Butterflies and bullied protesters

Europe's rarest butterfly lives on the outskirts of a single town in North Macedonia. So why is it possible to find specimens of this incredibly endangered animal for sale online for 30 euros? This week we speak to Kiril Arsovski Przo, one of the scientists behind an investigation into this troubling legal loophole. We're also talking about the farcical election in Belarus and Britain's crackdown on climate protesters. 

You can watch 'Nature for Sale' here and read more about the investigation here. 

Photo (c) ICS 2024 

We're also talking about a trigger-happy Croatian politician and Ursula von der Leyen's return from hospital. 

You can follow Soya the Cow here and find out more about Daniel's work here. 

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Inspiration Station recommendations:

• 'Earnest Cole: Lost and Found'

• 'Murder Mindfully' (Achtsam Morden). 

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Other resources for this episode:

• 'Hope for our rarest UK bat' - Bat Conservation Trust, January 27, 2025 https://www.bats.org.uk/news/2025/01/hope-for-our-rarest-uk-bat

• Zeno Siemens and Jacco Prantl - 'Learning to listen with Gordon Hempton' https://soundcloud.com/thecorrespondent/zeno-siemens-and-jacco-prantl-learning-to-listen-with-gordon-hempton 

• Invisibilia - 'The Last Sound' https://open.spotify.com/episode/2vPX641oHRo1vetDVl7CeH?si=qu4otcOPTeS4hGyimw5Snw 

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Producer

Morgan Childs and Wojciech Oleksiak

Mixing and mastering

Wojciech Oleksiak

Music

Jim Barne and Mariska Martina

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