ZSL #053 A Tiny Frog Facing an Urgent Crisis
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
Deep in the dense rainforests of southern Chile lives a tiny amphibian. Just 3cm long, expertly blending into the browns and green of the forest floor, with a narrow-pointed nose and angular body, the Darwin’s frog is fighting for survival. Scientists at ZSL have spent more than 20 years working on a disease known as chytridiomycosis, which has devastated amphibian populations globally, to try and understand underlying drivers of the distribution, spread and impacts of the disease. In this episode, we hear about the work being done to protect and restore Darwin’s frog populations, and how...
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ZSL #052 World Swallowtail Day 2026: Celebrating and Saving Iconic Butterflies
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
Happy World Swallowtail Day to our listeners! 🦋 To mark this special day and celebrate these incredible insects, we catch up with Sophie Ledger, Red List Research Associate and Manager at ZSL's Institute of Zoology, and Dr Mark Collins, President of the Swallowtail and Birdwing Butterfly Trust, to explore the ecology, adaptations and challenges of this remarkable family of butterflies, and hear about the work being done to protect and conserve them. Whether you're a lifelong lepidopterist, or simply enjoy watching a butterfly in flight, we hope you enjoy this episode. Overview 00:11 ...
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ZSL #051 From Habitat to Husbandry: Evidence-based animal care
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
Modern zoos play a critical role in global conservation, but supporting wildlife under human care goes far beyond habitat design. Hear how ZSL’s experts use science, behavioural insight and veterinary care to help animals thrive and support species on the brink of extinction. From ensuring penguins can express their natural behaviours, to delivering tailored veterinary care to supports lions’ long-term health and welfare, this episode of Wild Science shines a light on the dedication and expertise within ZSL’s Evidence-based Animal Care Team and beyond. Overview 00:13 Harriet...
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ZSL #050 Mapping Nature’s Code
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
How does our DNA, the tiny building blocks that make every species, and every individual, totally distinct, impact our evolution? In this episode, we learn how we can visualise our DNA, or genome, to allow us to better organise the tree of life, and how learning more about this genetic make-up can provide insights into how a species survives in the face of a changing environment. We head to Cambridge, to ring native UK birds and collect samples of their DNA, and then to the Wellcome Sanger Institute, to see learn how those samples are processed and sequenced as part of a collaborative project...
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ZSL #049 The forest behind your floorboards
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
Do you know where the wood in your floorboards comes from? Or your desk, or dining chairs? In this episode, we dig deep into the grain of a global issue that is often hidden in plain sight in our offices, our houses and our cities – tracing timber back to its source. Harriet talks to Annabelle Dodson, ZSL’s Sustainable Business Project Manager, and Victor Deklerck, Director of Science at World Forest ID, about how scientists use isotopes to pinpoint where the trees behind our wood products were grown, the role of digital tracking systems in supply chains, and real-world cases where...
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ZSL #048 The rubber story and the road to sustainability
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
What do car tyres, yoga mats and trainers have in common? They all contain natural rubber, tapped from trees by millions of small farmers, mostly in Asia. While natural rubber production is renewable, its impact on the environment through deforestation, habitat loss and soil degradation, can be great when not managed sustainably. In this episode, we hear from a Thai rubber farmer, about the challenges faced on the ground, as well as one of the world’s biggest tyre makers, Michelin, about rubber’s colonial history, its tangled supply chains, and how they’re working with farmers on...
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ZSL #047 Shark Tales of North Wales
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
The coastal waters of Wales are home to a whopping 27 species of sharks, skates and rays, known collectively as elasmobranchs, and they are a fundamental part of Wales’ natural heritage. But even so, research on their biology and conservation status is lacking. In this episode, Wild Science hits the road to join scientists from Project SIARC and the Ocean Predator Lab in North Wales as they work with local fishing communities to monitor tope sharks, and contribute to better understanding and conservation of shark species in the region. Overview 00:11 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild...
