So I recently launched the new podcast, Conservation Uncut, which is now also on iTunes!
For Episode 1, my mate Alex and I met with David Kwarteng, co-founder of the charity Herp Ghana and an all-round inspirational guy. If you missed it, feel free to give it a listen.
In the podcast, we talked with David about his quest to save from extinction the critically endangered Togo slippery frog and how he worked with the mountaintop Amedzokpe community in Ghana to establish the only amphibian-focused wildlife reserve in Africa, by employing such community engagement strategies as “Soccer for Frogs”.
We also talked about how religion could be used as a tool in wildlife conservation, something David and his team refer to as “Conservation Evangelism”.
Indeed, one of the most fascinating things David discussed was how religious belief was underpinning the survival of monkeys in Boabeng-Fiema monkey sanctuary in the Brong-Ahafo region of Ghana.
This sanctuary is an island of refuge for monkeys, that are otherwise poached and hunted elsewhere. And monkeys are not only safe from hunting. They are also welcomed into the homes of the community, who even have burial ceremonies for the monkeys when they die.
David said that the reason for this close bond between humans and monkeys is that the community believes that monkeys are the children of god; a belief that stems from a monkey once being found on an ancestral structure the community worships.
In the photo below, you can see this structure, which David was taken to before being allowed to go and visit the sanctuary.
Below, the chief priest of the African traditionalist religion is pouring libation in offering to the god. David was told that the god is female, named Dawuro, and that she does not take alcohol, which is why the chief priest is using Fanta!
It was great talking to David, and I couldn’t have asked for a more interesting and dedicated guest to kick off the “Conservation Uncut” podcast. Please go and donate a couple of pounds towards his charity’s effort to save the Togo slippery frog!!!
I’d also like to say a big thank you to two Sams.
First, Sam Peters, who recorded the podcast intro music with me (or, more accurately, who provided all the musical talent and ability whilst I bashed along on the back of a guitar thinking I was Ringo Starr but sounding like a baby giraffe with dustbin lids on its feet).
We had a couple of attempts at recording the intro. Sir David Attenborough and his friend the sloth even made a guest appearance in one attempt:
But this was the theme tune we decided on in the end. It features a pretty snazzy finale: Daniel McDowell banging a biro on an empty glass, in a way that some critics might lambaste as peculiar, but which most will agree is actually very pioneering.
Second, Sam Kite. Sam very kindly made the thumbnail photo for Conservation Uncut, which uses a photo of an elephant he took during his recent photography expedition in Botswana.
If you want to see more of his work and the stunning footage he took in Botswana, check out his recently released showreel:
In the meantime, I’ve got some big plans for the podcast, and a few very cool guests lined up. So make sure you keep an eye out for the next episode of Conservation Uncut.
Episode 2 will be with Joli Borah, a researcher who works in remote areas of Northeast India where no scientists have ventured before, who has been chased by crocodiles, shot at by hunters and has lived with indigenous tribes for months at a time whilst she explores their ancient agricultural system and how it affects birds.
Woo!
