In a groundbreaking discovery, scientists have observed a male orangutan, Rakus, using plants as medicine—a first-ever recording of a wild animal self-medicating for wound care. This unique behavior was spotted in the jungle, where Rakus chewed the stem and leaves of a plant known for its anti-inflammatory properties and applied it to his injured cheek. The wound, likely caused by a territorial fight, healed within a month.What makes this finding extraordinary is its implications for both ora...

Generations at Gombe: Elizabeth Lonsdorf on Chimpanzee Mothers, Babies, and the Power of Long-Term StudyIn this episode of Talking Apes we’re joined by Elizabeth Lonsdorf whose decades spanning career has been rooted at Gombe, the iconic chimpanzee research site founded by Dr. Jane Goodall. What started as a project to study tool-use in wild chimps has evolved into a lifetime of discovery. Elizabeth, now co-director of the Gombe Mother-Infant Project, explores the most intimate relationships ...

Season 4 Premiere: World Gorilla Day Special Episode! 🦍We’re thrilled to launch Season 4 of Talking Apes with a special release in celebration of World Gorilla Day! This episode features an in-depth conversation with Kirsten Gilardi, Executive Director of Gorilla Doctors, the ground-breaking organization that’s saving gorillas through cutting-edge veterinary care. In this episode, Kirsten shares her passion for gorilla conservation and the awe-inspiring experiences of working up close with th...

Amidst the harsh terrain and frequent fires of Senegal's savanna landscape lives a community of remarkable chimps. What makes them different from their forest-dwelling kin? And what can they reveal about human evolution? Join us on World Chimpanzee Day for a journey into the heart of the savanna to explore the world of chimps with Dr Jill Pruetz. Following her pioneering research in Senegal's savanna habitat, Jill reveals her incredible discoveries about the behavior of our closest rela...

Learn about the secrets of ape society with Dr John MitaniJoin us for the second time on Talking Apes with John Mitani, a renowned primatologist with over three decades of experience studying chimpanzees in the wild. Known for his ground-breaking research and role as the scientific consultant for Netflix's "Chimp Empire," John shares his wealth of knowledge and incredible experiences from the forests of Kibale and beyond.From discovering unusually large chimpanzee groups to observing intricat...

Playful Teasing in Great Apes with Isabelle Laumer Did you know that great apes engage in playful teasing, much like human children?Join us for another episode of Talking Apes Podcast featuring Isabelle Laumer, a renowned researcher in animal behavior and cognition at Max Planck. Isabelle and her team have conducted groundbreaking research on playful teasing in great apes, revealing fascinating parallels between our closest relatives and human infants.In this episode, we delve into the cognit...

Join us for this episode of Talking Apes featuring Jeremy Hance, a distinguished environmental journalist renowned for his unwavering commitment to biodiversity. With a prolific career writing for outlets like Mongabay and the Guardian, Jeremy shares his insights on conservation and the emotional challenges of his work.Jeremy shares his lifelong love for wild things and his identity as a storyteller. He talks about the joy and challenges of covering critical issues like global warming, poachi...

Does connecting to a planet require seeing it? And at what cost to the environment,  the wildlife, and people? Join us for an Earth Day special on Talking Apes Podcast as we chat with Ben Bressler, founder of Natural Habitat Adventures, about the transformative power of purposeful travel. 'We're passionate about conservation, and we're passionate about travel, so we use travel to affect conservation.' A Conservation Journey: From humble beginnings in the late 1980s, Natural Habitat...

Greetings, troop! Welcome back to Talking Apes Season 3. We're kicking off 2024 with a thought-provoking episode featuring Kathayoon Khalil, conservation psychologist and education professional with a rich background spanning zoos, aquariums, museums, and nature centers. This week, our chat explores: The Power of Empathy  – How it shapes our attitudes towards animals and influences our actions. Kathayoon helps us understand how empathy can be a dynamic tool for positive conservation action....

Evolution - Who are we, where did we begin? The evolution of us and apes like us - gorillas, chimps, bonobos, and orangutans - likely began long before any of us resembled the apes of today. For Dr. Sergio Almécija that journey begins in the Miocene some 5-23 million years ago. Dr. Sergio Almécija studies the evolution of humans alongside that of our living closest relatives, the apes. Modern apes and humans constitute a relict of a once highly diversified group. During the Miocene in...

Beyond Biology: Primate Pelage, Racism, and Academic Triumphs Colour and pattern of hair and skin play a powerful role in how primates interpret and interact with others and the world.  Primates are the most colourful and pelage-diverse of all mammals. In this episode, we dive into the vibrant world of non-human primate hair and skin colour with passionate Ph.D. student at the University of of Massachusetts Amherst, Thomas Wilson. Thomas explores the still-emerging and complex field of...

On this week's episode of Talking Apes Podcast, we're joined by two extraordinary scientists, Dr Cleve Hicks and Toni Romani, as they lead us into the enigmatic world of the Bili-Ape and beyond. Few people have ventured as far and deep into the Congo's dark and secretive forests as Dr Cleve Hicks. Primatologist and associate professor at the University of Warsaw, Cleve takes us back to his thrilling early 2000s expedition in search of the mysterious Bili-Ape; a creature once rumoured to be...

