The Animal Nerd Podcast

The Little Rescue Zoo

The weekly celebration of animals and the humans who love them! Join me each week (and sometimes twice a week!) as we deep-dive into incredible true stories from across the world and throughout history. Sometimes it's cute and wholesome, other times educational, and, frankly, sometimes the stories we cover are downright heart-breaking. But I promise you it's always a good time! Whether you want to discover forgotten stories from history, learn about science & conservation, dive into a spooky unsolved mystery, or just listen to some light-hearted animal tales, if you're an animal lover you'll find something for you here! Plus, 100% of money made through this podcast goes directly to animal sanctuary The Little Rescue Zoo, so just by listening to the show, you're also helping us to rescue animals in need, which is pretty cool (if I do say so myself!) If you'd rather get your podcast fix in the form of video essays, then check out my YouTube channel, Eutierria This podcast, like all of my content, is proudly 100% AI-free Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  1. 2d ago

    Meet Thomas, the bisexual polyamorous goose

    Thomas was a feral goose living in New Zealand, who initially made headlines when people realised that he had chosen a black swan as his mate. Their interspecies relationship alone would have been enough to garner attention, but when their fans realised that they were also both males, Thomas and his husband Henry were skyrocketed to international stardom. But it wasn't until a second black swan arrived at the scene and turned Henry's head that the real drama started to go down... Honestly, this story has got to be one of my all-time favourites! And if you need a wholesome tale as a little pick-me-up, then I'm sure you'll love it too! Thomas is the kind of queer hero we all need in our lives. Original air date: 17th June 2025 Important note: Unfortunately I wasn't able to import my show when I was switching hosting platforms, and as a result I'm having to re-upload my podcast from the start. Because of that, these early episodes are not indictive of the show's current quality - both in terms of the equipment used and my own skills as a writer & presenter - so apologies for that! Hopefully before too long I'll have caught up to my current output. In the meantime, you can check out my full back catalogue of episodes, and catch up with my newer content, over on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp6MWEI1w5ZrPiEM7zZKmgvtqhmWWbpeB Show notes: (for content warnings, sources used, related non-profits, etc) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1jxIgozTzbKLz30VbCy5WbOVFyaCCm68mX9TcKaVbPm8/edit?usp=sharing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  2. Oct 8

    That time they found a wild hippo in Leeds

    When you imagine the kind of wildlife native to Yorkshire, hippopotamuses are probably not the first species that spring to mind. And, sure, these days if you go for a stroll through the Dales you're definitely not going to run into one of them. But prior to the last ice age, they were actually a common sight across much of the UK, and so it's not as uncommon as you'd think for their fossilised remains to be dug up by archaeologists - and that's how the skeleton now known as the Armley or Leeds hippo was first found. And, look, I know an entire podcast episode about a collection of old bones doesn't sound very exciting (I mean, it's not even a full skeleton! Just a partial one!), but I promise this story is a lot more interesting than you might think. Original air date: 13th May 2025 Important note: Unfortunately I wasn't able to import my show when I was switching hosting platforms, and as a result I'm having to re-upload my podcast from the start. Because of that, these early episodes are not indictive of the show's current quality - both in terms of the equipment used and my own skills as a writer & presenter - so apologies for that! Hopefully before too long I'll have caught up to my current output. In the meantime, you can check out my full back catalogue of episodes, and catch up with my newer content, over on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp6MWEI1w5ZrPiEM7zZKmgvtqhmWWbpeB Show notes: (for content warnings, sources used, related non-profits, etc) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1nYM8ykaz-Yf39hQoXacyCf8036flPy1CyqxH2jMoliQ/edit?usp=sharing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

  3. Oct 5

    Lies, hypocrisy, and nuance - the complicated legacy of the Silver Springs monkeys

    In the early 1980s, the case of the Silver Springs monkeys - seventeen macaques rescued from a medical research laboratory in Maryland - became one of the highest-profile animal rights cases in American history. It sparked widespread conversations on the ethics of animal experimentation and skyrocketed People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) into the global spotlight. Despite being a landmark case in the fight for a kinder world to animals, the truth of this story is a lot more nuanced and infinitely more complicated than the commonly-told version, and today we're diving into all of that. Original air date: 2nd May 2025 Important note: Unfortunately I wasn't able to import my show when I was switching hosting platforms, and as a result I'm having to re-upload my podcast from the start. Because of that, these early episodes are not indictive of the show's current quality - both in terms of the equipment used and my own skills as a writer & presenter - so apologies for that! Hopefully before too long I'll have caught up to my current output. In the meantime, you can check out my full back catalogue of episodes, and catch up with my newer content, over on my YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLp6MWEI1w5ZrPiEM7zZKmgvtqhmWWbpeB Show notes: (for content warnings, sources used, related non-profits, etc) https://docs.google.com/document/d/1fOfShShNWbIYg2n1XxIF1HZbu8EPIZ9zVvQ_yotOSS0/edit?usp=sharing Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

About

The weekly celebration of animals and the humans who love them! Join me each week (and sometimes twice a week!) as we deep-dive into incredible true stories from across the world and throughout history. Sometimes it's cute and wholesome, other times educational, and, frankly, sometimes the stories we cover are downright heart-breaking. But I promise you it's always a good time! Whether you want to discover forgotten stories from history, learn about science & conservation, dive into a spooky unsolved mystery, or just listen to some light-hearted animal tales, if you're an animal lover you'll find something for you here! Plus, 100% of money made through this podcast goes directly to animal sanctuary The Little Rescue Zoo, so just by listening to the show, you're also helping us to rescue animals in need, which is pretty cool (if I do say so myself!) If you'd rather get your podcast fix in the form of video essays, then check out my YouTube channel, Eutierria This podcast, like all of my content, is proudly 100% AI-free Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.