The Nature Diary: Snake gets rescued from the ocean

Gugs Mhlungu chats to Tim Neary, Resident CSI & Nature Conservationist and Nick Evans, Snake Rescuer about the tale of the ocean-based Python rescue. Gugs Mhlungu gets you ready for the weekend each Saturday and Sunday morning on 702. She is your weekend wake-up companion, with all you need to kno…

The Nature Diary: Drones, data & flamingos: Saving birds from power line collisions

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and conservationist Tim Neary and Matt Pretorius, Endangered Wildlife Trust's Wildlife and Energy Programme project manager, about a drone-led initiative to fit Overhead Warning Lights onto a municipal power line aimed at helping protect the local flamingo popul…

The Nature Diary: World Earth Day 2026: Looking at the importance of Biodiversity

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and conservationist Tim Neary and Angus Burns, senior manager of WWF’s Land and Biodiversity Stewardship Programme, about Angus’s passion for photography and conservation. They discuss the importance of biodiversity and sustainable living in caring for the plane…

The Nature Diary: Can DNA find animals we haven’t seen in decades? 

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and nature conservationist Tim Neary and and Dr Samantha Theron (Mynhardt), Conservation Genetics Researcher, part of the EWT's expert-led eDNA about interesting innovative search systems, like environmental DNA (eDNA) used to trace genetic clues and investigate…

The Nature Diary: Diving deep: Jean Napier Hattingh’s life underwater and her memoir

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and nature conservationist Tim Neary and Jean Hattingh, author of Against the Tide, Diver, and Record-Holding Spear fisherwoman, about her journey in spearfishing, the challenges she has faced, including gender discrimination and close encounters with sharks, as…

The Nature Diary: Unpacking how relocation helps cheetahs survive

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and nature conservationist Tim Neary and and Dr Kelsey Smit, Senior data scientist with the Conservation Canine Unit, discussing the relocation of cheetahs as a strategy for survival, the Endangered Wildlife Trust’s work in rescuing and rehabilitating orphaned c…

The Nature Diary: The reuse of invasive alien plants and their benefits for communities 

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and nature conservationist Tim Neary and David Mayson, CEO and senior consultant at Phuhlisani Non-Profit Company, about a groundbreaking Elandskloof community centre built from invasive alien plant materials, and how it supports sustainability and community upl…

The Nature Diary: How dangerous are spider bites?

Gugs Mhlungu chats to Tim Neary, Resident CSI & Nature Conservationist and Jarrod Todd, an enthusiastic member of South Africa’s Spider Club on how deadly spider bites can be after a Klerksdorp baker is said to have died following an 11-day battle after being bitten by a violin spider. Gugs Mhlung…

The Nature Diary: From Zooplankton to extinct cattle: Surprising DNA stories from the sea

Gugs Mhlungu chats with Resident CSI and nature conservationist Tim Neary and Dr Ashrenee Govender, Ecologist at Oceanographic Research Institute (ORI) part of SAAMBR (South African Association for Marine Biological Research), about how scientists use genetic material from water and plankton sample…

The Nature Diary: Book Review: The Rift by Shem Compion 

Gugs Mhlungu chats to Tim Neary, Resident CSI & Nature Conservationist and Shem Compion, Author of The Rift. The Rift, which was created by volcanic processes, produced enormous geological textures and remarkable biotic variety. It touches every region of our world, extending from distant pasts int…