#864 Interview with celebrity animal ecologist Karl Ammann

Karl Ammann uncovers wildlife trafficking, poaching and other forms of brutal exploitation of the planet’s most iconic species. Circumventing red tape and challenging the status quo established by governments and supranational bodies, he discloses the shameful silence of international bodies and puts names and responsibilities behind the ongoing death of nature. He is a leader of the campaign that gained worldwide recognition of the bush meat crisis in Africa. He is an advisory director to several organizations, including The World Society for the Protection of Animals , The Cheetah Conservation Fund, and The Biosynergy Institute. After studying at St. Gall Graduate School of Economics and graduating from Cornell University’s Hotel Management School in 1974, Karl worked on new project development and marketing for InterContinental Hotels, first in Kinshasa where he helped to organize the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” with Muhammad Ali, and then worldwide, traveling to over 100 countries. Karl first recognized the scale of the bush meat trade in 1988, while traveling on one of the legendary Zaire River boats. Since then, he carries a camera as his sidearm, shooting scenes of chimpanzees, gorillas and other wild animals being butchered for sale as expensive bush meat. One of his priorities has been researching the status of the apes in Africa and Asia, which exposed the bush meat trade and the illegal trafficking of orphans. In the process, he also initiated decade-long ape research and conservation projects in the northern Congo. More recently he produced a series of documentaries exposing the trade of wildlife products and live animals, illustrating the little known characteristics of the demand side. Ammann’s reports and documentaries convinced the European Parliament and leaders of over twenty African states to sign a proclamation against the slaughter of apes and caused the government of Cameroon to convene a national conference on the illegal bush meat trade. For this work, he received the Dolly Green Award for Artistic Achievement at the 11th annual Genesis Awards banquet in Los Angeles in April 1997. Throughout his career, Ammann has won a wide range of awards, including TIME Magazine’s Heroes of the Environment. https://karlammann.com/about/ https://www.karlammann.ch/ammann/deutsch https://www.thetigermafia.co/ karl@karlammann.ch Sign up for 10% off of Shrink Rap Radio CE credits at the Zur Institute