A biologist? At Disney?? That's right, it's the return of Morgan Belle, Conservation Programs Manager with Disney's Animals, Science, and Environment!

After a brief recap of her history in the field, Morgan chats about life as "everyone's 'bug lady'", the (somewhat controversial) difference between bugs and insects, how improv classes were the scariest and most transformative thing she's ever done, and modern advancements in butterfly telemetry, before partnering with Ari to tell the most epic entomological tale ever: the story of "The Bee."

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!

Ari and Chris are joined by one of their favorite Brits, Shaping Behaviour founder Nicky Plaskitt! Nicky chats with us about her path from zookeeper to zoo training consultant, the importance of not being risk-averse, the unexpected academic audiences that her company has connected her too, the importance of establishing and maintaining an online following, why trainers should avoid perfection and shoot for "a middle ground that becomes your new beginning," and why highland cows are the best.

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!

Ari and Chris are joined by one of their absolute favorite people in the field, Elly Neumann! Elly chats with us about the journey that brought her to her current role as Coordinator of Welfare, Training, and Enrichment at Jerusalem Zoo, the wide spectrum of where animals institutions are at globally in the development of their behavior management programs, the evolutions of how we share knowledge in the zoo world, the important work she has been a part of through the Animal Behavior Management Alliance (where Elly is the current President) and The Animal Behavior Community, and the importance of finding ways to get more involved.

If you have a shout-out you’d like us to share, a question or a topic you’d like us to discuss, or a suggestion for a guest we should have on the show, let us know at podcast@naturalencounters.com!