Photo from Wikimedia Commons by Superbass

The ubiquity of cockfighting is shocking. Even in places such as the United States where the practice is illegal, underground fighting continues to be a lucrative (and inherently cruel) industry. Before a fight, roosters (or gamecocks) have their spurs cut off without anaesthetic, and metal or plastic razor-sharp blades (known as gaffs) are attached to their legs. Sometimes their beaks are sharpened. In the cockfighting pit, a pair of birds are provoked and pitted against each other. Trained to be violently aggressive, the roosters may be further stimulated with drugs, such as methamphetamine. The battles involve intense injuries and bloodshed, which cause incredible pain for the birds, and often result in at least one death.

In this interview, we hear two different perspectives on cockfighting, one from the United States and one from Puerto Rico, where the practice remains legal but enmeshed in criminal activity. Tune in to hear about the relationship between cockfighting and crime, more about the activity, arguments by proponents and opponents, and how positive change is happening.

Dana Campbell is a lawyer with the national nonprofit organization, Animal Legal Defense Fund. She also started her own animal law practice in Rochester New York. She teaches Animal Law as an adjunct professor at Cornell Law School in Ithaca New York. Leisha Swayne is the Vice President of the Humane Society of Puerto Rico, and an Animal Cruelty Investigations Consultant for the AdopciónMascotas.com. She is also a member member of the Animal Rights Commission of the Bar Association.

Tags: Animals in Entertainment

Toronto listeners will likely be aware of the recent Globe and Mail’s shocking investigation of the Toronto Humane Society (THS), Canada’s largest animal shelter. The allegations are serious and damning, including claims that animals languish in filthy conditions, as others are left to slowly die without proper veterinary care, while still others are adopted out with undisclosed pre-existing health conditions. Needless to say, the Globe article sparked huge public outcry.

As those who work in animal shelters can attest, the labour is demanding and an ideal care environment can be difficult to achieve. Many feel that the THS has not met the challenges well, arguing that animals continue to suffer unnecessarily under the organization’s watch. After the Ontario Society for the Protection of Animals (OSPCA) stepped in to begin their own comprehensive investigation, the THS quickly declared itself vindicated by the organization’s initial search, contrary to the opinion of the OSPCA. In this interview, Kristin Williams, spokesperson for the OSPCA, discusses the frictional relationship between the OSPCA and the THS, the phases of the investigation, and potential legal ramifications. Williams also weighs in on some of the sticky issues, such as euthanasia and pet overpopulation, that the THS controversy has undeniably pushed into the foreground.

News links:

• Roo meat sales have vegetarians seeing red
• Taiwan to enact world’s strictest law on veggie food labeling
• Improve image to fight activists, speaker says
• Animal experiments could end in a generation

Tags: Companion Animals

Original air date: May 20, 2008

Ever considered becoming a vet? If so, you may encounter some unexpected ethical dilemmas in your training. In this engaging interview, Dr. Erika Sullivan provides an intimate portrait of her veterinary school experience. An award-winning graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, Sullivan is concerned that many students still choose to practice surgical techniques on live animals. The animals are transported to the college, kept in the students’ care, later anesthetized, operated upon, and then killed. Where do the animals come from, and why are healthy animals being “euthanized”? Given that an alternative stream exists, why do the majority of students opt for the regular program? Which program provides the better learning experience? Dr. Sullivan answers these and other questions as we don our scrubs and tour the veterinary classroom. Invaluable to both potential students and the general public, Sullivan’s perspective is informed as much by science as compassion.

