Breaking The Chains International was founded by British Army veteran Tom S-N who made it his life’s mission to make the world a safer place for any and all animals.

After Russian forces invaded Ukraine on February the 24th in 2022, Tom and his close friend Steve put their extensive military and combat experience to use again by entering Ukraine with the sole purpose of extracting animals in desperate need from the conflict zones. Within a few weeks, Breaking the Chains International became the most well-known and effective animal rescue team working inside of Ukraine due to their capabilities of operating inside the conflict zones.

Nikita interviews Anand Siva, CEO of the newly launched India Animal Fund that encourages effective giving for animals. The fund is backed by professionals in the corporate sector, blessed by His Holiness the Dalai Lama and supported by several celebrities like Sir Paul McCartney, Alicia Silverstone, Madhuri Dixit and Shikhar Dhawan.

India’s first platform created by seasoned professionals in the corporate sector, that encourages effective giving for animals, bringing together high-value donors, highly efficient NGOs, and a solution-based mindset to ensure the reduction of animal suffering.IAF brings together a diverse mix of passionate leaders from the corporate and animal welfare sector taking a strategic look at ending all forms of animal harm. With decades of experience in multinational corporations and the development sector, they believe that doing the most-good means to minimise the suffering of the most vulnerable viz animals.They are devoted to the cause of mainstreaming and elevating the animal protection movement in India. They work in collaboration with national and international sector experts and constituents to create impact.

Anand Siva is the CEO of the India Animal Fund. After proving his mettle in advertising, data & analytics for 3 decades, Anand is now involved in building tech solutions in the e-com space. He’s a known name in the field of animal welfare, having led many campaigns to draw awareness & public support and manages the non-profit PACE Trust (Protection of Animals and Conservation of Environment). He’s a firm believer in the concept for life without medicines and conducts corporate sessions to help boost health & productivity.

Yvonne catches up with Mary-Ann Holm from Leap for Lucy for the latest news on the campaign to move Lucy to sanctuary.

Nikita interviews Dr. Lori Marino, an expert in animal behaviour and intelligence and the founder of The Whale Sanctuary Project that is working on building a seaside sanctuary for captive cetaceans. Want to learn about the fascinating mirror recognition test in bottlenose dolphins or the controversial dolphin assisted therapies?

Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and expert in animal behavior and intelligence, formerly on the faculty of Emory University. Lori received her Ph.D. in biopsychology in 1995, and is internationally known for her work on the evolution of the brain and intelligence in dolphins and whales (as well as primates and farmed animals).

She has published over 130 peer-reviewed scientific papers, book chapters, and magazine articles on marine mammal biology and cognition, comparative brain anatomy, self-awareness in nonhuman animals, human-nonhuman animal relationships, and the evolution of intelligence. She is also an expert on marine mammal captivity issues such as dolphin assisted therapy and the educational claims of the zoo and aquarium industry. In 2001, she co-authored a ground-breaking study offering the first conclusive evidence for mirror self-recognition in bottlenose dolphins, after which she decided against further research with captive animals.

Lori is also the Founder and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, which focuses on bridging the gap between academic research and scholarship and on-the-ground animal advocacy efforts. She has appeared in several films and television programs, including the 2013 documentary Blackfish about killer whale captivity, Unlocking the Cage, the 2016 documentary on the Nonhuman Rights Project, and Long Gone Wild, the 2019 documentary that picks up where Blackfish left off and the work of the Whale Sanctuary Project begins.

“Five Shooter”, is a poem written by Anthony Lovell in support of the New Big 5 project, an international initiative to create a New Big 5 of wildlife, the Big 5 of wildlife photography, not hunting. Shooting with a camera, not a gun.

Erica Salvemini, host of The Rising Lioness Podcast welcomes Billie Groom, award winning author, podcast-host, animal welfare activist, social entrepreneur and Canine Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CCBT) expert.

During this show Billie shares her vast knowledge and expertise on CCBT. We discuss how Canine Cognitive Behavior Therapy can prevent canines from a life of being misunderstood due to their prior traumas and patterning, which is often what gets them surrendered or worse, euthanized.

