Safari Life with Bobby-Jo

G'day legends!
I'm sitting on the edge of the Indian Ocean in Kumana National Park, southeast Sri Lanka, with my friend and guide Mevan Piyasena. Mevan's been obsessed with leopards for over 40 years, and after the sightings we've just had (10 leopards in Yala, another six or seven here in Kumana), I can see why.
We'll introduce you to a mother leopard called Sankani and her two bold cubs, a notorious tusker named Gamunu who's perfected the art of ambushing cars for food, and a nasty male leopard who chased away six other leopards when he moved into the area!
Mevan also tells us about the one leopard encounter that still gets his heart racing after thousands of sightings, why Sri Lankan leopards are the prettiest in the world, and the split second moment that separates an ordinary shot from the one you'll never forget.
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G'day Honey Badgers!
This one's a bit different. I'm sitting in the bar at the Ranthambore Kothi Hotel with a cappuccino in hand, and my guest Caren has completely taken over the podcast. She's running the show, asking me about rutting deer calls, whether human blokes should scream down the street when they're in rut, and what makes a good safari guest.
We talk about the early days with Bradd in Dubbo, going independent, and what I've learned along the way. Caren also grills me on where I'm headed next, and I'll be honest, there's a moment toward the end where she says something that caught me completely off guard. 😮

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G'day legends!
I'm sitting on the banks of the Bunja River in Kanha National Park's buffer zone with my good mate Ratna, her partner Wasim, and our honey badgers Caren and Amie. Two days ago, Ratna and Wasim surprised me with access to a dhole (Asian wild dog) den just 1.5 kilometres from the lodge, and I got to sit within 15 metres of four-month-old pups and adults. It's honestly a life highlight!
In this episode, we look at how Ratna has been instrumental in training the first batch of women guides in Central India since 2011, and what it really takes to lead on safari as a woman in a male-dominated field. Karen and Amy are asking all the good questions too, from love stories to future plans in lesser-known sanctuaries.

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G'day Honey Badgers!
I'm still in Ladakh in northern India at 3,500 metres above sea level, and I've officially kicked off our snow leopard expedition. Karen Jenkins is here with me, and we're diving straight into the deep end. Yesterday we spent the day exploring the monasteries, learning about Buddhism and the Wheel of Life from our guide Dorje (I've nicknamed him Dorje Cat for reasons you'll understand). We also hung out by the river with some local street dogs, and Karen made such a good impression helping an elderly lady down a massive flight of stairs that I reckon she's earned some serious karma points.
Today we're heading up to around 4,500 metres into a valley called Shanglung—which literally means the valley of wolves. Our wildlife expert is out there trying to spot a Eurasian lynx (even rarer than a snow leopard to spot), along with wolves, woolly hares, and golden eagles. The weather is absolutely cracking, and we've got David Bowie pumping as we drive towards the mountains.
This is the best start to a day!

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G'day Honey Badgers!
I'm checking in from Ladakh in northern India at 3,500 metres above sea level, and we've officially kicked off our snow leopard expedition. Yesterday, we spent the day exploring monasteries in Hamath, learning about Buddhism and the Wheel of Life with our guide Dorje (the cat man of Ladakh). My mate Karen even helped an elderly lady down a massive set of stairs, which apparently earns serious karma points.
Today we're heading up to around 4,500 to 5,000 metres into Shanglung, the Valley of the Wolves. We're on the lookout for Eurasian lynx (even rarer to spot than snow leopards), wolves, woolly hares, and golden eagles. The weather is perfect, the sky is clear, and Dorje reckons we've got a real chance. Come along as we venture deep into one of the most remote and wild corners of the planet.

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If you enjoyed this episode, please leave a comment and share it with your fellow safari lovers!

This is a Podvan Media production.