Defender Radio and The Switch

This week we’re taking a look at bears, with interviews outlining two different and unfortunate circumstances.

First, Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation joins Defender Radio to update us on the return of the Ontario spring bear hunt, what it means for bears in the province and what every single one of us can do. Following that, we’ll hear from Bev McMullen, a photographer who was both eyewitness and ultimately the avenger of a bear who was beaten to near-death with a rock in Northern Ontario. The bear was later found, unfortunately deceased. But thanks to the photographs Bev was able to snap, a man is now facing charges.

We’ll also be joined by Brad Gates of Gates Wildlife Control to answer one of the most common questions raised during wildlife conflict in the home.

This week, we’re taking a look at a single incident which has captured the eyes of the world: a wolf whose leg was caught and nearly severed by a legal snare in northern Ontario. Paula Tough, a resident in a small town north of Huntsville and bordering Algonquin Park, came across the wolf, who was severely injured and in a snare. While many others passed by and did nothing, Paula refused to give up; she went home and got supplies to free and transport the female wolf and assisted in getting her into the care of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary.

The story first came to light in a local paper. When APFA was contacted by Paula, we posted a blog. That blog has now been read thousands of times and shared around the world.

Paula, a registered nurse and mother, joins us now to share her harrowing tale.

It may be warm and sunny on the west coast, but throughout much of Canada and the United States it’s howling cold – so we’re taking this opportunity to make a bad pun and bring you an episode exploring our relationships with coyotes.

We have interviews with some great experts this week, including Phil Carter of Animal Protection of New Mexico; Lesley Sampson of Coyote Watch Canada; and Professor Sara Waller from the University of Montana. We’ll also be presenting a new segment of wild in the city with Brad Gates of Gates Wildlife Control.

We're also proud to bring you news of our recent trip to Cornwall, Ontario.

At APFA we spend a lot of time behind the scenes, working with municipalities, providing literature to other groups and individuals and being animal advocacy ninjas, in general. Sometimes it feels like our work is a little underwhelming – we don’t have huge victories to celebrate, as the political machines of Canada are slow to move. But every day we do see change – big and small – and it’s time for us to celebrate that. This week we’re speaking with some friends, supporters and partners who have affected real change in the world around them and hope that it will serve as a reminder that every single voice can create change. Joining us this week are Jasmin and Mariann from Our Hen House; Danielle Legg, whose petition convinced Willie Nelson to cancel his SeaWorld show; Jasmine Polsinelli, whose anti fur campaign saw real results; and Sarah, a long-time member whose discovery of fur in the workplace led to a success.

Being fur free can be easy, but it isn't always, if you don't have the right information. This week, Defender Radio is bringing you three industry-experts that play a role in our fur free world. Brandon Forder, VP of Canadian Pet Connection, who thoroughly investigates all toys to ensure they are fur free and meet his personal ethics; Kemp Edwards, owner of Ethical Profiling, who provides ethically-sourced and cruelty-free products to clients, ranging from clothing to office supplies to trade show giveaways; and Leanne Mai-Ly Hilgart, owner of Vaute Couture, whose fur-free fashion line has been a favourite of advocates the world over.

APFA is getting ready for 2014 - we're prepping all kinds of great messaging, fundraising, literature and campaigns. To get you through the next two weeks we're bringing you the best of Defender Radio 2013. Please sit back and enjoy these interviews with Brad Gates of Gates' Wildlife Control, Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Rehab and Sanctuary, and Dr. Carrie Packwood Freeman.

APFA is getting ready to go full strenght in 2014, and we're bringing you some of our favourite interviews from 2013. Please sit back and enjoy these chats with Dr. Aysha Akhtar, Brad Gates of Gates' Wildlife Control and Bif Naked.

This week we’re celebrating the Christmas season with our good friend Brad Gates of AAA Gates’ Wildlife Control, APFA Board President Irene Griswold, Canadian Pet Connection Vice President Brandon Forder and some tips on saying no to furry gifts from some of the retail industry’s leading experts.

Be it the Royal Botanical Gardens in Ontario, provincial parks in Alberta or Oak Bay in British Columbia, people are killing deer. It’s not for sustenance; it’s for an alleged overpopulation. Defender Radio this week is focused on the subject of deer culls and coexistence strategies, with interviews from Liz White of Animal Alliance of Canada, Rick Kubian of Parks Canada and Sara Dubois from the BC SPCA.

Margaret Atwood once said that Canada was built on dead beavers. She couldn’t have been more right. Since the time of first contact, beavers have been persecuted for their fur and out of fear of their ingenious engineering skills. But the tide is changing: municipalities, homeowners and even businesses are recognizing there are better solutions available for preventing beaver conflicts and they’re recognizing the ecological benefits beavers present.

In this week’s episode we speak with our own Adrian Nelson, Director of Communications at APFA, who is our in-house beaver expert and lead on our beaver coexistence program; Dr. Heidi Perryman, the woman behind MartinezBeavers.org; and Mike Callahan, owner of Beaver Solutions in Massachusetts.