Episode 20: Endangered - Vianna von Weyhausen

Liss’N Kristi

Our guest today is Vianna von Weyhausen, a remarkable wildlife conservationist whose work stretches from the plains of Africa to the forests of India, to the charitable foundations of the US.
Vianna launched and runs Conservation Solutions International, which focuses on the transformational role of canine units in anti-poaching and wildlife trafficking. Her dogs are trained to work with rangers, detecting poachers and protecting endangered species.
Vianna shares her encounters with rhinos, elephants, and hippos, highlighting the brutality of killing and trading parts of endangered species in Africa, India and beyond, for lucrative financial rewards. Some individuals who specialize in wildlife trafficking are increasingly involved in human trafficking, also.
She advocates for anti-trafficking initiatives, and describes her successful fundraising campaigns with supporters and foundations who are passionate about conservation work. And she talks about how we can all help.
Conservation Solutions International:
https://www.csiwild.org/
00:00 - Start
00:39 - Meeting Vianna
03:56 - Dogs in the anti-poaching units
04:38 - How Vianna went from Morocco to Texas
05:16 - Explaining Conservation Solutions International (CSI)
07:30 - How animal and Human Trafficking involve the same people
08:33 - Poaching horns and the agony of the rhinos
09:42 - You have to shoot the elephant to get the tusks - one killed every 20 minutes
12:05 - How the dogs are helping the battle with the poachers
13:58 - "There is no machine which can replicate the work of these dogs"
18:18 - Pablo Escobar and liberating his hippos
20:31 - The frightening price of rhino-horn
22:30 - The impact of the Chinese markets in Africa
23:45 - The Navy SEALs saving wildlife
24:35 - The statue of the poachers' snares
28:03 - The Safari Club Conservationists in the US
30:18 - When the elephants honor their dead relatives
33:35 - "We were in her territory and she wasn't happy, so she charged"
38:42 - Fundraising, and training the dogs
40:40 - How it compares with human sex trafficking
45:45 - How to reach Vianna
48:56 - Vianna's life lessons: "Live Your Power"