News links:

• Cock-fight thriving in Aizawl
• Farmed Fish May Pose Risk For Mad Cow Disease
• Black dog, hard sell
• Rockville lab cited for animal violations

Tags: Animal Experimentation | Companion Animals | Dissection

Tofu Benny and photo by Isa Chandra Moskowitz

Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ new book, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For— from Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes, makes getting up in the morning a whole lot easier (especially if you’re a not a morning person, like yours truly). It also makes spoiling your friends easier, and Sunday mornings (or heck, any morning) a little more leisurely and decadent. Imagine breakfast in bed, with a plate of Chocolate Beer Waffles or Lemon Cashew-Stuffed Crepes with Whole Berry Sauce. Imagine rounds of Pink Grapefruit Mimosas, or Mango Lassis, for a group of your favourite out-of-town buddies. Or, say you’ve been missing the eggyness of eggs, or the sausageyness of sausages, you’ll find ample satisfying vegan translations, such as Cherry Sage Sausages and Tofu Benny. In this interview, Moskowitz dishes on her favourite meal of the day and the creation of the book (and her famed recipes). She also fields a number of listeners’ burning brunch-related questions. You might want to eat before you listen to this show, or at least have something tasty to snack on.

News links:

• Toronto Zoo elephant dies after push to ground by one of her own
• Tel Aviv vegan bar bans Israeli soldiers, settlement products
• Animal rights group rallies for Lucy the elephant
• Animal Rights Activists Protest Shark Tournament

Tags: Cooking

“Why love one but eat the other?” is the provocative slogan of the recent campaign launched by concerned citizens of Toronto and the U.S.-based animal advocacy organization, Mercy for Animals. This ambitious initiative, running June 9th to August 15th, involves a series of visually-striking subway posters that centrally juxtapose images of animals typically considered pets in North America against images of animals raised for food. Accompanying these images, text provides stereotype-busting information about “farm animals”. Additional images and commentary highlight contemporary factory farm conditions and animal treatment within the industrial food system. In this program, Kimberly Carroll, a key organizer of the campaign, shares her thoughts on these highly-viewed public education materials, including people’s reactions to the posters and a few background stories about the animals featured in the heart-rending pictures.

News links:

• Questions mount over Jackson animal kingdom
• For some local Jews, kosher isn’t enough: Ethics of food production is key part of ‘ethical kashrut.’
• Sea Shepherd captain arrested in Portugal
• Harp seal heart valves being tested for human use

Tags: Companion Animals | Farmed Animals

Mary Martin knows that if you want to get to the heart of human-animal relationships, you have to think critically about the language that’s used to describe those relationships. Through her stellar Animal Person blog, she gives readers a daily dose of news and analysis, as well as regular explorations of common words used in animal advocacy. Visitors to her site are guaranteed to find thought-provoking material presented with clarity and conviction.

In this interview, Martin discusses her love of animals and her love of language, and how she sees the two converging. Martin also discusses Project Treadstone, the program she started in her local community to trap, sterilize, release and treat feral cats. Through her blog and her activism, she’s seen first hand how discourse and language affects our relationship with animals, whether they are the animals we read about in the newspaper, or the stray cats we see on the street.

News links:

• Turkey plant worker sentenced for animal cruelty
• Vancouver Humane Society sets sights on Stampede for calf roping protest
• Namibian animal rights activists bid to stop seal slaughter
• Oppose Puerto Rico’s plan for a massive primate breeding facility

© iStockphoto.com / Timothy Babasade

For some, the image of a mangled pig fetus or an cut up frog on the Biology room table remains a painful and disturbing memory. While the number of animals involved in dissection might seem relatively small compared to other uses, Jan Oakley argues that not only are staggering numbers killed every year, but also that the ecological consequences of such “procurement” are severe.

In this interview, we connect with doctoral candidate, Jan Oakley, to discuss her research on dissection. We cover scientific understandings, industry economics, controversial student cases, silenced voices, rigorous alternatives, and why the issue deserves much more attention than it receives.

News links:

• Bulls gore 4 runners in Spain
• 4th animal dies at Stampede
• Chicken farmers feel threatened by Oklahoma suit
• Men accused of dragging “stubborn" bull behind car

Tags: Dissection | Youth

When disaster strikes, news reports come fast and furious with constant updates and around the clock coverage. However, the coverage of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods is almost always human-focused; where animals are concerned, the media often has little to say, especially if those animals were to become food or be used as research subjects. In this interview Dr. Leslie Irvine explains how some animals are deemed more worthy of coverage than others, and how an animal’s sociological status affects how they are - or are not - protected when disasters occur. Covering both “natural” and “human-made” disasters, Dr. Irvine discusses the current state of animal protection in times of crisis, and gives practical suggestions for how the plight of animals can be ameliorated in the future.

