Shows
Nature, Nurture & NonsenseBecoming an Urban Rewilder with Dr Sean McCormackIn this episode, Dr Rutendo Shackleton chats with veterinarian, conservationist, presenter and author Dr Sean McCormack — founder of the Ealing Wildlife Group and ambassador for Beaver Trust. Sean shares what it was like growing up as the only nature-obsessed child out of five, the chaos and joy of his wild allotment. He also shares his journey from clinical vet work to community-led conservation, the highs and lows along the way, and how his team successfully reintroduced Eurasian Beavers to urban London after 400 years.It’s an honest, hopeful, and inspiring conversation with one of the most multi-talented people in con...
2025-11-271h 21Nature, Nurture & NonsenseWhose Story Is It To Tell?This week, Rutendo is joined by her older brother, Tashinga, and sisters, Tadiwa and Mbiri, for a deep dive into wildlife storytelling. They share who in the family is the best storyteller — which naturally leads to some sibling roasting! The four also talk about their favourite wildlife films and series, recap last week’s chat with filmmaker Faith Musembi, and explore who should be telling wildlife stories — and why that matters.
2025-11-131h 12Nature, Nurture & NonsenseMakings of a Wildlife Storyteller with Faith MusembiThis week we're so excited that Rutendo is joined by natural history producer and director Faith Musembi.You know when you admire someone — you love their work and their vibe — and think, “we’d totally be friends”? That’s exactly how Faith and Rutendo met, and thankfully the feeling was mutual!Faith is a filmmaker passionate about telling stories that celebrate Africa’s natural world and her people, while exploring the complexities of sustainable conservation — you see's our kind of person?!She’s worked on incredible projects like Nat Geo & Disney+'s QUEENS, Incredible Animal Journ...
2025-11-061h 27Nature, Nurture & NonsenseConservation, Our WayThis week on the pod, my sibs Tadiwa, Izwi & Mbiri join me to chat about how we can make conservation our own, whereever it is we may live or come from. We’re sharing our core safari memories from growing up in Zimbabwe — some more chaotic than you’d think — and revisiting key insights from my chat with Dr. Peter Lindsey last week's episode. We also dive into what diaspora communities can do to support conservation in their home countries, and explore what a more regional, culturally rooted approach could look like.Pro...
2025-10-301h 05Nature, Nurture & NonsensePerspectives on African Conservation with Dr Peter LindseyThis week Rutendo chats with Dr. Peter Lindsey — a fellow Zimbabwean and Director of the Lion Recovery Fund Wildlife Conservation Network.Peter’s passion for African wildlife shines through every part of his story. From his early days as a conservancy apprentice in Zimbabwe to studying at Oxford and earning his PhD at the University of Pretoria, his career has taken him across 18 African countries and over 160 protected areas. His work — spanning predators from jackals and painted dogs to lions — reflects a lifelong commitment to conservation and the people who make it possible.For Rutendo, this conversat...
2025-10-231h 05Nature, Nurture & NonsenseArt, Nature & Creative ConservationThis week, it’s a sisters-only chat! Rutendo is joined by her sisters Tadiwa, Ishe, and Mbiri to talk all about art and nature — not just how nature inspires creativity, but how creativity can become a form of advocacy for the natural world.From painting and music to dance and filmmaking, the sisters explore how art helps us connect with, express, and protect what we love about the planet.They also reflect on last week’s inspiring conversation with Alicia Hayden, and how artists like her use their work to raise awareness about biodiversity — from our own bac...
2025-10-1658 minNature, Nurture & NonsenseNature Artivism with Alicia HaydenRutendo welcomes her very first guest, Alicia Hayden — an award-winning wildlife artist and creative conservationist. They talk about art, activism, and how creativity can connect people with nature, from childhood memories to favourite animated films and Alicia’s vision for inspiring conservation through art.Alicia works across multiple disciplines - film, writing and art - to tell stories about the natural world, using art as a powerful way to connect people with nature.Hosted by Rutendo ShackletonEdited by Izwirashe WazaraProduced & Edited by Rutendo Shackleton
2025-10-0956 minNature, Nurture & NonsenseDog ParentsIn this week’s episode, Rutendo and the siblings are talking all about pets! For many of us, our first relationship with nature begins with the animals we share our homes with. For our family, that’s meant many pets over the years—past and present.We chat about the difference between being a dog “parent” vs. a dog “owner,” the ups and downs of life with pets, and the lessons they’ve taught us. From memorable (and chaotic!) pet moments to the origin story of Chances the cat, we’ve got plenty of stories to share. We also dive into the...