 Unraveling the Meaty Mysteries of Human Evolution with Dr. Briana Pobiner This week on Talking Apes we journey back in time to explore our ancestral roots with Dr. Briana Pobiner. As a distinguished paleoanthropologist, Dr. Pobiner delves deep into the evolution of the human diet and the pivotal role meat played in our development as a species. Briana, who leads the Smithsonian Human Origins education and outreach initiatives, offers a unique perspective on our shared history with other...

A World Gorilla Day Special Exploring the Fate of the Colossal Grauer's Gorillas Situated on the eastern edge of the expansive Congo Basin in the Democratic Republic of Congo, GRACE  holds the unique distinction of being the world's sole sanctuary for Grauer's gorillas. The largest primates on our planet, yet the least known of the gorilla species, these giants are facing a dire crisis as their numbers have plummeted drastically over the past two decades. Only 6,800 individuals now remain....

Diana Kanweri closes not only our special Making of Chimp Empire series, but Season 2 of Talking Apes. The talented Ugandan chimpanzee field guide and camera operator was the first ever Ugandan woman to work on the Ngogo Chimp Project and made an invaluable contribution to the Netflix docuseries. Diana's expertise in navigating the Ugandan wilderness and her keen eye for capturing stunning shots made her an integral part of the filmmaking team behind Chimp Empire. During her appearance on the...

‘When I arrived at Ngogo, it didn’t take me long to figure out this place was unusual.’  For the second installment of our Making of Chimp Empire Series, we were privileged to have the esteemed Professor John Mitani as a guest on Talking Apes. John shared intimate stories about his extraordinary lifetime of work studying the Ngogo chimpanzees and his latest adventure serving as a scientific adviser to the team of filmmakers working on the  hit Netflix docuseries.  ‘The Ngogo chimps have been...

‘Chimpanzees are just incredibly special animals and I think what makes them so unique is their individuality. It’s such a privilege to be able to spend so much time with them.’ The third installation going behind-the-scenes of Chimp Empire in our four-part series celebrating World Chimp Day 2023, featuring immensely talented Director of Photography, Benjamin Sadd. Ben played a crucial role in the creation of the remarkable Netflix docuseries. His passion for wildlife filmmaking and his love...

‘We didn’t decide what we wanted the story to be. We wanted the chimps to tell their story, and document that with the highest level of authenticity.’  Director James Reed is a visionary filmmaker whose work has captivated audiences around the world. His 2023 Netflix docuseries, Chimp Empire, showcases his remarkable storytelling abilities and his dedication to shedding light on the lives of chimpanzees. This groundbreaking series provides a rare and intimate glimpse into the complex social...

In recent years, podcasts have emerged as an innovative and accessible medium for science education. With their ability to engage, inform, and entertain listeners, podcasts have become an invaluable tool for disseminating knowledge about various scientific disciplines...including the best one of all, primatology  ;) It probably won't come as a surprise that  - apart from, of course, our own -  Andrew MacIntosh's, podcast, The PrimateCast,  run out of Kyoto University's Wildlife Research...

Held captive as pets, dressed in human clothes, forced to perform tricks, and in some cases, even brutally tortured and killed. These are just some of the despicable ways that primates and other wildlife are being exploited online for likes, shares, and cash.  The rise of social media has unfortunately made it easier for people to share photos and videos of animal cruelty. And according to research, primates make up an overwhelming majority of the abuse cases we find online.  What’s perhaps...

Did tool-use lead to talking? Dr. Gilly Forrester’s groundbreaking research has contributed significantly to our understanding of the evolution of language in humans. Her work, focused on the cognitive abilities of great apes, has highlighted fascinating discoveries about their use of tools and problem solving abilities. "We share an incredible evolutionary history with other great apes." One of Gilly's observations has been that apes can modify tools to make them more effective,...

Gadget Recycler-Ape Lover.  This is how Eric Ronay signs off on all his emails. From his warehouse in Louisville, Kentucky, Eric works diligently to not only save gorillas and their habitats, but also to save our precious environment while enacting lasting culture change. Eric, whose vision is clearly seen through the work that Eco-Cell does, wants to empower people, especially teenagers and young adults, to demand sustainable changes within the technology world. 'What we do is a labour...

Mountain gorilla tourism owes its legacy to one man - Praveen Moman.  A visionary conservationist and entrepreneur, Praveen is also called the father of great ape ecotourism in Rwanda's  Virunga Mountains and the Bwindi Impenetrable Forest of Uganda. Born in Uganda in 1969, Praveen grew up surrounded by the country’s natural beauty. His passion for conservation was sparked at an early age, and he pursued a degree in ecology and conservation biology at the University of Bristol in the UK....

"Viruses are the dark angels of evolution, terrific and terrible, without which, the immense biological diversity gracing our planet would collapse." In 2013 veteran science writer David Quammen wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times titled, The Next Pandemic: Not if, but When?  Seven years later he found himself writing about the horrors of the very thing he had foretold, as the Covid-19 virus surged throughout our world. This week, continuing our special Zoonotic Disease In the...