Leslie Irvine is Associate Professor of Sociology at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She received her Ph.D. from the State University of New York at Stony Brook. Her research focuses on the role of animals in society. She has studied animal sheltering, human-animal relationships, and most recently, animals in disasters. Her book, titled Filling the Ark: Animal Welfare in Disasters, urges us to rethink our use of animals that put them in harm’s way. She is also the author of If You Tame Me: Understanding Our Connection with Animals, and numerous articles on our relationships with other species.

• Media coalition members against ban on media depictions of animal cruelty
• 2 men who filmed Namibia seal hunt convicted
• Animal campaigners call on Kingston council to ban goldfish fair prizes

Tags: Animal Rescues | Companion Animals | Farmed Animals

Food movements have been gaining serious momentum lately. The meanings of “just”, “ethical,” and “sustainable” food are all contentious. Biotechnology, organics, “free range” meat, vegetarianism and localism are but a handful of issues currently marinating in the proverbial stew. Historian James E. McWilliams, author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How We Can Truly Eat Responsibly, specifically cautions us against diving too eagerly into that bowl of current popular assumptions espoused by local food proponents. With a respectful nod to the locavore movement, and the many excellent points it raises, McWilliams reevaluates the logic of food miles as the sole criteria for ethical eating. Instead, the lauded scholar underscores the importance of life cycle analyses, and points to issues such as scale as key factors to consider by consumers. Further, McWilliams demonstrates why vegetarian food offers the greatest ecological benefits.

Tags: Farmed Animals | History

In this interview, Smuts introduces us to her embodied and embedded approach to research. Such an orientation includes paying attention to research results that are often dismissed as mere “noise.” Through highly detailed and rigorous methods, such as frame by frame analysis of dogs’ play behavior, Smuts discovers worlds of emotional, psychological, and social richness too often denied to exist within animal societies. As she explains, her work draws on “evolutionary theory, studies of complex systems, and developmental research to examine the dynamics and functions of long-term social relationships.”

Photo © Toronto Vegetarian Association

On this special episode of Animal Voices, we speak with Mishka Alarcon — lead organizer of the Annual Toronto Vegetarian Food Fair — and Sarah Kramer — cookbook author extraordinaire — about the passing of some incredible milestones. Both guests give us great insight into how their projects and their activism has grown over the decades.

First, we catch up with the whirlwind herself, Sarah Kramer, who gives us the scoop on the 10th anniversary edition of How It All Vegan. She tells us about the book’s humble beginnings as a cookzine sold at Vancouver area punk rock shows, and its steady rise to becoming one of the most popular vegan cookbooks ever. Then, we speak with Mishka Alarcon, who tells us all about the (now passed) 25th anniversary of the Veg Food Fair, discussing its founding as an informational fair and its exponential growth, as well as giving us a sneak preview of what’s in store for those attending this year.

Tags: Cooking

There is perhaps no “bug” as feared — and misunderstood — as the scorpion. Though scorpions are relatively harmless and non-confrontational creatures, they face a surprising amount of persecution and are maligned for many ill-informed reasons. Scorpion conservationist Matt Ellerbeck gives us a different view, appreciating the scorpions in their own right and debunking the myriad myths that surround them. We discuss some of the more bizarre ways that scorpions are exploited (from being bred to appear in film, or being pickled in liquour) as well as some of the larger implications of scorpion exploitation for ecosystems as a whole.

Matt Ellerbeck is a scorpion conservationist, conservation educator, and arachnoculturist who has given numerous educational presentations on animal conservation throughout the Kingston, Ontario area. Some highlights include presentations for the Kingston Field Naturalists, the Cataraqui Region Conservation Authority, St. Lawrence Islands National Park, and Environmental Education students at Queen’s University. He has also written several articles on scorpions which have been published in numerous environmental and conservation-related publications. He is a member of Creatures 101, a group that specializes in giving both educational and informative presentations on animal conservation.

