Jenny: Is our obsession with saving honeybees helpful or harmful?

Rebecca Nesbit[[]: Can we stop the lionfish invasion?

Jenny: Is swimming with whale sharks good for conservation or are we loving them to death?

Rebecca Nesbit[[]: We talk about all of this and more on Cat Among the Penguins.

Jenny: Hello, I'm Jenny Hickman.

Rebecca Nesbit[[]: And I'm Rebecca Nesbit. Welcome to our brand new podcast, Cat Among the Penguins, where we dive into the murky depths of controversial questions about nature and the environment. Every episode, we unpack one of conservation's most challenging debates, bringing in expert guests and the latest science.

Jenny: Most British people will probably have heard the phrase to throw the cat among the pigeons, meaning to stir up trouble or cause controversy or upset. The phrase could date back as far as the 16th century, from when cats would break into pigeon lofts and cause mass chaos. But these days, the cats have turned their attention to penguins. One story tells of blue penguins in New Zealand being killed and injured by feral cats. At the time, conservation groups responded by killing the cats, but to some cat lovers, this was an outrage.

Rebecca Nesbit[[]: When I was researching for my book, Tickets for the Ark, I came across so many dilemmas just like this one, and I began to ask, how do we make these decisions? Who decides what is right and wrong? Which animals get to live? And what nature should look like? I had to dive deeper, and when I met Jenny, I knew she was the perfect teammate to explore these complex topics with.

Jenny: We are two ecologists and science communicators with a love of nature, science, and conversation. We aren't here to tell you what to think, and we probably can't give you any answers. We want to start the conversation, ask better questions, challenge our own assumptions, and meet the people at the heart of these debates.

Rebecca Nesbit[[]: So come along with us as we tackle questions that most people have forgotten to ask. Click subscribe wherever you're listening and get involved in the conversation by visiting our website catamongthepenguins.com. We would love to hear your views.