Talking Animals

Brigid Wasson—the president of Mission Reunite, a nonprofit organization that aims to assist pet owners whose animals are missing—describes her personal and professional involvement with animals, including growing up with cats (but not dogs), and her two stints working at Northern California shelters, the first, in San Mateo, starting as a teenager, the other, years later, in Santa Clara.

Wasson describes joining Mission Reunite in 2014, the organization’s rationale upon its founding in 2004 and how its mission evolved, and the importance of shelters learning techniques for identifying and returning missing pets, given the high proportion of animals who end up in shelters are strays and other lost pets.  She outlines the most common reasons pets go missing, first addressing dogs, whose reasons and circumstances tend to be quite different from those of cats, when they go missing. Wasson spends a hunk of time discussing the important components to include in any sort of Pet Missing flyer or poster, including simple language, a photograph of the missing animal, and key details, including contact information. She notes some of the traits of missing cats that are generally unique to them, including that indoor cats are often still in the house, just hidden, whereas cats that spend part of their time outdoors are often very close by (in contrast to how far away missing dogs usually roam). Wasson also provides some tips for pet owners in helping prevent their pets from going missing. (https://missionreunite.org, https://www.facebook.com/missionreunite/)

COMEDY CORNER: Richard Jeni’s “Fred Robster”  (https://www.richardjeni.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Neko Case’s “Last Lion of Albion,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  The Everly’s Brothers’ “Bird Dog”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/TAAug1-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Barbara Trask Lovett—the president of Save Nosey Now! (SNN), an organization that helped a high-profile, long-suffering circus elephant (Nosey) win freedom from the neglectful, exploitative treatment of her owner…and seeks to educate the public about the plight of captive elephants, and pursue elephant-related litigation, legislation, protests, and other measures designed to improve their lives—recounts a childhood replete with animals, including on a family farm in Maine. In adulthood, she explains, she lived with and loved pets, but didn’t step into animal activism until decades later, after working, and raising children, and starting to have grandchildren. At that point, she began volunteering for Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, working on behalf of dolphins, orcas, and other sea life, eventually forging a friendship with Captain Paul Watson, Sea Shepherd’s swashbuckling founder and leader. In 2010, Trask Lovett explains, she heard about Nosey from a friend, and pretty quickly decided to help this African elephant living a solitary existence in Florida, but often on the road as circus performer and/or giving rides at assorted events, at the behest of her owners, Hugo and Francizka Liebel. SNN began as a Facebook page, communicating updates about the titular elephants, and actions that group members planned to undertake, notably seeking to persuade the USDA that the Liebel’s mistreatment and medical neglect of the pachyderm should cause them to forgo ownership. The USDA took no action, but late last year, she notes, Nosey was seized by the animal control department of Lawrence County, Alabama, and transported to The Elephant Sanctuary in Tennessee, where she remains, while legal issues and custody are resolved. Trask Lovett identifies Asha, an African elephant living alone at the Natural Bridge Zoo in Virginia, as SNN’s current focus, and discusses relevant state and federal pending legislation–and acknowledges Anna Louise, an elephant who also lived alone for about 30 years, toured in all kinds of circuses, and had died the day before the interview, strikingly young.     (https://savenoseynow.org, https://www.facebook.com/groups/www.savenoseynow.org/, https://www.facebook.com/savenoseynow/)

 

ALSO: I spoke with Karen Ryals, chief development officer for the Humane Society of Tampa Bay, about the organization’s fundraising campaign to build a large new facility, launched by a major gift from the DeBartolo Family. She describes some of the attributes of the new building, including that it’ll be 42,000 square feet, air conditioned throughout, and is expected to help HSTB place upwards of 2000 more animals annually in forever homes. They need to raise the final $2 million, and there are multiple ways to do so. Info: https://humanesocietytampa.org/shelter-them/

COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Flipper & Gentle Ben” (excerpt) (http://brianregan.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  King Crimson’s “Elephant Talk”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TAJuly25-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Samantha Szesciorka—a Reno-based former U.S. Army journalist whose passion for horses, particularly mustangs, is manifested in some distinctive ways—recalls that she was indeed one of those little girls who loved horses, but didn’t really have access to them until she was a teenager. She also participated in equestrian competitions in college. Szesciorka describes her four-year stint in the Army, including a one-year tour of duty in Iraq, and another tour in South Korea—much of the time, she was a military journalist, producing video or working in radio and television. When she finished her service, she moved to Reno, having received a job offer there from a television station, and worked for many years as a TV news producer. Influenced by The Long Riders Guild, Szezciorka explains how she created the Nevada Discovery Ride, extended solo treks she takes with her adopted mustang, Sage (and dog, Bella), for a variety of reasons, not least to encourage wild horse adoption—noting the challenges and rigors of these Rides, the first covering nearly 500 miles, the next extending across 1100-plus miles. She also addresses the Bureau of Land Management and some of the issues that swirl around the BLM’s Wild Horse And Burro Program in Nevada, including the conflicts with ranchers whose cattle grazes across the public land, explaining that wild horses that are rounded up and placed in holding facilities where they stay permanently—unless they’re adopted. Szesciorka talks about the impetus for launching, in March, Sagebrush Rider Magazine, her monthly online publication presenting equestrian news, stories, and essays, chiefly from and about Nevada, although her subscriber base is much wider than that. (https://www.nevadadiscoveryride.com)

ALSO: I spoke with Judy Braham, who upon hearing that the Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office K-9 officers (yes, the dogs) needed five new bulletproof vests—initially thinking they’d cost around $200, only to find out the price tag is $1700–launched a fundraising effort on GoFundMe.  Four days later, the campaign had raised enough for the five vests. She also described the special qualities of the new vests.

COMEDY CORNER: Jerry Seinfeld’s “Horses” (part one) (http://jerryseinfeld.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TAJuly18-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Matt & Phil Letten—siblings known as The Vegan Bros, and co-authors of “VODKA IS VEGAN: A Manifesto for Better Living and Not Being An Ahole”—recall their formative years, growing up “on the wrong side of the tracks” in Michigan, noting their family was far from vegan.  As one measure of this, Phil recalls the period during which, after going out to dinner—even at wonderful, interesting restaurants, even while on vacation in Puerto Rico, he insisted on eating afterwards at McDonald’s. Indeed, fast food constitutes something of a running theme in the Vegan Bros’ pre-vegan era: Matt recounts his freshman year of college, during which, he says, it was not uncommon to have three or four fast food meals in a given day, sometimes capped off by a “Slurpee from 7-11.”  Matt explains why he thinks he was inclined to eat that way back then, noting he grew up battling obesity, and how—deciding to make a change—asked an athlete friend for some guidance in the then-foreign territory of working out at a gym…overlapping his initial steps in embracing a vegan diet. Phil addresses his path from shy, socially awkward kid to college grad vegan who spent his days talking with people about factory farming and handing out leaflets  (initially, on the Warped Tour), while working for Vegan Outreach. Matt observes that in these earliest days, Phil was a sanctimonious, preachy vegan—exactly the sort of “Ahole” Matt found off-putting, and they both now caution against in their book. They summarize some of the incremental steps people might take toward veganism that are detailed in “VODKA IS VEGAN.” (http://veganbros.com)

ALSO: I spoke with Marilyn Weaver, executive director of the Florida chapter of the League of Humane Voters, about the effort afoot to persuade Florida’s Gov. Scott to re-assign the case of Dewey Brewton, the Ocala teacher who drowned two raccoons and an opossum, in front of a group of his students—to a different state attorney, since the initial state attorney refused to file charges against the teacher. Weaver explained the case, urging people to call Gov. Scott’s office—850-717-9337 or 850-488-7146—and politely ask him to re-assign the case. (http://lohv-fl.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Julio Torres’ “I Am Vegan” (http://spaceprincejulio.tumblr.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE:  We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/07/TAJuly11-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice and Dr. Christopher M. Buddle—a North Carolina writer who holds a PhD in entomology and the author of “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Ants” series, and an arachnologist who’s dean of students and associate professor in the Department of Natural Resource Science at McGill University, respectively—explain how a tweet from Buddle to Spicer Rice set in motion the collaboration that yielded the book they co-wrote, “Dr. Eleanor’s Book of Common Spiders.” Buddle responds to a question about whether Spicer Rice’s previous books constitute a “brand,” noting that her books do promise accessible, appealing descriptions of species. He also addresses the spectrum of folks ranging from those who feel a bit squeamish about spiders to those experiencing all-out arachnaphobia, and the array of causal factors for those reactions. Spicer Rose notes that, even though she got a Master’s degree and PhD in entomology—and thought nothing of allowing ants to roam in her hair–she herself had contended a fear of spiders…until working on this book. Buddle and Spicer Rice fielded numerous calls from listeners with all kinds of spider questions and questions, including about recluse spiders (Spicer Rice announced that anyone unsure about the identity of one can tweet a photo to @recluseornot and an entologist will respond, part of a project collecting information about recluse spiders), tarantulas, ceiling spiders, black widows (including some notable myth busting), fishing spiders, and others. [photo credits: Raymond Goodman, Yannick Michaud, Matt Bertone, Joe Lapp]

