INTERBEING by AnimalConcepts

Erika Fleury is an author and the Program Director of the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA), and an unofficial primatologist, and loves to talk about primates!

As Program Director Erika works on a lot of different topics, from legislation, addressing primates not being suitable as pets, grant writing, workshops, and the international animal community, from zoos to legislators, students, and members of the public.

Erika shares what makes a true sanctuary, the different animals who live and found a new home, from cows, tigers, to other primates, about the necessary protocols and procedures to maintain sustainable care and welfare of animals in NAPSA sanctuaries.

Erika highlights how some so-called 'sanctuaries' are not engaging in ethical practices such as breeding and selling primates to the public.

Erika talks about how important it is to explore and use your talents, and how this can benefit primates. It is also important to ask questions like: Do you want to move to a rural area, and are you willing to work hard. Check out the NAPSA volunteer and paid positions are available, to learn more about working with primates, and animal welfare and protection.

Erika is the author of the book: Monkey Business: A History Of Nonhuman Primate Rights examines the diverse issues involved with accepting mankind's closest relative into its ever-expanding circle of ethical consideration. Erika talks affectionately and inspirationally about the amazing women who established primate sanctuaries. Erika's second book is coming out soon!

Erika shares the story on Chimpanzees in Need, now appealing to the entire world to secure a sustained future 42 remaining chimpanzees.

Erika highlights the importance of continued collaboration and conversations, we get further by collaborating - focussing on the things that unite us. To make small incremental changes for primates and others now, which can also help us to unite and work together, even if we have different perspectives.

In conclusion, Erika shares a beautiful story on resilience and having faith in the universe. 

Dr. David Shepherdson is a biologist with a long and distinguished career in zoo animal welfare and conservation. David was inspired by Tinbergen, Durrell, and Lorentz, and completed a Ph.D. in ethology, on the European badgers in England.

David got a job at the London Zoo in the late '80 with a renewed interest in animal welfare, ignited by the work and book by the late Hal Markowitz, 'behavioral enrichment at the zoo'. Working on zoo animal welfare, and specifically the psychological and behavioural needs.

David moved to the Oregon Zoo where he had a long career working with many different scientists, care staff, and students, conducting multi-institutional studies, covering topics such as environmental enrichment, stereotypic behaviour, and together with other experts, on the physiology and other measures for different animal welfare assessments. Including studies on space use of elephants, daily walking distances, environmental and social factors, and welfare indicators.

David interacted with the American Zoo Association and the larger zoo world, was part of the establishment of the AZA animal welfare committee, and affecting change for animals globally.

David also mentioned the importance of understanding the history of the topic of animal welfare, where concepts and thinking came from, including work by biologist Heini Hediger and Dr. Terry Maple, and how many ideas, thinking, and concepts that have already been written about, which can be revisited and used today.

David discusses how we have seen a massive paradigm shift in how we think of animal minds, as the idea of animal thinking and minds since the mid-'80s, how it has changed our ideas and treatment of animals.

Conservation work is key, including the work on local species, and species recovery activities, and David shares his work with frogs, turtles, California condor, and many other species, with many of these projects still ongoing. David highlights the necessary web of collaboration with all kinds of organisations and experts, and the unique position of zoos and aquariums reaching a wider audience through social media, education programs, and other educational activities, also known as social marketing. 'Grabbing people by their emotions, and changing their opinions, as the future of the world as we know it depends on it."

Finally, David also highlights the importance of good relationships between caregivers and animals, that care staff is central to questions of animal welfare, and their insights into animal welfare.

David shares a wonderful story about a Golden eagle and we discuss that maybe, maybe, there might be an updated version of Second Nature?

Learn more about the Oregon Zoo
Learn more about the book Second Nature, edited Shepherdson, Mellen, and Hutchins.

In this episode, Jen Feuerstein shares her long experience and knowledge of caring and working for our fellow animals in a wide variety of settings, from sanctuaries, research facilities, to zoos and shelters. Jen is currently the Director of Human Resources at the Humane Society Naples. Formerly Manager of Administration at Project Chimps (2016-2018) and Sanctuary Director at Save the Chimps (2003 – 2015).

Jen has spent a lot of time observing all kinds of primates and other species, looking at the details such as "Is their hair standing on end, what are they looking at?" and learning about their social life, their preferences, and listening to what trying to communicate. Besides her work in the USA, Jen has traveled to Europe and Africa to share through lectures, workshops, and seminars, and highlights the importance of learning from other people, having mentors, asking lots of questions, and hearing lots of different stories, strategies, and experiences.

Listen to this podcast to hear the beautiful stories Jen shares about non-verbal communication with other species, exchanging a screwdriver for an ...., to give other beings a chance by supporting them, and how you know there is a happy chimpanzee nearby!

Short bio:

Jen Feuerstein is a biologist with over 25 years’ experience in the behaviour, care, and socialization of captive non-human primates, particularly chimpanzees. A graduate of Kalamazoo College, Jen has worked with prosimians, monkeys, and great apes in the zoo, laboratory, and sanctuary settings, and was fortunate to be mentored for many years by the late Dr. Carole Noon, founder of Save the Chimps, Inc.

She co-founded the Laboratory Primate Advocacy Group (LPAG) and the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) and has donated her time as an educator for the Pan African Sanctuary Alliance (PASA). In recent years Jen has shifted to administrative roles within the animal protection community and currently serves as Director of Human Resources for Humane Society Naples, a shelter and service organization for companion animals.

