/conl.12682

Ep. 1 with Prof. Sarah Legge

My guest today is Dr Jo Righetti, a pet behaviourist and counsellor from Pet Problems Solved in Sydney. Jo has 20 years of experience in solving pet problems, which often helps people too. 

In this episode we talk about some of the quirks of animal behaviour, counselling of pet owners and things owners can do to enrich their pet’s life.
 
Relevant link for this episode: www.petproblemsolved.com.au

Ep. 2 with Dr Jo Righetti

My guest today is Dr Vanessa Rohlf – a pet loss counsellor from Melbourne with 10 years of experience in helping pet owners cope with compassion fatigue, stress, and loss. 

In this episode we talk about compassion fatigue, animal bereavement and mindfulness in pet care
 
Relevant links for this episode: 
https://petsandpeople.com.au/counsellors/dr-vanessa-rohlf/
https://drvanessarohlf.com.au/
Mobile: 0419 322 451

Animal bereavement:
Grief & Bereavement Support Services: https://petsandpeople.com.au/grief-bereavement-support-services/ 
Mindfulness:
Smiling Mind: www.smilingmind.com.au
FutureLearn: https://www.futurelearn.com/courses/mindfulness-life

Ep. 3 with Dr Vanessa Rohlf

My guest today is Tida Nou. Tida a research assistant for Threatened Species Recovery Hub. 

In this episode we talk about cat impacts and management (including Indigenous cat hunters), making the science of invasive species research more accessible to the public, and threat mitigation plans

Relevant links for this episode: 
Science for saving species—Research to address our wildlife cat-astrophe: https://www.nespthreatenedspecies.edu.au/media/y5dl5po3/sfss-14-2020-cats-mag.pdf

Indigenous cat hunters with expert tracking skills could help protect native species: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-09-13/indigenous-cat-hunting-unnderrated-tool-in-conservation/12642676 

Is cat hunting by Indigenous tracking experts an effective way to reduce cat impacts on threatened species?
https://doi.org/10.1071/WR20035

Shooting Cats: Australia's War on Feral Cats(content warning): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxUTl_xd9u0

Ep. 4 with Tida Nou

This is my podcast, Pet Science. In each episode, I speak to guests and experts about what we can learn from our animal companions — from topics as varied as the evolutionary causes behind common pet traits to practical techniques owners can use to enrich their pet’s life, as well as the ecological impact of domesticated animals on Australian wildlife. 

This podcast brings you science that wags its tail.