Animocracy

You may have recently heard that the Fairmont chain of 90 luxury hotels around the world announced they were going fur-free in the retail stores in their hotels.  What you may not have known is that one woman was largely responsible for this change, Karin Nelson. 

On this episode of Animocracy, we talk to Karin about what introduced her to animal activism, what happened with the Fairmont, and learn more about what she is doing locally in Victoria, B.C. to make positive change for animals. 

Welcome back to Animocracy with Season 2! To start off the new season, I did a live recording at VegFest Victoria with festival goers to see what was on their minds. I had the delight of interviewing 8 fascinating people with unique stories and experiences, every conversation was engaging in its own way. Thank you to Teesha, Rob, Amy, Isley, Magnus, Darren, Hazel, and Monika for the great conversations. 

A big thank you to Positively Vegan for hosting the event, inviting Animocracy to have a booth and speak at the festival. It just finished, but I'm already looking forward to next year! Please enjoy the first episode of season 2 and thank you for listening. 

Ever want to see a vigorous debate between elected politicians on the most urgent of animal issues while the moderator and other animal-centric politicians hold these elected officials accountable for what they've said and done? Me too. Unfortunately, the "Animal Debate" wasn't that. 

Today on Animocracy, we are going to be analyzing the recent Animal Debate, organized by Animal Justice, World Animal Protection, Vancouver Humane Society, BC SPCA, and the Montreal SPCA. Plus, I'll be talking a little about the state of animal politics at the end.

Thank you for listening. 

Love him or hate him, Justin Trudeau did more for animals under his leadership than any other prime minister in Canadian history. 

Today on Animocracy, we applaud the good, acknowledge the bad, and maybe lament the unfulfilled that happened for animals over the last decade under the Trudeau Liberals. 

Thank you listening. 

Do you feed you that cute little fawn or raccoon that comes around your yard? Do you leave your garbage accessible for wildlife? Do you let your dog off-leash or cat outdoors? Have you tried to get really close or even touch wildlife for a selfie and likes? If you answered yes to any of these questions then you have probably made life harder for wildlife than you may realize and this episode is for you.

On this episode of Animocracy, I talk with Mollie Cameron, President of the Wild Wise Society, about their work and what we can all do to better co-exist with wildlife. Visit: wildwisociety.org to learn more about what you can do to be pro-active in stopping human/wildlife conflict, appreciate nature without interfering, and get involved with their great education and outreach.

Thank you for listening.

Do animals matter in politics? Can animal political parties be successful? Will anthropocentric politics save us as a society and species? What does animal politics offer in a world of growing far-right populism? 

On this episode, I speak with Eva van Esch, chair of the Animal Politics Foundation, a political mobilization arm of the Dutch Party for the Animals. We talk about all of the above and so much more. I hope you enjoy the episode, thank you for listening. 

Back at the start of 2020, I wrote a blog post predicting this decade was going to be a defining moment for humanity. In it, I made a number of calls to action for how Canadian politics could address the plight of animals. Five years later, I am revisiting that article to see how it aged, and talk a little about what's to come. Thank you for listening. 

Can zoos and aquariums meet the needs of the animals they hold captive? Are dogs and cats gateway animals to exotic species collecting? How has captivity evolved in the age of social media and the internet? What laws do we have to protect animals in captivity?

On this episode of Animocracy, I speak with biologist, author, and advocate Rob Laidlaw, of Zoocheck, who has been fighting animal captivity, and more, for over 45 years. 

Thank you for listening.

The Canada Goose, an iconic bird in an indifferent human world. On this episode of Animocracy, I take a few minutes to talk about a captivating short documentary by Canadian filmmaker Karsten Wall called, Modern Goose.  It's a short listen, but I truly wanted to encourage as many people as possible to go and watch the 22min film. Not a second is wasted and while it may not change your life, it will give you a greater appreciation for this iconic species. Thank you for listening.

You can watch the film free on the National Film Board Website here.

How are ag-gag laws justified when animal cruelty is systemic in Canada's food systems? Is the rhetoric used by politicians to pass ag-gag laws a matter of an urban/rural divide? Does seeing more animal suffering in a world full of violent media really change anything for the animals? 

On part 2 of this special two-part episode of Animocracy, I continue the deep dive with Dr. Anelyse Weiler and PhD candidate Tayler Zavitz about their recently published article entitled, Nothing to Hide: How Governments Justify the Adoption of Ag-gag Laws. I had so many questions after reading the article and we were having such a fun time exploring this topic that the interview went longer than expected.

Be sure to listen to Episode 5, Part 1 first, if you haven't already, to hear the entire conversation. Thank you for listening.