Michael Starkey is a biologist, activist, and public speaker working to educate and involve the public in animal rights and wildlife conservation issues. He has a diverse background in the field of wildlife conservation and worked as an ecological consultant for environmental consulting firms and government agencies such as the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service and the California Department of Fish & Wildlife.
He has encountered a wide diversity of California wildlife in his work, including San Francisco gartersnakes, giant gartersnakes, California tiger salamanders, bats, and ringtails. He has also studied larval development and parental behavior of the neo-tropical frog, Leptodactylus insularum, at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama.
He began working with the world’s leading amphibian conservation organization, SAVE THE FROGS!, in 2010 to inform the public about the threats facing amphibians, and has served as Chairman of the Advisory Committee. In this position, he rallied together scientists, volunteers, and others in order to help broaden SAVE THE FROGS’ mission of conservation.
He co-founded Advocates For Snake Preservation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to snake conservation and continues to use his knowledge of snake ecology, positive attitude to inspire, and enthusiasm to engage the public with protecting these beautiful animals.
Michael has given presentations around the world to inform the public about animal rights issues and to help nurture a society that respects and appreciates nature and wildlife. Michael currently lives and works in Belize, Central America.