News links:

• No more examinations for Lucy the elephant, city says
• China unveils first ever animal cruelty legislation
• Belgian farmers dump milk in massive protest

Beneath the finely constructed facades of an urban centre such as Toronto, there is a different city that teems and struggles to make its way. Though we’re probably all familiar with the cats that live in our homes or neighbourhoods, we might not know so much about the other world of cats that exists in the shadowy places outside of our regular view. Join us for an interview with Cat City director Justine Pimlott as she discusses her new documentary about cat overpopulation in Toronto. We’ll explore the causes and effects of cat overpopulation, from feral cat trapping and steralization to the ever-difficult subject of euthanasia.

Justine Pimlott is one half of Red Queen Productions and an award-winning filmmaker who learned the art of documentary as an apprentice at the groundbreaking Studio D at the National Film Board of Canada. Her documentary Cat City will air nationally in Canada on Global TV.

News links:

• Kentucky loses world championship of coon hunting
• Massachusetts company fattens up monkeys for science

Tags: Companion Animals

This week, Animal Voices takes the show on the road to bring you a behind-the-scenes audio journey into the Peace Day celebrations at the Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, sponsored by the Jane Goodall Institute. We get a rare listen into the sounds of the sanctuary (which is normally not open to the public), as Founder Sherri Delaney takes us through the sanctuary’s various rooms and tells us about the day-to-day operation. We also hear from other volunteers who give us specific details about the primates that live there, including their likes, dislikes, and particularities.

Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary provide a safe and permanent home for primates retiring from biomedical research, zoos, universities & private residences, or wherever there is a primate in need of a permanent home.

News links:

• Sea Shepherd food wish list for Operation Waltzing Matilda
• Animal welfare groups welcome ban on fur farming
• Abuse victim sees link with cruelty to animals

Tags: Sanctuaries

Photo © Bill Swindaman

First, we speak with Elizabeth Schoales, an activist based in Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island. In addition to work with the Cat Action Team (the only Trap, Neuter, Return program in PEI), Schoales has been busy trying to get the Charlottetown municipal government to rethink their wildlife removal program, which results in hundreds of skunks (and other animals) being trapped and shot every year within the city limits. We also discuss the recent bust of PuppiesAcrossCanada.com, a website operating as a front for a puppy mill in PEI. [To contact Schoales about helping her with her work, please contact: animalvoices AT gmail DOT com]

Next, we catch up once again with journalist and blogger Will Potter to discuss the recent upholding of convictions against the SHAC 7 by a US appellate court. Though the ruling has passed quietly and virtually unnoticed in the mainstream press, Potter gives us a grim analysis of its possible implications for what is and is not protected speech in the US. A must listen for any activists who encourage or endorse direct action as a tactic of animal liberation.

Tags: Direct action | Law

Photo from Eastern Shore Sanctuary website

Cockfighting is major news in the United States these days, with almost weekly reports of police raids on the illegal fighting and gambling operations. What happens after the raids, rescue and relocation? On this week’s program, we catch up with Miriam Jones from the Eastern Shore Bird Sanctuary who tells us about the politics and practice of fighting rooster rehab. Though the process can be long and difficult, Jones gives us a clear picture about why it is vital that we don’t give up on animals who have been trained to fight.

From the Website:

“Founded in a rural region dominated by the poultry industry, the Eastern Shore Sanctuary and Education Center provides a haven for hens, roosters and ducks who have escaped or been rescued from the meat and egg industries or other abusive circumstances, such as cockfighting. We work within an ecofeminist understanding of the interconnection of all life and the intersection of all forms of oppression. Thus we welcome and work to facilitate alliances among animal, environmental, and social justice activists.”

