Talking Animals

Stephen Wells—the executive director of the Animal Legal Defense Fund ALDF)—traces his intriguing, sometimes colorful, career path before joining ALDF, particularly his years in Alaska, where, among other developments, he formalized his commitment to becoming a professional animal advocate. (His early time in Alaska included participating in the clean up of the Exxon Valdez oil spill, and living for a period in a cabin with no running water or electricity.) Wells outlines some key aspects of ALDF’s mission and operation, including the distinct niche it occupies among national animal welfare organizations. Wells addresses some of ALDF’s recent efforts—and victories—including help pass the California Orca Protection Act, which prohibits the breeding of captive orca in that state. (ALDF is introducing a comparable bill in Florida.) Extending the orca theme a bit, Wells addresses ALDF’s concerted efforts—joined by other organizations, including PETA–to achieve the release of Lolita, the orca who has lived by herself in a singularly small tank at Miami Seaquarium. He also talks briefly about the “Careers In Animal Law” panel he was due to appear on locally at Stetson University College of Law, and fields some listener calls. (http://aldf.org)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Don Goldstein, of Greyhound Rescue Adoptions of Tampa Bay (GREAT), who over the years has become “Talking Animals”’s greyhound legislation expert. Goldstein described two new pieces of pending Florida legislation—HB 743 (and Senate companion bill, SB 512), that carry important implications for greyhounds, and those who care about them. (www.great-greyhound.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Eddie Izzard “Talk To The Animals” (www.eddieizzard.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We did not play Name That Animal Tune today

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Kristie Middleton—the Senior Director of Food Policy for the Humane Society of the United States (HSUS), and author of the new book “Meatless: Transform the Way You Eat and Live—One Meal at a Time”–discusses her job at HSUS, and what the duties entail. Middleton, who’s done animal rights/welfare work for many years, and earlier in her career was employed by PETA, assesses the evolution of sensibility and messaging that characterize these larger organizations in addressing and promoting plant-based diets. Responding to my observation about the large number of books (and films) in recent years espousing the virtues of adopting a plant-based diet, Middleton outlines some of her reasons for writing “MeatLess,” and ways she hoped to carve out a new niche amidst this literary canon. Noting that—as a 20-year vegan–that she herself made a very slow transition to a plant-based diet, Middleton articulates why it’s so significant in her book and elsewhere to project a kind, flexible, nonjudgmental, and encouraging tone for those people making similar changes, in whatever scope and pace they choose. She provides capsule summaries of some “MeatLess” profiles of individuals who made such changes, including those who oversaw university dining facilities. (One was Ken Botts, who created the nation’s first vegan dining hall.) Middleton speaks about some of the 60-plus recipes for plant-based dishes that she includes in the book.

COMEDY CORNER: Joe Zimmerman’s “Crows” (excerpt) (http://www.zimmermancomedy.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” The Beatles’ “Hey Bulldog,” Jethro Tull’s version of “Serenade To A Cuckoo,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Sweet’s “Fox On The Run”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TAMARCH22-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Keegan Kuhn—half of the filmmaking duo behind the award-winning documentary, “Cowspiracy: The Sustainability Secret,” and whose new film is “What the Health”—discusses the impact and acclaim generated by “Cowspiracy,” and how, rather than feeling intimidated by the success in approaching the next project, he and partner Kip Andersen largely viewed this new movie as an important extension of the previous one. In response to my marveling that the twosome has completed two feature-length documentaries within three years, Kuhn describes the way they work, which involves extremely long days, extremely long weeks, and those two wearing nearly all the filmmaking hats. He addresses what seemed to be a pivotal scene in “What the Health”: An onscreen interview Andersen conducts with Dr. Robert Ratner, the chief scientific and medical officer of the American Diabetes Association (ADA), which Ratner abruptly ends when Andersen raises peer-reviewed studies demonstrating that a plant-based diet can prevent Type II diabetes. Noting Ratner’s emotional reaction suggested to the duo that there was something more profound to unearth at the ADA, and perhaps comparable organizations. On a related note, Kuhn speaks to what I called the “two-tiered collusion” he and Andersen discover that exists between the ADA, the American Heart Association and comparable entities—receiving sponsorship monies from major food and fast food corporations whose products are known to cause those illnesses, and receive funding from pharmaceutical behemoths like Merck, Pfizer, Eli Lilly. He expands on how the March 16-20 online viewing of “What the Health” works (partially benefitting Food Not Bombs), fields calls from listeners, and shares what he and Andersen envision as the ideal outcome of the film. (www.whatthehealthfilm.com)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with journalist Arin Greenwood—formerly the Animal Welfare Editor at The Huffington Post, now a contributor to The Washington Post Animalia blog, The Today Show website, and The Dodo—who ran down the recently-available 2016 statistics for the animal shelter PETA operates, and what they may suggest about the organization’s overall philosophy on companion animals. If you weren’t conversant with the shelter aspect of PETA’s operation, these figures would’ve been eye opening and, either way, they were grim, yielding a dog/cat combined kill rate of 71%. Greenwood noted that in Virginia, where PETA’s shelter is located, the state save rate is 83%.

COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “I’m A Manatee” (excerpt) (www.jimgaffigan.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Adam & The Ants’ “Ant Music”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TAMarch15-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Moshow—the Portland, Oregon-based artist and online phenomenon who specializes in rapping about cats—recounts starting to rap at 16, but stopped because, although he grew up in the projects of Baltimore, felt his raps (heavily influenced by gangsta rap) were inauthentic and didn’t feel right. Not coincidentally, perhaps, he notes that he’s a lifelong fan of James Taylor, citing “Shower The People” as his favorite song. Moshow explains that he had an animal-free childhood, but in college, his girlfriend had a black cat named Queenie and a mutual admiration society quickly developed—and launched Moshow on the path of his joyous passion for cats, and his raps and videos that reflect this joyous passion. This passion, he says, quickly extended to Sphynx cats, striking-looking felines chiefly distinguished by their lack of a coat—he’s drawn to them, he observes, feeling like a similarly hairless outcast (“I’m a human Sphynx.”) He recalls that starting to rap about cats, probably six or seven years ago, was more of a spontaneous gesture than a calculated move, and was doing so—including the videos that came later—under the radar…until about a year ago. That’s when the Moshow videos truly started getting noticed, and many of them have gone viral—perhaps most famously, in recent months, “Cat Bath Rap,” in which he’s rapping in the bath tub while giving his cat Ravioli a bath. He also discusses the video he made for the Oregon Humane Society, promoting adoption of cats, and significant results that the video generated, as well as other upcoming appearances and performances. (www.facebook.com/iammoshow/ www.instagram.com/iammoshow/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Matt Burke, singer-songwriter of the acclaimed band Have Gun, Will Travel, about their new music video for their song “Good Old Shakespeare” (from the concept album, “Science from an Easy Chair”), which features photos and short videos of dogs submitted by their fans and friends. With HGWT having just stepped into the recording studio, Burke also talks a but about the distinctly different approach the band is employing on the follow-up to “Science,” starting with it not being a concept album. (http://hgwtmusic.com)

COMEDY CORNER: Bill Burr’s “Dog Trainer” (http://billburr.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Henry Mancini’s “The Pink Panther Theme”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TAMarch8-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Alison Eastwood —the actress, director and animal advocate whose Eastwood Ranch Foundation recently launched FosterFurkids.com, a website that connects rescue groups and animal shelters with a nationwide network of pet fosters and transporters—discusses a childhood growing up amidst an array of animals. But not so much the conventional critters, like dogs and cats—which her Dad is allergic to, among other animals: Turns out Clint Eastwood is allergic to horses! Eastwood also recounts her stint on “Animal Intervention,” the 2012 Nat Geo Wild series she helped create and co-hosted, noting some of the encounters she had with people who owned wild and exotic animals, the mixed results in urging them to relinquish the animals to sanctuaries and other more appropriate facilities. While explaining that the “Animal Intervention” experience was difficult in many respects, one significant virtue is that it spurred her to create Eastwood Ranch Foundation, her Southern California-based animal welfare and rescue organization. Eastwood says that organization’s work, particularly its efforts in adopting out or finding fosters for animals in overcrowded and high-kill shelters has, in turn, prompted her to start FosterFurkids.com, the multiple purposes of which she describes in some detail. (www.eastwoodranch.org, https://fosterfurkids.com/home)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Nash McCutchen, of the Humane Society of Tampa Bay (HSTB), about their Bullies and Browns program, in which—thanks to a grant HSTB received from PetSmart Charities—the organization is able to spay/neuter and vaccinate a total of 600 bully breeds, bully breed mixes, and brown dogs for $10 per dog. Appointments are required, and can be made by calling 813-870-3304 or emailing [email protected]. (http://humanesocietytampa.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Nick Turner’s “Rescue Dogs” (www.nickturner.website)

