Hello and welcome back to Rewildology, the podcast all about conservation, travel, and rewilding the planet. I’m your host, Brooke Mitchell-Norman, conservation biologist and adventure traveler.
If you’ve listened to the past couple of episodes, you’ll notice that I’ve been a super busy bee building new things for you all. Last week, I announced the brand new Rewildologist Community Facebook Group, designed to bring us all together and give a safe space to chat about conservation in its weird and wacky ways. I’d absolutely love for you to join. Just search for Rewildologists in Facebook Groups or click the link in the show notes.
This week I have another announcement for you! I’m embarrassed to say it’s taken me this long, but I’ve finally built a newsletter to keep you all up to date on the latest episodes, new things going on here at Rewildology, and exciting developments.
To sign up, head over to Rewildology.com and simply input your email address in the little popup. That’s it! I’ll handle the rest.
Alrighty, everyone. That’s all for this week’s announcement. Now onto today’s show!
Last week, we met Kayla Fratt, founder of K9 Conservationists, and learned all about conservation detection dogs. Today, we’re exploring a different and very important canine job: anti-poaching dogs.
In this episode, I’m chatting with Jack Gradidge who is a Director for Dogs 4 Wildlife (the number 4, not ‘for’). Jack is a passionate rhino conservationist currently working with a breeding group of black rhinos in Wales, UK. His love for the natural world, and dedication to protect it, led him to form Dogs4Wildlife. This organization is awesome. They train anti-poaching dogs in the UK before deploying them to reserves across Africa. Their experienced team provides everything that reserves need in order to utilize these amazing dogs effectively. This includes advice on kennel design, handler training, toys, handling equipment, care advice, and continued support once the dogs are deployed. Pretty cool, right?
A lot goes into selecting, training, and deploying an anti-poaching pooch, which Jack explains in detail. He also shares what it’s like to start a not-for-profit organization from the ground up and everything that entails.
I really believe in Dogs 4 Wildlife and think they’re a fantastic nonprofit to support. If you’d like to connect with Jack or Dogs 4 Wildlife, email them at info@dogs4wildlife.org or visit their website, dogs4wildlife.org.
If you like this episode, share it with a friend or put it on your Instagram story, and tag Rewildology. Rating and reviewing the show wherever you’re listening is super helpful for organically helping others find the podcast.
Also, if you’d like to connect with other fun, conservation-minded people and get the latest podcast announcements, join the Rewildologists community Facebook Group. You can easily find the group by either searching for Rewildologists or heading over the Rewildology Facebook page and clicking on the Groups tab. I encourage everyone to join, ask questions, share resources, and as always, keeping an open mind to the ebbs and flows of conservation.
Rewildologists Community Facebook Group
Alright. Onto my conversation with Jack.
Links & Resources
Social media links:
Twitter
Dogs 4 Wildlife YouTube Channel
Instagram
Facebook
Websites:
https://www.dogs4wildlife.org/
Contacting Jack
You can reach Jack by emailing him at info@dogs4wildlife.org.
Check out other Rewildology Episodes.
Ep. 28 Show Notes | Canines in Conservation: Detecting Scientific Data with Kayla Fratt
Ep. 27 Show Notes | The Most Interesting Man…On Safari with Jeff Trollip
Ep. 26 Show Notes | Protecting People & Elephants While Raising Women’s Voices with Beeju Poudyal; Part 5 “Nepal: Coexisting with Giants”
