In this episode, I interview Global Conservation Force President & Founder, Mike Veale. Mike is also a trained Anti-Poaching Ranger and has been on the front line protecting wildlife in Africa since 2014. During the interview, Mike discusses what it was like working as senior mammal keeper at the San Diego Zoo’s Safari Park. He goes into detail what it was like working with two of the world’s remaining Northern White Rhinos and how that experience motivated him to sell everything he owned, and move to Africa to become a ranger. He recalls experiences from the field including his fight to save some of the world’s most endangered animals. Other topics include his thoughts on trophy hunting and if there is still hope for rhinos.

Donate to Global Conservation Force: https://globalconservationforce.org/donate/

Follow Mike on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/MikeVeale/

Follow Corbin Maxey

Website: https://corbinmaxey.com
YouTube: https://goo.gl/ZbuBnR
Instagram: https://goo.gl/NDYWFF
Twitter: https://goo.gl/F4zVfN
Facebook: https://goo.gl/ZsE1SP
TikTok: https://vm.tiktok.com/prvYxR/

Animal Nights LIVE on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nwCP3gJqHd8
Animal Nights LIVE website: https://corbinmaxey.com/animal-nights-live

Support the show! https://www.patreon.com/animalstothemax

GoFundMe: https://www.gofundme.com/f/help-support-corbin039s-animals\

In this episode, we highlight one of the world’s most unusual and trafficked animals, the pangolin. I sit-down with wildlife conservation professional, Lauren Ayres. She’s the pangolin conservation coordinator for the Global Conservation Force (GFC) and currently an educator at one of the nation’s most reputable zoos. We discuss pangolins, the Coronavirus, illegal wildlife trade, the ethics of wet markets, and why we should conserve the world’s only scaly mammal. Other topics include Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ and Lauren’s early beginnings at a big cat rescue.

For more information, please visit: https://www.laurenayres.com
Follow Lauren on TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@laurenswildlife

Global Conservation Force: https://globalconservationforce.org

Sources and links for further reading:

Preliminary reports (Not peer reviewed/published; may be under journal/peer review):

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/jmv.25731

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0960982220303602

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.02.17.951335v1

https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2020.03.16.993816v2.abstract

Summary of findings (compiled by journalists &/or scientists):

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/03/200317175442.htm

https://theconversation.com/coronavirus-origins-genome-analysis-suggests-two-viruses-may-have-combined-134059

https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/how-chinas-bat-woman-hunted-down-viruses-from-sars-to-the-new-coronavirus1/