S6E6: Feather Heists and Questions of Value

Rosa returns to feathers in this episode, this time to discuss the infamous 2009 “feather heist”, in which Edwin Rist stole an invaluable collection of bright-coloured feathers from tropical birds. She uses the heist to open a deeper consideration of the value of feather collections for science and the ethics of collecting and maintaining such collections. 

•  Pitt Rivers Museum
• Smithsonian
• Natural history Museum in London
• The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson

Credits:

• Recorded: 28 May 2025
• Claudia Hirtenfelder, executive producer, editor and co-host 
• Rosa Dyer, script writer, narrator and co-host
• Rebecca Shen, episode artwork and logo
• Gordon Clarke, bed music
• Other sound effects from Pixabay, Epidemic Sound, and Freesound
• Learn more about the team here. 

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