COMEDY CORNER: To provide additional time for our spider conversation, we decided to forgo the comedy piece today.

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Who’s “Boris The Spider”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TAJune27-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Ashley Bell—the actress perhaps best known for her acclaimed work in such top horror films as “The Last Exorcism” and “Psychopath”—discusses the elements and interests that led her to directing “Love & Bananas: An Elephant Story,” a documentary chronicling the rescue in Thailand of a 70-year-old partially blind Asian elephant, and the ensuing 480-mile trek to a sanctuary and new life. Bell explains that while she wasn’t particularly an elephant fan before embarking on this adventure, but has been a longtime animal rights activist. She recalls making the journey to Thailand and meeting Lek Chailert, a highly revered Asian elephant conservationist—Time Magazine once named her a Hero of Asia—who told Bell if she could work out the details, she could accompany her on a rescue…and film it. After working out some details, and a few false starts (when elephants Chailert had intended to rescue became unavailable, sent to a trekking company or some other kind of “work”), Bell and a three-man crew filmed the nearly 500-mile trip made by the elephant, Noi Na. She reiterates some important information provided in “Love & Bananas,” such as the plight of Asian elephants generally and the corresponding drop in their population, compared with African elephants: she said there are 415,000 African left in the world, while there are only 40,000 Asians, a third of which are in captivity. Bell also briefly discusses The Crush Box, the means by which all Asian elephants who “work”—in circuses, elephant rides, trekking, logging, etc.—are broken, a horrific process whereby baby elephants’ bond with their mother is shattered and replaced by fear of man. She also details some of what makes Chailert so skilled and magical with all the elephants she cares for, and what sorts of things she learned from her. Florida Voices For Animals has organized a free screening of the film June 30 at Jimmie B Keel Regional Library. (http://loveandbananas.com)

ALSO: I spoke with Tara Loller, senior director of strategic campaigns and special projects at The Humane Society of The United States (HSUS), about a mammoth spay/neuter effort undertaken in Puerto Rico earlier this month by HSUS and 22 other organizations. In seven days, this effort—dubbed the Spayathon—resulted in 5608 dogs and cats being spayed or neutered. Loller outlined how the preparations were made, surgical teams assembled, and how the process was carried out. She also noted there will be three more Spayathons: Nov. 1-10, Feb. 1-10, and May 1-10. (http://www.humanesociety.org/news/press_releases/2018/06/spayathon-for-puerto-rico-6121.html)

COMEDY CORNER: Jeff Wayne’s “The Wolf, The Bear And The Alligator” (https://www.jeffbigdaddywayne.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TAJune20.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

On this program, we marked the 15th anniversary of “Talking Animals”—almost to the day! I launched the show on June 16, 2003 at KUCI, the campus-community radio station at the University of California at Irvine. At the tail end of 2005, “Talking Animals” found a home at WMNF, not long after my family and I moved our home to Florida. I thought it might be both fitting and fun to invite guests that were featured in those very earliest years: singer-songwriter-activist Nellie McKay, who’s appeared a half dozen more times over the years…and Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, whom I adore, and I suspected would keep the proceedings from becoming too self-congratulatory. (On that score, as you’ll soon hear, Triumph did not disappoint.) McKay discusses the impetus for making “Sister Orchid,” her new collection of standards and ballads, and how—as someone who has traversed wide artistic ground, including starring on Broadway, writing musical biographies, penning a book review for The New York Times, and so on—how she settles on what the next project will be. McKay addresses her adopted pit, Bessie (now 10) and other animals—like feral cats—that she looks after, suggesting how there should as much effort put into a national veterinary insurance program as devising a single payer plan. From there, she opines on how the political system is so inherently compromised by big, tainted money, and the warmongering leanings of The New York Times and MSNBC. McKay also touches on her longstanding advocacy against horse drawn carriages in New York City (“horses don’t belong in traffic; it’s as simple as that”), and the virtues of spending time in her beloved Poconos. (http://www.nelliemckay.com) [Top Photo: Shervin Lainez]