The Eastern Shore Statement on Backyard Birds:
http://blog.bravebirds.org/archives/61

News links:

• Maple Leaf plant’s problems persisted after listeria find
• Charles and Camilla open Royal Winter Fair
• Animal abuser sentenced. But was justice served for Katrina dogs?

Tags: Animal Rescues | Animals in Entertainment | Sanctuaries

Peter Young is a veteran animal liberation activist and former political prisoner convicted for his role in liberating thousands of animals from fur farms across the country. Emerging from a grand jury indictment, 7 years of being wanted by the FBI, a federal prison sentence, and nearly 15 years in the animal liberation movement; today Peter is a frequent lecturer at universities and events, writer on liberation movements, and unapologetic supporter of those who work outside the law to achieve human, earth, and animal liberation.

News links:

• Prize cow sells for $1.2M
• Lab-grown penis lets rabbits mate like bunnies
• India bans elephants from zoos and circuses

Tags: Direct action | Farmed Animals

The ongoing case of Lucy the elephant is perhaps one of the most well-known animal advocacy campaigns in Canada. Confined at the Edmonton Valley Zoo for over 30 years, Lucy’s story is a tragic case of neglect and abuse, as the normally far-ranging and very social elephant continues to be kept alone, in an inappropriate climate, in quarters that amount to no more than 1/4 acre. As a result of her confinement, Lucy has suffered depression and numerous health problems.

Zoocheck has been one of the organizations that has taken up Lucy’s cause, and is still pushing hard to get Lucy out of the Edmonton Valley Zoo and to a sanctuary in the US where she can stretch her legs, browse on good food, and be around others of her own kind. Tune in to hear about the past, present, and future of the Lucy case, and to find out how you can help.

News links:

• 100 sled dogs rescued in Laurentians
• Seal to be served in Parliament Hill restaurant
• Indian teachers call for replacement of dissections and animal experiments; major financial investment in life science education made

Tags: Captivity

Join us on this week’s Animal Voices as we speak with Save The Chimps’ Jen Feuerstein. As Shelter Director, Jen is responsible for overseeing the operations of the STC shelters in Alamogordo, New Mexico and Fort Pierce, Florida, and for the “Great Chimp Migration,” which seeks to move the chimps currently housed at Alamogordo to the much bigger and custom built Florida facility. In a conversation ranging from the politics and economics of vivisection to the way that chimpanzees form familial bonds, Jen demonstrates her vast knowledge of chimps as individuals, and the ins and outs of running a shelter.

We also discuss the life and legacy of Dr. Carole Noon, founder of Save The Chimps, whose life serves as a guiding light for those looking to make a difference in any social justice struggle. Tune in to hear Jen’s tribute to STC’s founder and her dear friend, an indomitable woman who single-handedly established a lifelong home for chimps who had otherwise led lives as test subjects, entertainment props, and ill-advised pets.

News links:

• Hungry polar bears resorting to cannibalism
• ‘Rampant’ rhino poaching on the rise
• Prairie chicken wiped out in Canada

Tags: Sanctuaries

Few activists can boast the energy and determination of Bob Timmons. Bursting onto the Toronto animal advocacy community just two short years ago, Bob has proven himself since to be a dedicated and tireless member of groups such as ARKII. He has written letters, facilitated networking among activists, and logged countless hours of in-the-streets activism. In addition to his on-the-ground work, Bob also continues to create stunning “awareness paintings” that call attention to the ever-tragic stories of marine animals around the world as he pushes his visual arts practice without concern for profit or fame.

Join us for this conversation where we learn about how Bob became passionate about animal issues, specifically marine conservation, and be a part of an exclusive announcement that Bob is now on the advisory board of Oceanic Defense! This is a portrait of an activist that you don't want to miss.

