Hello, everyone! Welcome to Rewildology, the podcast that explores conservation, travel, and rewilding the planet, and Part 4 of the ‘Nepal: Coexisting with Giants’ series. I’m your host, Brooke Mitchell-Norman, conservation biologist and globetrotter.
When I ask you to think about Himalayan wildlife, what are the first species that come to mind? If you asked me, I’d immediately say the snow leopard because by now I’m sure you’ve all gathered that I’m borderline obsessed with big cats. But these record-breaking mountains boast some of the world’s coolest animals, two in particular that don’t receive as much attention as their feline counterparts.
In today’s episode, I’m chatting with two awesome Nepali conservationists that are experts in Himalayan wildlife. First, you’ll hear from Sonam Lama who is the Project Coordinator for the Red Panda Network. We recorded his episode shortly after I returned from Nepal, as we weren’t able to connect in-country. Hopefully, I’ve done a good enough job editing the jet lag out of my voice.
Afterward, you’ll hear from Bhupendra Yadav, a Himalayan black bear expert. Courtney and I met with Bhupendra at our lovely hotel in Kathamandu shortly before departing Nepal. We discuss how human-bear conflict has increased over the years and his work to start one of the most comprehensive Himalayan black bear research studies.
Don’t forget to subscribe to the show wherever you’re listening and share it with someone you think might enjoy it, too. Sharing is the best way to help the show grow and the more people that learn about wildlife conservation, the better off our planet will be.
Alright everyone, let’s get to it. Here is my conversation with Sonam and Bhupendra:
