Wicus Diedericks, owner of Rockwood Conservation, dropped a bomb on the rhino conservation world on Friday, when a court ruled that he can trade in rhino horn (devil is in the details). It’s not quite that simple, but the ruling stated that the CITES exemption for conservation-bred rhinos is part of South African law - i.e., he should legally be able to get an export permit for horns that have been dehorned from his herd. This is huge news for rhino conservation and potentially the legal mechanism by which rhino horn can be purchased by the east and the Middle East. This is absolutely breaking news, with this court decision occurring last Friday. We do not know the extent of the implications of the court ruling, we do know the MEC of the Northern Cape has 7 days to respond to the issuance of the export permit. We also know that in 2 1/2 weeks CITES COP starts in Uzbekistan and this will be the talk of the town there!

In celebration of National Bison Day (November 1st), Jon Flocchini, the generational farmer of the Durham Bison Ranch, joins Robbie to give a State of the Union on bison in the U.S. All Jon knows is bison, and he dives deep into the state of these iconic American mammals and the practices it takes to keep a herd of these majestic animals thriving for over a century. If you have been fascinated by bison or are interested in learning more, then this is the podcast for you.

When one thinks of poaching, the mind often turns to Africa—snares, and people involved in the illegal bushmeat trade. Few would think of poaching occurring in the United States of America. Boone and Crockett Club President Tony Schoonen and researcher Jon Gassett join Robbie to talk about the Club’s new Poach and Pay program. This enormous undertaking to understand poaching in the U.S. revealed a massive “dark number” of poachers—and what that means for the landscapes and lifestyles we love. It’s an incredibly fascinating episode where you’ll learn the data and science behind the true impact of poaching in the U.S. today, what motivates it, and what steps can be taken to combat its staggering scale. This is the kind of podcast you’ll definitely be talking about with your colleagues around the water cooler—or the coffee pot—in the morning.

The beauty of The Origins Foundation podcast is that you have no idea who we are going to speak with or what topic we’ll be exploring. If you look around the world at the hunting community and how we try to communicate that lifestyle to those who don’t hunt, a simple message that resonates is one around food. From the Australian outback to the woods of Mississippi to the inner city of London in the United Kingdom, food is a powerful messaging tool. Robbie is joined by UK chefs and members of the Eat Wild UK scene, Leon Challis-Davies and Sanjay Bhattacharya, to talk about the burgeoning wild game scene in the UK and some amazing recipes and resources that Eat Wild UK is providing for people to enjoy. This isn’t your typical dove popper cuisine, but rather high-end dishes that will make your taste buds salivate just hearing about them.

When you think of wildlife and biodiversity conservation in this world, the most fundamental element of wildlife conservation is habitat. In North America, the most imperiled habitat ecosystem we have is grasslands. Ted Koch, the Executive Director of the North American Grouse Partnership, joins Robbie to discuss grouse, grasslands, the Great Prairie Chicken, and how we can protect this critical type of habitat that is dwindling away here in America. It’s an insightful look into something you may not know much about, and as such, you can arm yourself with information.

You have seen lots of recent discussions, talking heads, and articles about Madikwe, a nature reserve in the North West Province of South Africa, and its elephant dilemma. The Origins Foundation is firmly positioned to talk and deliver an understanding of the system from a practical conservation perspective. Robbie was forwarded a podcast radio spot in which a non-hunting economics professor was asked to bring his ecological perspectives to bear on the Madikwe situation. The interview was very biased and unfortunately didn’t have a voice from the sustainable use lobby, so we decided to bring our own voice to the table. Robbie reacts in this special episode to the radio/podcast interview titled “An Atrocity Planned in Madikwe.” Robbie plays the podcast for you and gives you an unscripted response to what he is hearing and gives his opinion on this Madikwe controversy.

