Dr Andrew Bengsen talks to us this week about controlling ferals! Animals that is. Andrew has over 15 years’ experience in pest animal management or research and has been with the NSW Department of Primary Industries, Vertebrate Pest Research Unit for a decade.

But also we discuss Andrew’s first career in the military- including serving in Rwanda over the period of the tragic and confronting Kibeyo massacre.

We talk about luck- both good and bad. And perspective.

As well as Andrews ‘role’ (very poor choice of words Tim) in the recent NSW floods, where Andrew’s family home was destroyed by the rising flood waters.

06:00 Andrew’s growing up and not finishing school. Joining the Army

11:45 Operational deployments being rare. Enter Rwanda

15:00 The complexity and challenges of peacekeeping operations

20:24 22 April 1995, the Kibeyo Massacre

24:00 Post Rwanda study … even without finishing school.

27:20 Being a bouncer in Townsville and learnings

34:00 Continuing study and enter into feral research (zoology and tropical ecology). The impact of feral animals and how we control them

47:20 Complexity!

55:00 Talking about the impact of the NSW Floods

1:01:00 The importance of community during the disaster

More on NSW DPI and Andrews Work is here:

https://www.dpi.nsw.gov.au/staff/profiles/andrew-bengsen

https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrew-bengsen-b7913a193/

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Music …. With thanks to:

The Externals – available on Spotify

Mitchell Martin- available on Spotify