Episode 4: Culture and Conservation

We hope you’ll Tune into the latest episode of ANAW-USA’s One Health Conversation Series, featuring Dr Richard Reading and Kahindi Lekalhaile as we bring their unique perspectives together to consider the important interplay between culture and conservation.

In this conversation we explore a range of topics, including but not limited to: why the relationship between culture and conservation matters to efforts to promote human-animal-environment well-being; contrasts between Kenyan and US/Western cultural relationships to the environment and other animals; the challenge of maintaining respect and a moral consideration for other animals throughout the acculturation process from youth to adulthood; the importance of context and culturally-specific conservation interventions; tensions between the immediate economic incentives driving cultural attitudes towards conservation and the long-term planning required to safeguard ecological systems and natural resources; and some words of wisdom on the urgent need to reprioritize and reaffirm our interrelationships with other animals, from insects to mammals, sea creatures to large carnivores, whether in our backyards or in African Savannas.

Our intention with this conversation series is to create an exchange and dialogue between African and Western perspectives on a wide-range of issues and topics pertaining to One Health, conservation, and animal welfare theory and practice in a way that's accessible to a diverse and international audience. We hope that you'll come away from these conversations with a deeper understanding of the importance of the relationships among humans, other animals, and the environment - the world over.

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to learn more or support our work please visit www.anawusa.org

Thanks so much for listening!

Producer & Facilitator - Dr Katherine Baxter, CEO of ANAW-USA

Assistant Producer – Jen Tuuk ANAW-USA One Health Communications and Advocacy Intern

Podcast Editor - John Lindsay

In episode 3 of the One Health Conversation Series, we speak with two remarkable women, Dr. Maryanne Kagai and Dr. Liz Whitney, about their unique experiences as veterinarians in Kenya and the United States; some of the different, yet parallel, challenges facing veterinarians around the world; the role of compassion and veterinary care in conservation efforts; and the importance of connecting the dots between human, animal, and environmental health.

Thanks so much for listening!

Producer & Facilitator: Katherine Baxter, PhD, Executive Director of ANAW-USA

Assistant Producer: Ryan Twedt, ANAW-USA Intern

Podcast Editor: John Lindsay

Dr. Elizabeth Whitney is a veterinarian and serves on ANAW-USA’s Board as Secretary. She graduated from the Colorado State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1986. Over the span of her 34 year career, she has practiced small animal medicine for 24 years, worked in veterinary marketing and technical support for 8 years, taught small animal nursing in the veterinary technology program at Front Range Community College, and provided temporary clinical support at CSU Community Practice. She has also served in an advisory capacity on veterinary educational boards, along with serving in leadership roles at local, state, and national levels. She is an avid and frequent volunteer, serving on a non-profit board supporting youth in the arts, and in the past 4 years she has traveled to Mexico, Puerto Rico, the Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and Kenya participating in veterinary service trips that perform free vaccination and spay/neuter services for local communities.

Tune in to the second episode of ANAW-USA’s One Health Conversation Series, featuring the President of the Board of ANAW, Professor James Nkansah Obrempong, and the President of the Board of ANAW-USA, Professor Janet Rumfelt, as we bring their different perspectives together to consider the topic of the Ethics of Conservation in a conversation facilitated by Dr Katherine Baxter, Executive Director of ANAW-USA.  In this conversation we explore tensions between religious and scientific approaches to conservation; how different religious and philosophical traditions understand the relationship between humans and other animals; the role of religion in inspiring selflessness and self-transcendence as a means to overcome greed and anthropocentrism; and what these moral and religious teachings might be able to offer us as we work to harness people’s convictions and motivations to conserve the planet and its creatures.   

Our intention with this conversation series is to highlight a wide-range of issues and topics pertaining to One Health, conservation, and animal welfare. We hope that you'll come away from these conversations with a deeper understanding of how the One Health philosophy operates across all levels of society, and how the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and to everything else in our shared environment. 

If you enjoyed this conversation and want to learn more and support our work please visit https://www.anawusa.org/donate 

Thanks so much for listening!    

Producer & Facilitator - Dr Katherine Baxter, ANAW-USA Operations Manager  

Assistant Producer - Ryan Twedt, ANAW-USA Intern  

Podcast Editor - John Lindsay  

About our Guests:

Professor Janet Rumfelt, is the president of the board for ANAW-USA and also serves on the board of directors for ANAW in Kenya. She also holds a Ph.D. and is Professor and Chair of the Liberal Arts Department in the School for Professional Advancement at Regis University. Using her background of comparative religious traditions, philosophy, and trauma studies she addresses conservation and animal welfare issues within the environmental humanities. Janet also oversaw the development of an M.A. Specialization in Environmental Studies at Regis University. She is active in nonprofit work having founded Running Wild, an annual 5K and 1-Mile Fun Run that supports beneficiaries in Africa that protect imperiled species and ecosystems.   

Professor James Nkansah Obrempong, is the Dean of the School of Theology, NEGST at Africa International University in Nairobi, Kenya. He also serves as a board member for both ANAW-USA and ANAW, where he is chair of the board. He has earned both Master of Divinity and Master of Theology degrees from Africa International University and holds a Ph.D. in Theology from Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, California. His work draws from his theological and ethics background to deal with matters relating to the environment, animal care, public policy and human-animal coexistence.

Tune into the first episode of ANAW-USA's One Health Conversation Series, featuring a a conversation between two of our distinguished Board Members, Dr Ted Cohn and Professor Phil Tedeschi, facilitated by ANAW-USA's Executive Director, Dr Katherine Baxter. 

In this episode we cover a range of topics exploring the special connection between humans and animals, and why it matters to our collective health and well-being. We discuss questions surrounding our moral responsibility towards other animals; how the mistreatment of animals is linked to the spread of zoonotic diseases; how the way we treat animals might be reflective of the way we treat ourselves; and what needs to change to reestablish a balance between humans, animals, and the environment

Our intention is that with this conversation series we can highlight a range of issues and topics pertaining to One Health, conservation, and animal welfare. We hope that you'll come away from these conversations with a deeper understanding of how the One Health philosophy operates across all levels of society, and how the health of people is closely connected to the health of animals and to everything else in our shared environment.   

To learn more and support our work please visit https://www.anawusa.org/donate

Thanks so much for listening!  

Producer & Facilitator - Dr Katherine Baxter, ANAW-USA Operations Manager 

Assistant Producer - Ryan Twedt, ANAW-USA Intern 

Podcast Editor - John Lindsay

About our Guests:

Dr. Ted Cohn is a Board Member and Treasurer of ANAW-USA, and has a career spanning over forty years in veterinary medicine. He graduated from the Tuskegee University college of Veterinary Medicine and initially practiced in Denver, going on to serve as leader in his profession, having tenures as president of local, state, and national Veterinary Medical associations, including the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA). He also served on the board of directors for the Women’s Veterinary Leadership Development Initiative and is currently a member of the Access to Veterinary Care Coalition, as well as an advisor for the AlignCare project - all groups whose aim is to help the pets of low-income families receive veterinary care. Additionally he has served as an on call vet for the Denver Zoological Gardens, and is currently an independent advisor and consultant in the Veterinary medical community.

Professor Phil Tedeschi is an ANAW-USA board member and the Executive Director of the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver. He is also a Clinical Professor at the University of Denver Graduate School of Social Work. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison specializing in the bio-affiliative connection between people and animals. He continues to study and teach on the intricate relationship between people, domestic and wild animals, and the natural world.