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ZSL #046 Feeding the Zoo: Nutrition for animals under managed care
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
Making sure that the animals held in ZSL’s two conservation zoos, London and Whipsnade, are fed a diet that can help them thrive is crucial, both for keeping them healthy under managed care, and ensuring they are in the best possible shape for a return to the wild. Amanda Ferguson is ZSL’s Diet Management Officer and is responsible for creating tailored diets for all the animals across both ZSL Zoos, from snails to elephants! We learn how to feed an animal for which there are no guidelines, why enriched feeding methods are so important, and why you’ll rarely see a monkey at London Zoo...
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ZSL #045 BONUS Nature's Negotiators: Saving the planet one meeting at a time
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
After our Nature’s Negotiators miniseries, where we learned all about the complexities, challenges and importance of United Nations climate and biodiversity meetings, we wanted to give the gift of a bonus episode to round things off! We catch up with Bethan to hear how things went after she attended COP29, United Nations Climate Change Conference, in Azerbaijan. Overview 00:11 , Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction 00:54 , ZSL’s Senior Policy Specialist, on how the finance negotiations at COP29 played out 06:37 Bethan on...
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ZSL #044 Nature's Negotiators: The UN's Wildest Diplomatic Mission - Part 2
ZSL Wild Science Podcast
2024 has been a big year for international climate policy, with two UN Conference of Parties, or COPs, taking place in quick succession; COP16 in Colombia followed just a few weeks later by COP29 in Azerbaijan. In this episode of Wild Science, we follow on from part one of our Nature’s Negotiators miniseries, and are once again joined by Bethan Laughlin, ZSL Senior Policy Specialist. We discuss the challenges and successes of the two biodiversity and climate COPs, tackle some new UN lingo, and hear about key hopes for the future of climate policy. Overview 00:12 , Host of...
info_outlineDeep in the dense rainforests of southern Chile lives a tiny amphibian. Just 3cm long, expertly blending into the browns and green of the forest floor, with a narrow-pointed nose and angular body, the Darwin’s frog is fighting for survival.
Scientists at ZSL have spent more than 20 years working on a disease known as chytridiomycosis, which has devastated amphibian populations globally, to try and understand underlying drivers of the distribution, spread and impacts of the disease. In this episode, we hear about the work being done to protect and restore Darwin’s frog populations, and how funding from the Postcode Lottery enables this vital research.
Overview
00:12 Harriet McAra, Host of Wild Science, Episode introduction
01:21 Dr Andrés Valenzuela-Sánchez, Research Fellow in Wildlife Health at ZSL
28:48 Will Humpington, Climate Change and Environment Advisor at the Postcode Lottery
33:35 Thank you and outro
Resources
- If there’s a topic you’d like to hear on a future podcast, or if you’d like to share your thoughts, email the ZSL Wild Science Podcast at: [email protected]
- Check out our science and conservation work at: www.zsl.org/Science or www.zsl.org/conservation
- Find out more about the Postcode Lottery’s work supporting charitable causes: https://www.postcodelottery.co.uk/charities
- More about ZSL’s relationship with the Postcode Lottery: https://www.zsl.org/support-us/charitable-trusts-and-foundations
- Find more information on amphibian chytridiomycosis: https://www.zsl.org/what-we-do/projects/amphibian-chytridiomycosis
- Darwin’s frog vocal sac brooding behaviour: https://www.instagram.com/reel/DZQGJR6FGgh/
- The first time that chytridiomycosis is documented in a terrestrial species, having previously thought to be only transmissible through water: Valenzuela-Sánchez, A., Delgado-Oyarzún, S., Azat, C. et al. Localized transmission of an aquatic pathogen drives hidden epidemics and population collapse in a terrestrial host. Nat Ecol Evol 10, 308–317 (2026). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02930-1
- Watch A Leap of Hope, a ZSL film capturing the rescue mission and 7000-mile expedition made by conservationists to protect the Darwin’s frog: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fs1SIs0KRlk
- Ranita de Darwin and their work in Parque Tantauco: https://www.ranitadedarwin.org/en/rescatetantauco
Get in touch
- Email [email protected] with your questions, comments, and thoughts for future episodes!
- Find us @ZSLScience on X or @zslofficial.bsky.social on BlueSky and use the hashtag #ZSLWildScience
- Follow us on Facebook @ZSLScienceAndConservation