chimp podcast

IN THE SPOTLIGHT is a quarterly feature where we revisit past Talking Apes episodes that focus on highly critical issues. For our March 2023 instalment we're featuring our Season 1 episode with disease detective Dr Tony Goldberg, accompanied by three brand new podcasts exploring disease ecology and the links between animal health, human health, and the environment. 

Zoonotic diseases occur when viruses, bacteria, or parasites jump between humans and animals. Dr Goldberg explores how these diseases take a toll on us and apes like us.  In this episode he tells us about his quest to understand them, how we live with them, and his adventures in Africa trying to track down and eradicate a scary infection that almost wiped out an entire population of rescued chimpanzees.

Tony's episode was originally aired in March 2021 at the heart of the Covid-19 pandemic which threw the world into turmoil, not only within our personal lives, but economically, culturally, and politically.  The pandemic brought to light zoonosis as a critical, prevalent issue and a constant existential threat to us all.

Also in this special ZOONOSIS IN THE SPOTLIGHT season throughout March, don't miss our incredible new two-part conversation with award-winning science writer David Quammen, and finally a look at life on the frontlines of zoonotic and anthroponotic disease with mountain gorilla veterinarian Dr Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka; from heart of Uganda’s gorilla country, the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest. Visit our website to find out more. 

Click here to visit Tony's website. 

Talking Apes is an initiative of the nonprofit GLOBIO.
Official website: talkingapes.org
Instagram: @talkingapes_podcast
Twitter: @talking_apes
BUY OUR MERCH

At 22 years old, Rachel Hogan never dreamed that a three month volunteering trip to Africa would result in her becoming the director of one of the world's largest and most well known primate sanctuaries.

Over two decades later, Rachel remains on the edge of Cameroon's rainforests overseeing fifty human residents and 300 non-human residents - a growing hoard of gorillas, chimps, and monkeys now living in Ape Action Africa's 17 ginormous forest enclosures.

The sanctuary is a lifeline for endangered baby chimpanzees and gorillas that have been illegally stolen from the wild, victims of the bushmeat trade - their parents killed and the babies sold on as pets.

Ape Action Africa supports the government by making confiscations of these animals possible, and providing lifelong care to the orphaned apes and monkeys that show up at their gates.

Listen to Rachel tell us about the unpredictable and sometimes chaotic day to day life at the sanctuary, the tiny baby gorilla that persuaded her to stay forever, and the recent events that have given her a greater hope for the future of great apes in Africa.

To learn more about Ape Action Africa visit: apeactionafrica.org

Support their work: here

Support our work by becoming a Patreon subscriber: Click here

Talking Apes is an initiative of the nonprofit GLOBIO.
Official website: talkingapes.org
Instagram: @talkingapes_podcast
Twitter: @talking_apes
BUY OUR MERCH

We often hear about how we humans are 98% chimpanzee. In fact, biologically, humans are more closely related to chimpanzees than chimps are to gorillas! 

But when we look past the biological similarities, do we still see ourselves in our closest living relatives, the chimps and bonobos? 

Dr Catherine Hobaiter and her team have spent almost two decades deep in the rainforests of Africa, studying wild chimpanzees and attempting to read between the lines when it comes to their diverse behaviour - especially the nuances of chimp communication. 

When chimps shake hands, point, hold out their palms, or beckon, these gestures look familiar to us - but do they have the same meanings as they do for humans? Are chimps always violent? Do chimpanzee communities always have an alpha male? Why do chimpanzees drum on tree roots!?

Cat shares some of her team's incredible breakthrough scientific discoveries, and some of her favourite personal anecdotes about her time spent with apes like us.

Talking Apes is an initiative of the nonprofit GLOBIO.
Official website: talkingapes.org
Instagram: @talkingapes_podcast
Twitter: @talking_apes
BUY OUR MERCH