In E33, Scott sits down with Chris Parish, President & CEO of The Peregrine Fund, for one of the most wide-ranging and compelling conversations we've ever featured. From California Condors to global vulture crises, from the San Joaquin Valley to India and the African savannas, Chris brings decades of experience, candor, humor, and unmatched field knowledge.
Born and raised in California’s San Joaquin Valley as a hunter, angler, and football player, Chris’s life took turns he never expected — from NFL Europe to prairie dog trapping, to running Arizona’s California Condor Recovery Program, and now leading one of the most respected raptor organizations in the world.
This episode dives deep into:
🦅 The fight to save California Condors from extinction — including how lead poisoning became the #1 threat, and how science + hunters created the most successful voluntary non-lead program in America.
🎯 Why hunters resist changing ammunition — and what truly changes minds (hint: tradition, trust, and generational hand-offs).
🌾 How grasslands collapsed — and how Opalmatto Falcons reveal the whole ecological story of brush encroachment, drought, predators, and rancher partnerships.
💊 The diclofenac tragedy in India, which wiped out entire vulture colonies and unleashed a massive public-health crisis.
🌍 Retaliatory poisoning in East Africa, electrified bomas, and how Maasai communities are protecting both wildlife and their cattle.
🔥 Why science alone is NOT conservation — and why change must be earned, not imposed.
🦉 Are vultures really “raptors”? Chris and Scott dive into classification, history, culture, and why humans have always been obsessed with birds of prey.
Chris’s approach is simple but rare:
“We’re not here to tell you what to think — just to give you more to think about.”
📚 Chris’s Book Recommendation:
My Side of the Mountain — Jean Craighead George
👇 Bonus content & updates:
https://naturallyscott.kit.com/5fd12c6752
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