Defender Radio and The Switch

One year ago a small budget documentary was premiered at the HotDocs film festival in Toronto. The film followed the journey of a photographer – Jo-Anne McArthur – as she explored the exploitation of animals in modern society.

In the year that passed, The Ghosts in Our Machine has become a staple in the work of advocates everywhere. With harrowing – yet not gruesome - scenes inside factory farms and fur farms, Ghosts is a powerful yet palatable look into a world many try to ignore.

To celebrate this one year landmark and the release of The Ghosts on DVD and the iTunes Store, Jo-Anne McArthur joined Defender Radio for a candid conversation.

On April 12, APFA converged on Calgary, Alberta to host A Celebration of Wildlife. Nearly 100 wildlife lovers joined us at the Hotel Alma at the University of Calgary for this half-day event, which featured experts from across the province.

Included in that list was Predator-Friendly Rancher Louise Liebenberg and the University of Calgary’s Dr. Shelley Alexander.

In this week’s Special Report we’re bringing you highlights from the presentations of these two leaders.

More from the event can be found on the Celebration of Wildlife page, including videos, by clicking here.

This week we’re continuing to look at the subject of humane education with one of the biggest names in the business: Zoe Weil of the Institute for Humane Education.

The co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, Zoe is an award-winning author of six books, educator and speaker. She designed the graduate certificate programs for the Institute of Humane Education and is noted by many as a leader in the field of animal welfare and education.

We recently spoke with Zoe about her work at the Institute of Humane Education, the importance of humane education in today’s world, and how it can improve not just animal welfare, but the quality of life for everyone.

This week’s episode is the first of many to come that will focus on a subject of the utmost importance to us – humane education.

Compassion and respect for animals is something that is taught and learned. The lessons we all have learned on our own journeys to understanding stem from somewhere, be it classrooms, books, movies or even podcasts like this one. In episodes throughout the coming months, we will be taking a look at how humane education can grow, impact our society and why it matters.

To kick off this ongoing theme we’re taking an adventure to the past. The National Museum of Animals and Society opened their doors last year in Los Angeles California. Executive Director and Founder Carolyn Mullin will speak to the history of the museum, its foundations and how it will help create a more humane world.

We’ll also be hearing from Dr. Keri Cronin, a professor of visual arts and art history at Brock University. Dr. Cronin is the curator of an online exhibit at the National Museum of Animals and Society titled Be Kind: A Visual History of Humane Education 1880 to 1945. Dr. Cronin will explain the significance of this exhibit, as well as her own path to discovering the history of humane education.

A hot topic these days is the BC government’s wolf management plan. Or, more particularly, it’s the lack of information about the plan.

This week we’ll hear from two people who have followed this story closely. Up first is Andrew MacLeod, a reporter with online news magazine The Tyee. Andrew filed numerous Freedom of Information Act requests with the BC government to find the facts behind the wolf management plan – and was shut down repeatedly. Then we’ll talk with Sadie Parr, the advocate behind Just Beings, who has numerous projects in British Columbia and western Canada and works towards understanding and coexistence with wolves.

Please remember while you listen to this episode that the government has still not released their plan and many questions remain unanswered.

We’re always trying to discover new ways to spread our message – whether it’s to go fur-free, coexist or simply be more compassionate. This week we’re chatting with two people who are working toward similar goals with different approaches.

We’ll hear from Kim Elmslie, Communications and Advocacy Manager for The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, who will chat with us about their upcoming National Animal Welfare Conference in Toronto.

Then we’ll talk with recording artist Gaiaisi, a supporter who was inspired by one of our campaigns and wrote a song – for which he also created a music video – about the fur industry. Recently it was added to Upworthy and is quickly gaining popularity.

Animal Advocacy Camp is a two-day 'un-conference' that will bring together advocates of all volitions to support, share and learn together on March 22 and 23.

In episode 123, Defender Radio interviews Animal Advocacy Camp host Glenn Gaetz, who explains how he developed the conference, who will be speaking and what guests can expect. We also hear from Sara Dubois of the BC SPCA, who is slated as a speaker at the conference. Sara will explore her new position of Chief Scientific Officer at the BC SPCA and give our audience an idea of what she will be presenting during her time at the conference.

APFA is a proud supporter of Animal Advocacy Camp and encourages all our members to attend if they're available. To learn more about the event, visit animaladvocacycamp.ca.

This week we’re taking a break from wildlife news to bring you information on a disease spreading from coast to coast to coast in our great nation. SLAPP suits.

Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation are plaguing traditional and new media and stand as major threat to freedom of speech and all social movements.

We have two guests who will help us bring awareness about this disturbing legal trend. Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association will discuss the ins and outs of SLAPP suits from a legal point of view and Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense will share his story of facing a multi-million dollar suit and how supporters can help fight back.

We’re going to be focusing on conservation this week, taking a look at two areas that are of regular interest and importance to us and our membership.

First up in our interviews is Rob Laidlaw of Zoocheck Canada, who will take us through a discourse of the role zoos play in species conservation following a report on The Public Library of Science indicating that zoos just aren’t doing their part. Then we’ll be hearing from Heidi Perryman of the Give A Dam website who will be telling us how beavers she helped to protect in Martinez, California nearly a decade ago are now keeping an entire ecosystem thriving while the rest of the state suffers through drought conditions.

This week’ we’re focusing on predators with two internationally-recognized scientists, Dr. John Laundre of Oswego University in New York and Dr. Euan Ritchie of Deakin University in Australia. Between these two professors, the clear case for protecting predators not just at home, but around the world, will be made clear and our listeners will learn what they can do to help.

We'll also update you on our first advertising campaign of 2014.