Robbie connects with Corina Jordan, the new CEO of the Game Animal Council of New Zealand—a statutory authority that provides advice to the Minister of Hunting and Fishing in New Zealand (currently the Honorable James Meager, who was a recent guest on the show as well)—to talk about herds of special interest and other exciting developments in New Zealand hunting. New Zealand is an incredible hunting landscape, facing many of the same issues as other hunting communities, but also holding unique opportunities to truly cement a hunting legacy—from the Sika to the Wapiti herd—and to establish the critical management plans needed for the future.

Your favorite short truths series are back. The short truths are a short pieces of information that you can listen to, digest, and talk about. Today’s Short Truths question is, “What animals have quotas in South Africa?” And the answer is not what you’ve been told. Most animals belong to the owner of the land based on law and certificates of adequate enclosure. However, other animals have different rules. The Department of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment (DFFE, as it is called colloquially) hasn’t actually issued a quota for black rhino, elephant or leopard in South Africa since 2021. What happened in 2021? DFFE was taken to court by Humane Society International - and two full years later, the case was thrown out by a judge. Find out from Robbie all about the quota process and the goings-on there in this Short Truths episode.

Ashlee and Fred work through some spotty recording issues to tackle the news this week, including how the current Government Shutdown affects our wildlife and public lands, all things Fall Turkey Season, the clash between agency vs legislative wildlife management, the MS River Basin Fishery Commission Act going for hearing, and a bunch of bills hopefully coming down the pipeline as new legislative sessions gear up.

Ashlee is joined by Civil Rights activist and founder of the Black Lives Matter New York City chapter to discuss the 2nd Amendment, living in the Bronx & outside perceptions on hunting as well as his upcoming first hunt in MS, an alleged racially charged incident that recently occurred to him and his group as they were teaching gun safety to a group of beginners at a PA state-owned gun range & how to handle similar situations that may occur. 

Mark Hall, Director of Wild Origins Canada, joins The Origins Foundation podcast to talk about his upcoming Project Grizzly Balance. After many years of a ban on grizzly hunting in the Province of BC, Mark’s own back yard, Mark is getting in touch with First Nations people and understanding the impact of the ban and understanding the idea of balance that can’t be achieved with an outright ban.

Sean Kilkenny, advocacy lead for the Australian Deer Association, joins the podcast to talk about the huge hunter-opportunity wins they are fighting for right now—opening up two massive national parks for hunter access. Australia is not known for racking up wins when it comes to hunting and is, honestly, a country where hunters are even more “on the back foot” than in the U.S. or even Europe. This is a big deal. Listen in to learn how these brave activists achieved it—and how you might replicate their success where you are.

On the Origins Roundup this week, Robbie and Ashlee dive into all sorts of news updates.

Richard York, CEO of Wildlife Ranching South Africa (WRSA), joins Robbie to talk about WRSA’s proposal to delist the bontebok—an endemic species to South Africa—at CITES. Following a non-detrimental finding submitted to the South African government, the government took up the mantle to remove the bontebok from Appendix II and manage the population through hunting. This proposal is a critical one, as it will be the first voted on at CITES (votes occur alphabetically) and has no reason not to be approved—except if politics and anti-use organizations play their respective games.

Pieter Swart, the President of the South Africa Taxidermy and Tanners Association, joins Robbie this week to discuss a recent proposal by the organization to delist giraffes from Appendix II protections. This proposal and its science were put forward to the DFFE (Department of Forestry, Fisheries, and the Environment) in South Africa, and the governmental agency has agreed and has moved the proposal forward to be reviewed, discussed, and voted on at the CITES COP in November in Uzbekistan. There is no reason this proposal shouldn’t be adopted and approved by CITES. The science is there, CITES requirements have been met, and the proposal is going forward. At CITES, the requirement to pass is a two-thirds majority vote—which is the political gamesmanship of South Africa up against a global political machine to fight for the science.

