Defender Radio and The Switch

We’re all about raccoons this week, now that spring is on the way – and some horrific news arose out of White Rock, British Columbia.

As the weather warms – albeit a little too slowly for some of us here in Ontario – the behaviour of our wild neighbours will also be changing. Primarily, they’ll be looking for safe places to raise their newborn family members. Raccoons and squirrels seem to like our homes – they are, after all, warm and safe. But the presence of raccoons and squirrels, including their young, can be a hazard for homeowners. Canada’s leading humane wildlife removal expert, Brad Gates, will join us to discuss the ins and outs of home safety with wildlife in the spring.

But it’s not all good news this week. As documented through our blogs and social media, a single raccoon caught in not one, but two leg-hold traps in the quiet city of White Rock, has created an outcry. Frank Goff, the man who first witnessed the suffering animal and brought it to the attention of the media, will join us to discuss what he saw – and what the future holds for wildlife in White Rock.

Working to protect animals isn’t always a clear cut job – and sometimes, it’s things you’d least expect that require a bit of extra attention. This week we’re hearing from two individuals who are working on issues that aren’t as visible as many others.

First we’ll hear from Lucas Solowey, an advocate who works with The Fur-Bearers, who’s helping out coyotes by organizing a demonstration at a conference where a Canada Goose Executive is speaking this week.

Then we’ll turn it over to Gwen Barlee of The Wilderness Committee in British Columbia, who is working to put a true endangered species policy in place in the province that prides itself on eco-tourism.

How do beavers revive watersheds and help combat climate change? Those were the questions poised to experts and advocates at the recent State of the Beaver conference in Oregon.

Hosted by the South Umpqua Rural Community Partnership, the 2015 State of the Beaver Conference brought together a slew of experts – from advocates to flow device experts like Mike Callahan and geography professors to in-the-field ecologists. Included in that lineup was Dr. Heidi Perryman, a friend of The Fur-Bearers and the advocate behind the Worth A Dam podcast and blog at MartinezBeavers.org.

Heidi joined Defender Radio to discuss the pressing issues presented at the conference, the lessons learned and what it all means for the future of beavers in North America and abroad.

March is gearing up to come in like a lion for the Fur-bearers. The ongoing attack on advocacy by the Harper government picked up last week with new claims in the House of Commons, leaked reports from the RCMP and the staggering introduction of bill C-51. But a lion-like March isn’t always bad news – we’re teaming up with a fantastic ethical business for a month-long fundraiser that’s sure to put a smile on your face.

This week we’ll hear from Camille Labchuk, one of Canada’s leading animal rights attorneys, who discusses everything from politics to terrorism laws and how we can each make a difference come election time. Following that, Shana Victor will connect with Defender Radio to talk about how her ethical business will be supporting The Fur-Bearers throughout the month of March – and how you can end up with beautiful jewellery, clothing and accessories while supporting the Fur-Bearers, too.

Making humane choices can be difficult at times – but when you know where to look and what questions to ask, it can be surprisingly easy and satisfying. This week we’re talking with two individuals who have made significant strides in operating humane businesses and have also been stalwart supporters of The Fur-Bearers.

We’ll first hear from Brad Gates, owner of AAA Gates Wildlife Control. As an animal lover and honest businessman, Brad has done wonders for educating the public on humane wildlife removal and is leading the pack at reforming his own industry to be even better for the animals. Following Brad we’ll touch base with Alycia Gemoya-Allen, manager of a LUSH Cosmetics store in Indiana that had the largest success in the Make Fur History campaign last fall.

We regularly speak about the direct implications of actions against wildlife – from full on culls to the trapping and disruption of family units. But there is a lot more happening in our country that’s putting wildlife at risk, and not all of it is visible or obvious. This week we’re exploring the unintended consequences of human activities.

Secondary poisoning is a serious concern – and the Wildlife Rescue Association of British Columbia deals with it regularly. We’ll hear from Janelle _ who sees the consequences of poison used on rodents and how it impacts predatory birds and other animals.

The hot topic in the oil sands right now is the truly frightening tailings ponds and their potential consequences for the ecosystems they’re built in. We’ll be joined by Dale Marshall of Environmental Defence Canada, one of the leading organizations fighting to uncover the truth about these eco-bombs waiting to happen.

The news this year has all been about the cousins of our domestic dogs, wolves and coyotes.

Increased sightings of coyotes throughout areas of Ontario have caused a spike in complaints, heightened fear of predators and even lethal action. Our friends at Coyote Watch Canada, however, have been working non-stop since December to show the media the truth about coyotes and how we can live with them.

Further west, wolves are in the crosshairs in both Alberta and British Columbia as governments scramble to find ways to protect endangered caribou herds in both provinces. Even though science and public opinion is against them, the kills are well under way – and it’s coming down to wolf experts like Paul Paquet to speak out against them.

From the name of a winter pastry to the back of our five cent piece, the beaver is everywhere in Canada. But few people know the true history of beavers – that they were nearly wiped out by trapping; that they play an integral role in our ecosystems; and that they are still trapped every day from coast-to-coast.

So this week we’re exploring the beaver in two very different but important ways.

First we’ll hear from University instructor, naturalist, photographer and author, Michael Runtz, about his new book - Dam Builders: The Natural History of Beavers and Their Ponds.

Then we’ll talk with Dian Murrell of the Alouette Valley Association, whose frustration with the beaver-trapping ways of her municipality led her to working with APFA to find non-lethal solutions to potential conflict.

To start out the new year we’re taking a look at some serious news – Canada’s failing grade for animal welfare and protections.

Late last year, World Animal Protection unveiled their first ever API – or Animal Protection Index – an ingenious way of measuring individual nation’s efforts at protecting animals. Canada received a failing grade – lower than some third world countries – causing a media firestorm. Also late in 2014, the International Fund for Animal Welfare announced that Canada was failing to meet its international obligations under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species. This was incidentally timed with a study from Canadian scientists showing that our country's efforts to protect already at-risk or endangered species are critically failing.

As things started to wind down at the Fur-Bearers office last week, we received a surprising piece of mail.

The letter was addressed to Adrian Nelson, our Director of Communications. He wasn’t sure from whom the letter came, as the return label was only a postal code – H0H0H0. He later said that the letter also smelled faintly of candy canes and gingerbread, but didn’t think much of that.

Signatures that appeared to read S. Claus, M. Claus, R. Deer and F. Jingles were listed.

As a group, we discussed what this letter was. A trick from the trappers? A trap from the tricksters? A ruse by Prime Minister Harper (known universally to be on the naughty list)?

While the discussion went on, Defender Radio host Michael Howie decided to don his old investigative journalist hat and make a few phones calls. What you’'ll hear on this week's episode is the unedited recordings of the evidence collected with a few well-placed phone calls.