2025-10-031h 06Nature, Nurture & NonsenseThe Group Chat Just Got Wilder!Welcome to the very first episode of Nature, Nurture & Nonsense. Meet Dr. Rutendo Shackleton and her five siblings as they launch a podcast where family banter collides with the natural world. In this pilot episode, the Wazara Six — as they like to call themselves — introduce who they are, share what life was like under one roof, and reflect on the wild family adventures they either enjoyed or endured (depending on which sibling you ask). Expect laughter, stories, and a sprinkle of nonsense as we bring our sibling energy straight to your headphones. This is your official invite to the group...
2025-09-241h 05Nature, Nurture & NonsenseIntroducing "Nature, Nurture & Nonsense"Nature, Nurture & Nonsense is a conservation podcast where family stories meet wildlife science. Hosted by Zimbabwean conservationist, Dr Rutendo Shackleton and her five siblings, it mixes wild childhood memories, expert guests, and laugh-out-loud moments to explore our personal connections to nature—without needing a science degree. It’s fun, genuine, and for everyone.
2025-09-2200 min
Natural Wanders - The Plodcast.Dr Rutendo Shackleton: ‘I like when our world and the natural world collide’‘Love like a mustard seed!’ In this episode of Natural Wanders we go for a plod with the fantastic conservation scientist and presenter Dr Rutendo Shackleton. While battling the elements in Cheshire, we chat about the social bonds of elephants, sharing space with nature and hosting the BBC Earth podcast.
BBC Earth podcast: www.bbcearth.com/podcast
Chester zoo: www.chesterzoo.org/what-we-do/our-zoo/biographies/rutendo-shackleton/
Gritty Talent: www.grittytalent.tv/gritty-represents
Social media: uk.linkedin.com/in/rutendo-shackleton-534728193?trk=public_profile_browsemap
mobile.twitter.com/dr_shack_
www...
2023-01-0639 min
BBC Earth PodcastGhostsThe show takes a spooky turn as we go on a ghost hunt through the natural world. Sebastian shares his adventures finding fossils – the traces of animals that once lived, and Rutendo talks about her experiences in The Cradle of Humankind, the South African UNESCO World Heritage site containing early human fossils.Deep in the Peruvian Amazon there is a species of wild dog so rarely sighted it has become known as the ‘ghost dog’. We hear from Renata Leite Pitman, one of the few scientists to successfully track down and study the elusive creature as it mov...
2022-12-2038 minBBC Earth PodcastOrder and chaosThe difference between order and chaos can depend on your perspective. The systems and processes that drive the natural world might seem random in close-up, whether it’s an ant wandering around near its nest, or a wildebeest charging through the water. But if you zoom out, you can see how these small activities combine to form part of a bigger picture.The Darwin Tree Of Life project is an attempt to bring order to nature by sequencing the DNA of every living thing in the UK, a staggering 70,000 species. The research team explains how they’ll k...
2022-12-1329 minBBC Earth PodcastRhythmSebastian is not afraid to admit that he lacks natural rhythm. But Rutendo thinks he’s too hard on himself – perhaps the world is just out of sync with him. Besides, every living thing is built upon natural rhythms, from our response to night and day, to the beating of our hearts.Kristina Bolinder leads us on an exploration of a plant with a very unusual habit: it only flowers under the light of the full moon. The reason why connects a century of lunar records with the latest in botanical research.Deep in t...
2022-12-0637 minBBC Earth PodcastIndividualsIn an age of individualism, sometimes we are more connected than we think. And the same is true for everything on the planet. Rutendo and Sebastian explore the question of how and why we define an individual, a colony, or a group, across the animal kingdom.Lisa Kirkendale was astounded when she came across the longest organism ever discovered, a siphonophore off the coast of Australia. Composed of several semi-independent but constantly connected parts known as zooids, could it be seen as a colony of many creatures, or just one?Richard Youell, a...
2022-11-2930 minBBC Earth PodcastThreatIt’s a scary world out there, as we explore how everything on the planet – from humankind to glaciers – must be able to respond to threat in order to survive. Sebastian surprises Rutendo with a story of the time he lived in Japan and took up fencing, occasionally finding himself at the wrong end of a sword.WWE wrestler and commentator Stu Bennett, better known as Bad News Barrett, is used to feeling the pressure in the ring. But away from that controlled environment, he has faced less expected threats, including an underwater close encounter with an eno...