Dr. Balcombe about the inner lives of fishes, cognition, and relationship with other animals!

Dr. Jonathan Balcombe describes himself as a synthesizer, someone who pulls together research and practical information to correct or expand our often underestimated views and treatments of animals, including the often invisible, unliked, and unpopular animals.

Jonathan shares his insights and stories about fishes cognition, being a machiavellian, play, human-fishes interaction, social dynamics, behaviour, recognition, memory, and emotions.

For more information on Dr. Jonathan Balcombe please visit his WEBSITE

Short bio: Jonathan Balcombe is a biologist with a PhD in ethology, the study of animal behavior. His books include Pleasurable Kingdom, Second Nature, The Exultant Ark, and What a Fish Knows--a New York Times best-seller now available in fifteen languages. His next book, all about flies, will be published November 2020 by Penguin Books. Jonathan does professional editing for aspiring and established authors, and he has taught a course in animal sentience for the Viridis Graduate Institute. He has given hundreds of public lectures and media appearances about his work. He lives in Belleville, Ontario where in his spare time he enjoys biking, baking, birding, Bach, and trying to understand the neighborhood squirrels. 

Today's episode is with Karen Fifield MNZM, the Chief Executive of Wellington Zoo in New Zealand, who shares the philosophy, experiences and insights of the zoo on animal welfare and care. About what leading zoos and aquariums are doing for animal welfare today.

The importance of social media to bring people with us to understand the work we are doing in zoos, as well as the importance of transparent messages, focusing on the visitor experience, and how we can work together with the staff and the public for animals and conservation.

Karen discussed the opportunities we have regarding animal welfare, as well as potential tensions with other goals such as conservation, education, research, and recreation, and animal welfare being the basis and being fundamental to all other programs. And the importance of continuous improvement, to do the research and ask 'Could we do this better?' To be thinking all the time, to do the best we can, to know that we have it right through continuous research, collaborations with experts university, and others to gain insights and have constructive and in-depth conversations. To work together and to have research and information to back up our animal care programs, including designing new habitats.

Karen shares her views on naming animals, their personality, starting from the basis of love, animal's personal stories, like Sunny the giraffe, how storytelling is key, and how together we can do something to make the planet a better place for animals.

Learn more about the Wellington Zoo, connect with the zoo on Facebook, Twitter, wonderful photos on Instagram, and videos on YouTube!

In this episode Heidi Quine, Bear & Vet Team Director Vietnam Animal Asia, talks about the work of Animals Asia, about bears, rescue, change, more bears, & hope!

How do you go about rescuing a bear, what happens on a farm and why? What is Animals Asia doing and how? Who are the bears at the sanctuaries, and how does the care staff work for them, managing over 200 bears!

Animals Asia's national and international heroes in the veterinary department and bear care specialists are working hand in hand with Government Partners to end the farming of bears in Vietnam.

Heidi shares a beautiful story of her favourite bear, Tuan, and how they rescued him from a farm, and to see him now in the sanctuary, it is everything that is right in the world, and his best friend Valerie.

Heidi also shares a beautiful story about James, and how she connected with him inspired by the work of the late Else Poulsen, asking "What are you trying to tell me bear? What do you need me to know?"

And then there are the cute sun bears! Let's not forget about Sassy and Layla, and their connection, about "how bears rescue us and each other"!

Happy people = Happy bears

With a heart full of hope Heidi shares the work of Animals, the groundswell of change coming, and action you can take!

Listen in and get a dose of Bearapy!

To find out more about the work from Animals Asia please visit:

Animals Asia Website
Animals Asia Facebook
Animals Asia Twitter
Animals Asia YouTube

In this episode, Dr. Heather Hill, Professor of Psychology, St. Mary's University, shares her research, experiences, pipe dreams, and stories about belugas, dolphins, and killer whales, including very exciting collaborative work on a stranded beluga calf. 

Heather has done welfare-related research on topics such as play, baby animals, mother-calf behaviour and development, including developmental aspects. Heather's research interests also include cognition, problem-solving, communication systems, and group formations. To understand what are animals doing in the wild, and how can we give them the best experience in human care, also using the information from the wild to shape care programs. 

Heather has worked with SeaWorld, and with many other facilities, on observational, cognition, and developmental studies among her many interests. 

Heather shares stories and work of her friend, mentor, colleague, and inspiration, the late Dr. Stan Kuczaj.

This podcast was recorded on National Dolphin Day, 14 April 2020.

The first podcast of AnimalConcepts is a special podcast. It is dedicated to our friend and colleague, the late Graham Law. This podcast is a conversation between AnimalConcepts & PAWS Director Sabrina Brando and Mark Kingston Jones, Co-Founder of Team Building with Bite, remembering the work, travel, and downtime with the kind, witty, always up for a joke and drink, and to animals committed Scotsman, of which he was very proud. 

Graham Law was Graham, and he was a husband, father, friend, and colleague. He was a visionary, an inspirator, joker, deep thinker, a poker & pusher to explore and be the best we can be, he was and is a legend.

Graham's thinking and ideas have brought so many changes in the animal care and welfare field, for bears, cats, birds, fishes, and others. Enrichment ideas such as the wobble tree, the pitfall feeder, the 'bear' basket, the swing pole feeder, and the feeding pole, are all among the many contributions he made. 

Did you meet Graham, did he inspire you? 
Do you use his ideas in animal care? 
Share your experiences and memories with us in this tribute and celebration of his life.