ALSO: I spoke with Triumph The Insult Comic Dog, who initially mocked me, my listeners, and especially the Florida listeners. He also addressed Trump’s then-impending talks in Singapore with Kim Jong-Un, including the bit part played by Dennis Rodman, Trump’s performance at the G7 Summit. Triumph also weighs in on all the scandals plaguing the Trump Administration, and the Mueller investigation, will lead to Trump being impeached—and his thoughts on Pence. There’s a little bit on Triple Crown Winner Justify (and his stud fees), and more deriding me and the 15th anniversary of “Talking Animals.” (http://teamcoco.com/content/triumph-the-insult-comic-dog)

COMEDY CORNER: Nate Bargatze’s “How To Get Bitten By A Snake” (http://www.natebargatze.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Nellie McKay’s “The Dog Song,” Nellie McKay’s version of “The Nearness of You,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Steve Miller’s “Fly Like An Eagle”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/TAJune13-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Kristen Auerbach—Director of Pima Animal Care Center (PACC), and recognized as a prominent, pioneering figure in the animal shelter world, in part through her previous stints at Austin Animal Center (which became the nation’s largest no-kill shelter), and Fairfax County Animal Services—recalls her earliest days in this field, as a humane officer. As the story goes, she became so horrified by the circumstances of an animal being euthanized, she bolted from the building, and the job. Auerbach describes being crazy about animals as a kid, and how it was almost inevitable that she found herself working with animals, and it’s sheltering great gain that, after fleeing from the humane officer job, she circled back to this line of work. Now that Auerbach’s a shelter veteran—and asked what sort of temperament and traits are most important—she replies, half-joking, that it’s essential to have ADD because you have to be hyper focused on 400 things, and be able to pivot deftly. She addresses the importance of an animal shelter’s culture, and how as a new leader, that culture can be re-shaped. She also spends some time discussing fostering—a hallmark of her groundbreaking work—noting the scientific, research-based studies she and others have conducted on the significant, and fast, impact experienced by shelter dogs when they enter a fostering scenario. On a related note, Auerbach explains that Pima Animal Care Center has received a grant to conduct the world’s largest foster program, aiming, she says, to place upwards of 6000 dogs in foster care.(http://webcms.pima.gov/government/pima_animal_care_center/, https://www.facebook.com/PimaAnimalCareCenter/)

ALSO: I spoke with Maria Diekmann, a conservationist whose efforts to save the pangolin—considered the most trafficked animal on the planet, poached more than elephants and rhinos—are at the center of a documentary called “The World’s Most Wanted Animal” that was to air that night on PBS, as the season finale of “Nature.” (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/worlds-wanted-animal/16169/)

 

 

COMEDY CORNER: Hannibal Burress’ “Pigeons Get Murked” (http://hannibalburess.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TAMay23-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Terry Woodford—who has extensive experience as a songwriter, record producer, and recording engineer, having worked in one capacity or another, with such artists as The Commodores, Hank Williams, Jr., and The Temptations—discusses some highlights of his music biz career. Woodford describes beginning to teach some of these and other skills, developing what became the first four-year college curriculum focused on the music industry. As an outgrowth of that foray into academia, Woodford recounts, he was serving as a judge in a contest, and was asked to create music for children. Acknowledging he was reluctant at first—it didn’t fit with his image of himself as a big-time record producer—but once he got over that, he explains, he came up with the idea of recording a human heartbeat, and marrying that to traditional nursery songs. The resulting music, when tested in a hospital ward housing newborns, nurses reported 94% of crying babies were calmed to sleep by the music in less than two minutes, according to Woodford. This idea got applied to dogs, but not officially by Woodford for another 13 years! Initially, families that had the music to use with their infants noticed that the family dogs seemed to be greatly soothed by the lullabies. Woodford would periodically hear from people, enthusing about how the music was affecting various canines, including at shelters, but he was incredulous about these reports, feeling these folks were exaggerating or projecting their own reactions onto their dogs, and so on. Still, he started offering the music, now called “Canine Lullabies,” to shelters and rescue organizations, and one day got a call from someone at a humane society near the Colorado home Woodford was living at the time, requesting some “Canine Lullabies” CDs. Woodford offered to hand deliver them, and once he witnessed his music’s impact, it changed his view on the whole enterprise, and its potential. Since then, he says, 2500 humane societies, shelters, and rescues have begun playing the music at their facilities. We hear a snippet of a “Lullaby,” touch on other animals affected by the music, and briefly discuss still other applications for this music, including humans with Alzheimer’s. (https://caninelullabies.com, https://www.facebook.com/caninelullabies/, http://woodfordworld.startlogic.com, )