CCBT offers families the chance to finally share a life of peace and happiness with their beloved pet, something many have felt helpless and even hopeless to.

Log on to hear about Billie’s decades of evidence-based work that has the power to transform and even save canine lives. She is an amazing human dedicated to making the lives of our canine friends better every day.

Billie Groom is an award winning author, podcast host, animal welfare activist and social entrepreneur. She is featured in magazines, blogs, and on many podcasts and tv shows, including the LA Tribune and Psychology Today Magazine.

Billie presented at the Animal Behavior Society Conference 2022 and is a featured speaker at the upcoming Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine conference.

Billie is also a member of the Dog Writers Association of America, Comparative Cognition Society, and the Animal Behavior Society.

She received her master's degree in canine behavior and welfare and is currently enrolled in the Graduate School of Leadership and Change at Antioch University.

She lives in Regina, Saskatchewan Canada with her rescued dogs and cat.

Nikita interviews Sangita Iyer of the “Gods in Shackles” fame. Keep a tissue box handy as you listen to heart-wrenching accounts of the festival elephants of India. Learn about the plight of wild elephants as well: train collisions, human-ele conflicts, habitat constraints. And get wowed by the innovative solutions that Sangita brings through her organization VFAES.

Sangita Iyer is the author of the recently released book, Gods in Shackles, a National Geographic Explorer, multiple award-winning nature & wildlife filmmaker and broadcast journalist, and a biologist. Sangita has recently produced a 26-part short docu-series about Asian elephants, funded by the National Geographic Society’s storytelling grant. She's also the director and producer of the globally acclaimed epic documentary, "Gods in Shackles", which was nominated at the United Nations General Assembly, and has garnered 13 international film festival awards. Sangita received the "Nari Shakthi Puraskaar" - Women Power Award - the highest award for women making a difference in India from the country's President for her courage to expose the plight of captive elephants that are being exploited for profit behind the veil of culture and religion.

Rachana talks with Mieko Saho and Koh Okuno about the launch of their crowdfunding campaign for the Unspoken Souls movie - a universal story about the exploitation of animals, people, and nature.

Nikita talks with Dr Andrew Kelly, Director of Freedom for Animals, one of UK’s longest-running animal charities with a mission to protect animals from exploitation, harm and captivity.

Dr Andrew Kelly, a passionate advocate for animals, graduated from University of Glasgow in 1997 with a first class BSc (Hons) in Zoology and from Leeds University in 2001 with a PhD in Evolutionary Ecology. This was followed by post-doctoral research on Seabird Ecology.

In 2004, Andrew joined the Royal Society for the Protection of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) as Manager of Stapeley Grange Wildlife Centre in Cheshire where he introduced a programme to measure post-release survival of rehabilitated wildlife casualties. Following a brief return to academia in 2010 at Queen’s University in Belfast, Andrew returned to the RSPCA as Head of Wildlife Department for two years during which time he headed a small team of wildlife specialists to deliver RSPCA policies on captive wild animals, the keeping of exotic animals as pets, and the welfare implications of wildlife management.

In 2013, Andrew joined Humane Society International as Consultant Policy Advisor working on a range of issues including working collaboratively at EU level to ensure the protection of wild animals identified as non-native species and to influence animal welfare provisions included in EU-wide legislation.

In 2014, Andrew joined the Irish Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ISPCA) as Chief Executive Officer. During his seven years with the ISPCA, Andrew worked with other like-minded organisations to successfully campaign for a ban on the use of wild animals in circuses, a ban on fur farming and a commitment by the Irish government to introduce legislation on the trade in wild animals as pets.

Dr Kelly joined Freedom for Animals as its new Director in December 2021.

In his spare time, Andrew is a keen birdwatcher and loves long walks in the countryside.

Yellowstone Wolves by Staci-lee Sherwood. Read by Nicole Rojas.

Staci-lee wrote this poem in 1999 after going out to the park to see the wolves. She spent a week out there observing the Druid pack, which no longer exists, and the Rose Creek pack. After only a couple of years the writing was on the wall as the irrational wolf hatred was out in full force having already killed one of the alpha wolves.