Conservation Beyond the Cage pulls back the curtain on the world of endangered species recovery and wildlife protection—without the sugarcoating. Hosted by the team at RSCF, this podcast explores the victories, heartbreaks, and hard truths of modern conservation, from hands-on animal care and global field programs to uncomfortable topics like greenwashing, wildlife trafficking, and conservation fraud.
Unenforced: How Florida's Fireworks Laws Fail Wildlife
Send us Fan Mail Fireworks may be legal three days a year in Florida, but bulk sales happen almost year-round, and enforcement rarely keeps up. This episode looks at what that means for RSCF's critically endangered red-browed Amazon chicks, bolting mountain bongo, and a drought-stressed landscape one spark from disaster. Support the show For more information visit us online at www.rarespecies.org and follow us on TikTok (@rarespecies.org), Instagram (@rarespec), YouTube (@rarespec...
21 May 2026
Primates for Purchase - How Social Media Fuels the Illegal Primate Trade
Send us Fan Mail A new report from AZA, IFAW, and WWF reveals something alarming hiding in plain sight: thousands of primates, endangered spider monkeys, chimpanzees, marmosets, and more, are being bought and sold on mainstream social media platforms, openly and with minimal effort to find them. In just six weeks, researchers identified over 1,600 individual primates offered for sale across Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube. In this episode, we break down the full scope of the Pr...
8 Apr 2026
Me and My AI, a Conservation Conversation
Send us Fan Mail The internet is drowning in fake wildlife images. AI is partly to blame. So why is a conservation biologist using it to tell real stories? In this episode, Karen McGovern sits down with her co-host — an AI — to find out. Support the show For more information visit us online at www.rarespecies.org and follow us on TikTok (@rarespecies.org), Instagram (@rarespec), YouTube (@rarespec) and Facebook (@rarespec).
19 Feb 2026
Fourteen Hours on the Tarmac: A Conservation Crisis
Send us Fan Mail On February 7th, eight critically endangered mountain bongo were loaded onto a charter aircraft bound for Kenya, the next step in a decades-long international effort to return this species to its native forests. Then, while taxiing for departure, the flight was aborted. What followed were 14 tense hours on the tarmac, an emergency response effort by Rare Species Conservatory Foundation staff, and difficult decisions that tested every safeguard built into this program. In this...
9 Sept 2025
Illegal Wildlife Trade--Parrots in Peril
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Conservation Beyond the Cage, we explore the realities of the illegal parrot trade: how smugglers use advanced technology, how the COVID-19 pandemic fueled trafficking by weakening enforcement, and the devastating toll on wild populations. We also confront a hard truth—society has grown desensitized to parrots in cages, forgetting they are wildlife meant to thrive in the skies, not behind bars. Support the show For more information visit us onli...
5 Aug 2025
Keepers in Crisis: The Hidden Toll of Wildlife Conservation Work
Send us Fan Mail What happens when those dedicated to saving wildlife are themselves struggling to survive emotionally? From the heart-wrenching grief of losing animals they've cared for over decades to the physical exhaustion of daily animal husbandry, conservation professionals face mental health challenges rarely discussed in public forums. "How do you cram 24 years of life into an Instagram post about a monkey?" This poignant question captures the profound attachment caregivers develop w...
24 Jul 2025
Celebrating the Unsung Heroes--Animal Care Staff
Send us Fan Mail In honor of National Zookeeper week we wanted to shout-out the true heroes at any animal facility. The animal care staff. Hardworking, dedicated and incredibly talented, these folks don't get enough credit. Well, we want you to know how much we appreciate you! Support the show For more information visit us online at www.rarespecies.org and follow us on TikTok (@rarespecies.org), Instagram (@rarespec), YouTube (@rarespec) and Facebook (@rarespec).
22 Jul 2025
Tiny Titans--Secrets of the Pygmy Marmoset
Send us Fan Mail Pygmy Marmosets may be the smallest monkeys in the world, but their behavior, communication, and social lives are remarkably complex. We’ll explore what makes them so unique—and why they need our protection now more than ever. Support the show For more information visit us online at www.rarespecies.org and follow us on TikTok (@rarespecies.org), Instagram (@rarespec), YouTube (@rarespec) and Facebook (@rarespec).
13 Jul 2025
Beyond the Bars: Who We Are and Why We Speak Out
Send us Fan Mail In this episode of Conservation Beyond the Cage, we pull back the curtain on the Rare Species Conservatory Foundation (RSCF)—who we are, what we stand for, and why we’re launching a podcast that dares to say what others won’t. www.rarespecies.org Support the show For more information visit us online at www.rarespecies.org and follow us on TikTok (@rarespecies.org), Instagram (@rarespec), YouTube (@rarespec) and Facebook (@rarespec).
12 Jul 2025
The "Parrot King"--From Feathers to Fraud
Send us Fan Mail Martin Guth, self-described parrot king, pledge to save the critically endangered spixes macaw. Instead he sold it. This is a story about profiting in the name of conservation. References include: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1hdgm8lLLFpM2AcUeymiVongdTo4YREi1/view?pli=1 https://drive.google.com/file/d/1J2whDz-fdSnLOp8kHiRpUuxlZT5q3jf_/view https://drive.google.com/file/d/18VTeSVMjqFklrPSyuiW6-I1Sjg3wOuLh/view https://www.audubon.org/magazine/parrot-king https://news.mongab...
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