ScienceNatural Sciences

Paws for a Moment

Brevard Zoo

Listen along for a behind-the-scenes look at the Zoo world with our experts at Brevard Zoo in Melbourne, Florida. Learn more about your favorite animals – and what the Zoo is doing to help protect them. Let us share our joy of nature with you.

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20 episodes
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Avg 44 min
English

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Sunday · 1 hr 2 min
What is SOIRL?
Brevard County residents, the Indian River Lagoon needs YOU! This November, you'll spot a renewal of the Save Our Indian River Lagoon (SOIRL) half-cent sales tax on your ballot. For nearly 10 years now, this tax has supported the steady progress we've seen bringing our lagoon back to health through science-based projects that reduce pollution, improve water quality, restore natural ecosystems, and more. Want to learn more about SOIRL? Check out the latest episode of our podcast, Paws for a Moment with Brevard Zoo, to learn more from our very own Tyler Provoncha along with Virginia Barker, the Director of Brevard County's Natural Resources Management Department.
August 23 · 54 min
Let's Learn About Snakes
How do you feel about snakes? Lots of you listeners may feel a bit weary when it comes to our reptilian friends. However, we're here to change that! Zookeepers Jenna Baiamonte and Kaitlyn Cupp give us an overview of all our Zoo's snake residents, from their quirky personalities to their daily routines. Snakes play incredibly important roles in their respective ecosystems, and we hope by the end of this episode you'll have a newfound appreciation for these slithering friends.
August 2 · 27 min
What is Life Support Services?
While Life Support Services (LSS) may not be the first words you think of when you think of zookeepers, these trained aquarists are essential to the wellbeing of all our Zoo residents. Their work ensures all our animals, from our aquatic dwellers like our Southern and Atlantic stingrays to our water-lovers like our giant otters, have safe water to live in or enjoy. Learn more from our Life Support Manager, Jeremy Bray, about how his team's work impacts the day-to-day of our Zoo!
July 19 · 35 min
National Zookeeper Week
Happy National Zookeeper Week to all of our incredible animal care team! Learn more about this impactful field through this interview with Brevard Zoo keepers Jenna and Garrett!
June 14 · 53 min
Exploring Anthropomorphism from a Zoo Lens
What is anthropomorphism, and what role does it play in our perception of animal behavior? This podcast episode, we're joined by Curator of Animal Wellbeing Chelsea Herman and Herps & Aquatics Area Supervisor Jenna Hazard to chat about how anthropomorphism can both harm and help our understanding of animal behavior from a human perspective.
May 17 · 26 min
Monitoring Our Native Shorebirds
Shorebird nesting season is here! This week, we're speaking with conservation coordinator Yagen to learn a little more about what monitoring our county's native shorebird populations looks like during one of the most important times of the year for these species! Find out what a chick-a-boom is, what bird makes a call that sounds like a puppy's bark and more.
April 12 · 1 hr 10 min
Giving Florida Black Bear Cubs a Second Chance
Over the past years, our Zoo and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) Bear Management team have led a joint effort in rescuing, rehabilitating and releasing sick, injured or orphaned Florida black bear cubs all over the state. Today, we're joined by our Director of Animal programs, Lauren Hinson, and FWC's Bear Management Coordinator, Mike Orlando, to chat about what it takes to rehabilitate a bear cub and why these cubs depend on our help.
March 29 · 1 hr 6 min
A Look Back at 2025 With Restore Our Shores
Learn all about the incredible conservation feats our Restore Our Shores team accomplished last year in 2025. From building 52,000 square feet of oyster reef to expanding our seagrass plantings, there's a lot you don't want to miss.
March 15 · 32 min
What Does It Take to Rehabilitate a Manatee?
This episode, we're joined by Senior Conservation Manager Becca Downey to chat about our behind-the-scenes Manatee Rehabilitation Center, how we care for manatee patients and the process of intaking a new patient.
February 8 · 44 min
Caring for Confiscated Spider Monkeys
Watching our fun, vibrant black-handed spider monkey troop, you may never guess that multiple members have a traumatic past as wildlife trafficking victims. On this episode, we learn more from our animal care team on what it's like to acclimate these monkeys - all of which were infants when they were brought to our Zoo - into the troop.
Dec 21, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Herptiles and the Cold Weather
Because of their ectothermic nature, herptiles like American alligators and crocodiles, tortoises, iguanas and more experience a lower metabolism and an overall decrease in activity. That's why every year, our Herps and Aquatics team make a few key changes to adapt to our reptile and amphibian residents' bodies. This episode, we invited Herps and Aquatics Curator Nicole Payne and Area Supervisor Jenna Hazard to chat with us all about the changes they make for our herptile friends.
Nov 23, 2025 · 16 min
Lights On
A new nighttime event, Lights On, is transforming Brevard Zoo! With 30+ captivating artworks, virtual reality opportunities, lighting effects and more, Lights On isn't an event to miss out on! On today's podcast, we share some of an interview with one of our Lights On artists, Russ Ronat. If you're interested in experiencing Lights On for yourself, visit BrevardZoo.org to learn more!
Nov 2, 2025 · 28 min
Get to Know our New Goats
This podcast, we're joined by Barnyard Attendant Em Waitt and Animal Ambassador Area Supervisor Savannah Luhn to chat all about our new Nigerian dwarf goats! In the episode, Em and Savannah dive into what it was like to introduce these five newbies to the rest of our goat squad, along with what it takes to care for our goats on a daily basis.
Oct 20, 2025 · 37 min
Happy Vet Tech Appreciation Week!
We're celebrating National Veterinary Technician Appreciation Week with a chat with two of our Zoo's certified veterinary technicians: Falicia and Rosemary!
Sep 28, 2025 · 41 min
Getting to Know Some Unique Aviary Members
We chat with Curator of Animals Michelle Johnston and Lands of Change keeper Spring Rommel about some of the more unique members of our freeflight aviaries - our laughing kookaburras and our tawny frogmouths!
Sep 7, 2025 · 32 min
Starting 'Em Young
Today, we're diving into the positive effects of nature on young children! Joined by Early Education Learning Manager Sky Collier and preschool teacher Lashawna Tepper, we talk all about our Zoo's Early Childhood Learning programs, including our curriculums, special animal encounters and favorite stories. Tune in!
Aug 17, 2025 · 1 hr 3 min
Oh Deer
Brevard Zoo's herd of deer has grown - tune in to learn more about all of our deer ladies!
Jul 27, 2025 · 39 min
National Zookeeper Week: 2025
Happy National Zookeeper Week! This podcast, we're chatting with Lands of Change keeper Spring Rommel and Rainforest Revealed keeper Emma Robinson about how their beginnings in animal care and where they are at our Zoo today. Thank you to all of our amazing staff for caring for our animals each and every day.
Jun 22, 2025 · 33 min
Catching Up with Our Giant River Otters
Today, we've invited Rainforest Revealed keepers Anna Foster and Mary Ellis to talk about how we care for our giant river otter siblings, Felix and Ophelia! Our guests tell us all about the giant river otter species, how we train our otters, silly stories and more!
Jun 8, 2025 · 1 hr 1 min
The Secret Lives of Beach Mice
Join us on the podcast today as we learn from two of our amazing conservation experts, Alyssa Rice and Kelly Currier! These beach mice experts fill us in on what it takes to care for dozens of Perdido Key Beach Mice, a species that is at our Zoo as part of an essential conservation breeding program. Learn all about these rare mice and how we are helping to save them from extinction!

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