ALSO: I spoke with Dina Athanassie, of Animal Coalition of Tampa (ACT), about ACT’s 11th Annual SpayGhetti & No Balls Dinner—one of the year’s biggest fundraisers for the clinic that provides low-cost spay/neuter procedures and other veterinary services—slated for Saturday May 19, at Yungling Brewery in Tampa. It was mentioned that I’m emceeing the event. (http://actampa.org, https://www.facebook.com/events/410173769447873/)

COMEDY CORNER: John Mulaney’s “Horse In A Hospital” (http://www.johnmulaney.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Canine Lullabies’ “London Bridge” (portion), instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TAMay16-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Ted Leo—the singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, front man of Ted Leo and the Pharmacists, and veteran vegan—recounts his path to vegetarianism, in 1988, then after further reading, research, and contemplation, going vegan in 1998. That journey was shaped less by direct experience with animals than many who travel a similar path—he grew up without pets, though when he was 19 and out of the house, his parent got a dog with whom he forged a powerful bond. Having toured for a quarter century, Leo has developed a keen awareness of the prime vegan restaurants in cities across the country, and cites some faves in various parts of Florida. He discusses when, in July of 2017, on the eve of the release of “The Hanged Man”—an album of firsts: first solo record, first one since the relationship with his record company ended, not coincidentally, his first collection underwritten by a crowd funding (Kickstarter) campaign—a major profile ran in Stereogum, documenting a number of challenges and travails Leo had faced. These were highly personal, including that Leo was molested by his childhood piano teacher, that he and his wife experienced a late-term miscarriage, losing their daughter, and, separately, that a life-threatening illness befell his wife. While he fully cooperated with the Stereogum writer and his extensive reporting, Leo addresses how jarring it was when he first saw the piece, while also noting how freeing it was to discuss those things with the reporter, how he learned a lot over the course of the process, and it helped him sort out some of those feelings. He articulates his initial reservation about crowd funding to make “The Hanged Man,” the virtues of that approach he came to see, including the budget that resulted, which exceeded what the monies he’d have had if still in a record deal—enough left over to underwrite additional musicians for the shows he and the Pharmacists will perform in June, to celebrate the 15th anniversary of their critically-acclaimed album, “Hearts of Oak.” He also talks about how he transformed from comedy aficionado to practitioner–David Cross set that transformation in motion, inviting Leo to play on “Tinkle,” a New York comedy show staged weekly in the 2000s, an invitation that’s been repeated countless times since by numerous comics (Cross & Leo re-teamed last month at a performance of The Comedy Resistance, presented at the Moontower Comedy Festival in Austin)—and how much he enjoys cooking when he’s off the road and at home with his wife. (https://www.tedleo.com)

ALSO: I spoke with Lori Letzring, manager at the Hillsborough County Pet Resource Center, where more than 300 cats landed after being seized in recent days from Fur ‘N Feather Farm in Plant City. She described the circumstances that led to the animals being removed, and how until the owner of the rescue legally releases the animals to their care, the Center cannot place any of the cats up for fostering or adoption, or even relocate any of the animals to rescue organizations. Meanwhile, those who want to help are encouraged to select something from this Amazon Wish List. (http://www.hillsboroughcounty.org/en/locations/pet-resource-center, https://www.facebook.com/PRCPets/)

COMEDY CORNER: Chris Porter’s “Vegan Date” (http://chrisporterisfunny.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Ted Leo’s “Can’t Go Back” (snippet; host has awful time management skills), instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We didn’t play Name That Animal Tune today.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/TAMay9-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window