2022-11-2236 minBBC Earth PodcastReflectionsLight and reflection are crucial across the animal kingdom, and sometimes they interact in strange and surprising ways. Rutendo tells Sebastian about the time she carried out a classic experiment, the mirror test, with lions, during her PhD. Some lions made friends with the mirrors, while others pursued less wholesome activities...The hatchet fish has evolved a fascinating means of hiding itself from predators, especially those searching out their prey with giant bioluminescent headlights. Biologist Alison Sweeney explains how the fish is able to disappear almost completely, using a combination of mirror-like scales...
2022-11-1527 minBBC Earth PodcastDefenders of the EarthSebastian and Rutendo celebrate nature’s defenders in all their forms. They argue that vultures should get more credit for their vital role as scavengers. Their super-acidic stomachs kill off deadly bacteria, like anthrax, that accumulates onrotting carcasses. This prevents the spread of disease and recycles nutrients back into the environment.Molecular biologist Mike Kolomiets tells us that the fragrance of newly mown grass isactually a scream for help and a warning to nearby plants that a herbivore is around. Grass can defend itself by releasing toxic metabolites and summoning the assistance of parasitic wasps that at...
2022-11-0839 minBBC Earth PodcastWhose Story?Rutendo and Sebastian are looking at stories and whether it matters who is telling them. Paula Kahumbu is a renowned conservationist and film-maker in Kenya who wants to see more African stories told by Africans for Africans. “It's really important that Iam empowered to tell my own story. Not just that it's authentic, which therefore will resonate with the audiences ...but also it boosts my ability to have more impact out there.” Through her programme: ‘Wildlife Warriors’, Paula is training, championing and inspiring future generations of Africans to pursue careers in nature.Storytelling might feel uniquely human, b...
2022-11-0133 minBBC Earth PodcastPulling PowerWe explore the invisible pulling powers of nature through the forces of smell, sound and gravity.In Greece, desert ants start their lives underground in total darkness. Void of landmarks and sun they initially learn to orient themselves using the Earth’s magnetic field. German scientist Dr Pauline Fleischman reveals how her team discovered the ant’s internal GPS.A healthy coral reef is a very noisy place, full of the snapping, rasping, scraping and croaking of various vocal species. But a dying reef is tragically quiet, devoid of the life which can no l...
2022-10-2539 minBBC Earth PodcastDeathRutendo and Sebastian explore death and its role in the natural world. For Sebastian, death is a permanent state, a complete end to a life. But for Rutendo and her family, death is just a temporary parting. Around the world burial customs differ, but throughout nature, death and decay provide sustenance to other life-forms. Sebastian explores the extraordinary diversity within the ground, with soil ecologist Frank Ashwood, who explains that a single teaspoon of healthy soil contains more than a billion organisms. Among them, the nematode worm – the most abundant organism on the planet. ...
2022-10-1836 minBBC Earth PodcastSuperpowersRutendo and Sebastian get to indulge their passions for nature AND superheroes, as they look at real-life superpowers in nature.Rutendo explores how these superpowers inspire fictional worlds and heroes with Mike McHargue, a science advisor/world builder for film and television. Mike helps writers and film-makers integrate accurate and consistent science into their stories, and together he and Rutendo invent a brand new superhero.Rats seem unlikely superheroes but in Tanzania they’re being trained to save lives. Their acute sense of smell means they can detect landmines, and sniff out illegal wi...
2022-10-1131 minBBC Earth PodcastSafariYou don’t need to be on an African Savanna to enjoy a safari. Rutendo and Sebastian explore how to have a nature adventure wherever you are. On the isle of Bute in Scotland, Nature Instagrammer Lucy Lapwing takes us on an immersive walk through her local woodland. It’s a wonderfully damp, fresh day, and the forest is dripping with lichen and bright lime green moss as Lucy points out local birds and wildlife. Rutendo and Sebastian go in search of spiders in Bristol, and with the ingenious use of an electric toothbr...
2022-10-0434 min
BBC Earth PodcastSeries trailerEach week the BBC Earth podcast brings you entertainment, humour, an abundance of amazing animal stories and unbelievable unheard sounds. Explore the world of animals with superpowers, deep dive into death, hear from heroes passionately protecting the planet and get expert insights into corners of the natural world you’ve never explored before.Hosted by zoologists Rutendo Shackleton and Sebastian Echeverri, each episode features special guests including the world’s most respected scientists and naturalists, stars of film and television, nature Instagrammers and more.Listen, laugh and learn – whether you’re a nature lover, n...
2022-09-2702 min