NEW EPISODE | Coffee & Conservation – Rhinos, Pokémon & Cryptids

In this episode of Coffee and Conservation, Mike Veale and Elias Blaset start with a topic close to home for Global Conservation Force: World Rhino Day.

Mike and Elias break down some of the latest rhino population numbers, where conservation efforts are making progress, and where serious challenges remain. With roughly 26,700 rhinos left globally across five surviving species, there’s plenty to celebrate, plenty to be concerned about, and a lot of work still happening behind the scenes.

But, as usual, the conversation doesn’t stay on one trail for very long.

From rhinos, we take a sharp turn into Pokémon and GCF’s Pokémon IRL education series, using Pokémon as a fun gateway to introduce the real animals, adaptations, behaviors, and conservation stories that may have inspired some familiar creatures.

And then things get weird.

With spooky season approaching, Mike and Elias wander from real wildlife into the world of cryptids, folklore, unexplained creatures, and the stories people have carried across cultures for generations. What starts with rhinos somehow ends up heading toward creatures that may, or may not, exist.

It’s conservation, wildlife, Pokémon, cryptids, field stories, and a little Halloween weirdness over coffee. And this episode is only a teaser. Spooky season is coming to Coffee and Conservation, and we have a lot more planned.