William G. Smithhart

In today’s podcast, we say goodbye to Pocha, who had only a short time at the sanctuary. Her death, though sudden, was not entirely surprising, as there had been signs for a long time that something wasn’t quite right. Kat and Scott take us back to October 2022 to share Pocha’s final days and her passing. We also discuss how Guillermina and the other elephants reacted to her death, as well as the broader topic of elephants’ capacity to mourn. Despite the sadness, there is an overwhelming sense of gratitude among Scott, Kat, and the entire team at ESB that Pocha lived long enough to ...

Join us as we talk about Pocha and Guillermina, the mother and daughter rescued in May 2022 from the Mendoza Eco-Parque in Argentina. Kat and Scott recall their first encounters with these two elephants and the challenges of preparing them for their journey to a new life at the Elephant Sanctuary Brazil. Amidst the zoo's transformation into an eco-parque, Scott highlights the challenges of training two elephants who had never been separated before, while also navigating the obstacles posed by bureaucratic hurdles. Once again, the GSE team rose to the challenge, paving the way for this double ...

Decades of unnatural captivity have left their mark on Mara, and in this week’s episode we talk in detail about elephant poop! From the differences in consistency of African and Asian elephant poop, to size and smell, all topics are on the table. Kat and Scott explain how Mara’s stool was not normal for an Asian elephant, showing that she had GI (gastrointestinal) issues going on. Scott recalls the amazement of Mara’s zoo care team when noticing a change in her digestion just a few days after arriving at the sanctuary. Not only did Mara’s physical health begin to improve, but her ...

In the year 2045, reality is an ugly place. The only time Wade Watts really feels alive is when he’s jacked into the OASIS, a vast virtual world where most of humanity spends their days. When the eccentric creator of the OASIS dies, he leaves behind a series of fiendish puzzles, based on his obsession with the pop culture of decades past. Whoever is first to solve them will inherit his vast fortune—and control of the OASIS itself.