Robbie is joined on location by one of his best friends and the man who introduced him to hunting as an adult, Landon Lee. Landon has never been to South Africa before, and Robbie wanted to be with him as he experienced Africa for the first time. Sitting next to a river in the Northern Cape over lunch, Robbie, Landon, and the Trophy Destinations crew (Carl and Oliver) bring you into their camp and give you a sense of what the week has been like so far hunting in South Africa. If you have ever been curious to hunt South Africa - please don't hesitate to reach out to us - ⁠⁠info@theoriginsfoundation.org⁠⁠ and we can send you information and/or connect you with people that can help.

Whiskey distiller and deer farmer Charles Cagnat from southeastern France joins Robbie to talk about French whiskey and deer—a perfect combination in his eyes. His operation, Domaine de la Pèze, specializes in deer meat (and a little bit of whiskey). Charles dives into how to market it, sell it, prepare it, and much more. Learn about the use of fallow deer in the French landscape, from their introduction by the Romans to the present day, by tuning in right here!

In an especially raucous Weekly Roundup, Robbie and Ashlee discuss their past week in South Africa and Montana, opening hunting season in a number of states, the rescission of the USDA public lands Roadless Rule, VT black bears, Asian Carp, CT deer, record-breaking Atlantic halibut and alligator harvests this week…. and Robbie’s small dog.

Returning guest—archaeologist, anthropologist, and historian (basically a knower of all things)—Paul Hubbard joins Robbie to discuss the history of the ivory trade. This is an incredibly important podcast, as it’s the first we know of that truly seeks to tease apart the amount of ivory exported from African shores throughout recent history. They delve into painstaking historical detail about the trade over the years to examine the question often posed by anti-hunters: whether hunters stand to kill off all the “big tuskers” in Africa. So listen in and get the historical evidence to the contrary—some of the figures in this podcast will change your perspective on ivory and, hopefully, get you thinking about what could be driving the occurrence of big ivory in Africa.

Rick Bichel, President of the Sydney branch of the Australian Deer Association, sits down with Robbie this week to dive deep into the ethics of hunting, specifically in the unique Australian context. From social media pressures, the feral species question and its effect on ethics, and much more. 

Robert Mahaffey, the chair of the fairly new South Dakota Antelope Foundation, joins the podcast to talk about his passion for antelope, the origins of the organization, and the heart of a conservationist.

Chuck Dye and Joe Bailey of Wildlife Ranch Solutions in the Texas Hill Country join Robbie to talk about the world of ranching exotics in the United States. Robbie dives into exactly “what is” Wildlife Ranch Solutions - the people who do the work, how the education component works with landowners, and whether native whitetail can exist alongside certain introduced species.

Ashlee is joined by special guest and host of Meateater’s Backwoods University podcast for this week’s Roundup. They discuss the hit show Hunting Wives, a recent social media prank pulled on the MS Wildlife Agency, the upcoming wolf season in MT plus an article by the Guardian claiming hunting wolves do not help with livestock depredation, a new study showing devastating impacts on sportfishing by the menhaden/pogie industry, and more!

Country music star Drake White nearly lost everything after a life-threatening stroke—but hunting brought him back. His story proves how time outdoors, the pursuit of wild game, and the primal act of providing can heal body, mind, and spirit. From growing up hunting Alabama whitetails and wood ducks to touring the world as a country musician, Drake’s life changed overnight when a rare brain condition left him partially paralyzed. In this inspiring episode, he shares how a giant Tennessee buck, long days in the deer stand, and the camaraderie of duck camps gave him purpose and restored his strength.

New Zealand Parliamentarian, the Honorable James Meager, has a very specific designation—the first of its kind, in fact—in the world: Hunting and Fishing Minister of New Zealand. James joins to talk about the “HOSI” (Herd of Special Interest) process happening right now in New Zealand, which stands to greatly benefit many of the conservation organizations you’ve heard of and followed here at The Origins Foundation. Find out from James what it is, how it happens, and learn about the bright future of hunting in New Zealand. This is an incredible podcast, timed specifically to coincide with the Environment Select Committee taking comments on the two HOSI applications.