News links:

• I’ll have my lobster electrocuted, please
• Animal-to-human transplant trials OK’d in Australia
• Outside experts to probe Calgary Zoo: president

Tags: Arts & Music | Oceans

Is there something about veganism that is inherently funny? What exactly is funny about being a vegan comedian performing at a steakhouse? Is legalizing human-animal marriage really the next step after legalizing gay marriage? In this conversation with vegan comedian Myq Kaplan, we discuss the finer points of being a funny and conscientious person, comedy as outreach, and New Year’s Resolutions. With comedy that’s as pointed as a rusty nail (and just as infectious!) Myq Kaplan provides us with 45min of laughter in the form of his voice. You’ll laugh until you cry, I promise.

From his website: A Jewy-ish vegan atheist who spells the name “Mike” weird, Myq enjoys words, social justice, Netflix, and comic books. Also non-comic books, ping-pong, and being great with women. And grammar and run-on sentence fragments. And of course, being hilarious to his demographic, which is anyone who might know the word “demographic”.

News links:

• Gruesome animal abuse spikes in New Mexico
• Toronto Humane Society to open doors to public
• Catalonia votes to ban bullfighting

Tags: Arts & Music

Photo from Sea Shepherd website

Tune in for a very special edition of Animal Voices as we speak with Sea Shepherd crew member Laurens de Groot, live via satellite phone from the M/Y Bob Barker. de Groot recounts his harrowing experience on the now-sunk Ady Gil, which was violently rammed this past week by Japanese whaling vessel the Shonan Maru 2. In the short time available, de Groot paints a clear picture of the stakes involved in this escalating battle over the lives of minke and fin whales in Antarctica. We also discuss the psychological effects of the ramming, the short memory of the media, and the power of a small group of individuals to create change.

News links:

• Group Says Boat Damaged After Whaling Clash With Japan
• Man mauled to death by pet tiger
• Ottawa coyote killing contest defended

Tags: Oceans

No one can accuse Professor Gary L. Francione, outspoken advocate of abolitionist animal rights, of mellowing with time. Though he has been writing books about animal rights theory and promoting veganism for decades, his energy shows no signs of abating. As he says himself in our conversation, he feels like the Energizer Bunny: he just keeps going and going and going.

In this interview, Professor Francione discusses the current state of abolitionism, his new “The World Is Vegan. If You Want It.” campaign, and why he’s pushing for a leaderless movement of animal rights activists. Always enthusiastic and thought-provoking, Francione is a good antidote for those who feel poisoned by the ethical inconsistencies, hierarchical structures, and financial imperatives of mainstream animal advocacy.

News links:

• U.S. livestock industry struggling
• Austria: Experiment on Pigs Suspended
• Five fatal flaws of animal activism

Photo from openrescue.net

In the (Western) world of image streams and media saturation, Igualdad Animal (Animal Equality) knows how to play the game, and be effective. Having built a strong network of supporters and activists across Spain (and now expanding to the UK, Colombia and Venezuela), the group holds close to a dozen actions per week, sometimes more, garnering public attention, generating discussion, and keeping the idea of abolishing animal exploitation circulating in the Spanish public consciousness. In all they do, whether it is rescates abiertos (open rescues) or town square demonstrations advocating veganism, Igualdad Animal does their work in a way that is ethically sound, attention grabbing, and serious. You won’t see any women in lettuce bikinis here.

In this, our third conversation with Igualdad Animal founder and director Sharon Núñez, we discuss the philosophy behind IA, the importance of open rescues, and the way that image obsessed Western culture can still be touched by a serious dedication to the truth. An inspiration for abolitionist activists everwhere, Sharon and IA prove that you don’t need to resort to childish antics to garner media attention, and that demanding abolition of animal slavery can be a goal that is reached for with more than just carefully worded pamphlets.

To donate via Paypal to help IA continue their open rescues, send funds to: info@igualdadanimal.org

News links:

• Live pigs blasted in terror attack experiments
• Alberta trio accused of shooting wild horse
• Farmer kills 51 cows then turns gun on himself

Tags: Animal Rescues | Direct action

Join us as we speak with Em about his work as a CALM actvist, why he has dedicated his life to animal advocacy, and how he maintains his inspiration and energy. If you care about animals but need a kick in the butt because you think you as an individual can’t make a difference, this is an interview for you.

Tags: Youth