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

 NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: George Harrison’s “Dark Horse”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/TAMarch1-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Robert Grillo —an activist and writer who is the founder of Free from Harm, and just published his first book, “Farm to Fable: The Fictions of Our Animal-Consuming Culture”—recounts how his work in advertising, particularly handling food accounts (like working on McDonald’s Happy Meal boxes), along with the experience of adopting three baby chicks, provided the impetus for launching Free from Harm. A nonprofit organization formed in 2009, Free from Harm’s mission is to promote farmed animal rescue, education and advocacy—with a major element of the operation being its website, which is a dense, sprawling forum, rich with articles, posts and other resources. “Farm to Fable” is an ambitious undertaking—an interdisciplinary philosophical treatise, examining how pop culture employs a host of “fictions” to make us, as a society feel OK about eating animals…Grillo discusses some of those fictions, and how they function to influence us. He also addresses “humane washing,” a counterpart to green washing, and one of the books important concepts. (This leads to an exchange about Temple Grandin, whom Grillo cites as a pivotal figure in the section on humane washing, and I have some countering viewpoints.) Grillo speaks to the sort of outcomes he’s seeking with the book. (http://freefromharm.org)

Taking time out for paw-ternity leave!

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Sarah Warman, from Brew Dog, the rising Scotland-based brewery that recently announced they’re giving their 1000 employees worldwide a week’s paid leave when they adopt a dog–“paternity leave.” Brew Dog also just opened its first U.S. operation, near Columbus, Ohio. (www.brewdog.com/usa/)

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

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Elton John’s “Honky Cat”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/TAFeb22-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Tim Caro —a professor at UC Davis and wildlife biologist whose new book is “Zebra Stripes”—traces some of the arc of his academic career, including how he became interested in researching animal coloration. Caro goes on to explain how this focus led to examining, as thoroughly documented in his new book, the purpose of zebra stripes (a debate that extends back to at least the era of Charles Darwin), noting that nearly 20 hypotheses were considered—and tested. He addresses one hypothesis that is commonly advanced to explain zebra stripes—that they’re there to confuse or neutralize predators, like lions and hyenas. Caro notes why he ruled that one out, while describing other efforts—including he and his colleagues building models of zebras (and other animals) and Caro himself donning a zebra suit—to test other hypotheses. Spoiler alert: The black and white stripes seem to serve as a significant deterrent for biting flies, though it’s still not entirely clear why. Caro mentions that he and his son are collaborating on a children’s book about zebras and their stripes, as well as his next research—about to be unveiled—deals with the coloration of another black and white animal: the giant panda. (http://wfcb.ucdavis.edu/people/faculty/caro-tim/caro-lab/)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Terry Pivinsky, an artist whose work is exhibited in a solo art show, “Animals We Love,” through Feb. 18, at Complete Sweet Shoppe in Pinellas Park.   (www.facebook.com/terry.pivinsky, www.facebook.com/completesweetshop/ )

 

COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Whale Noises” (http://brianregan.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Aimee Mann’s “Goose Snow Cone,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Loudon Wainwright’s “Animal Song”

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Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/TAFeb1-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

For today’s edition of Talking Animals, I jettisoned the usual format and convened a panel discussion about the end of the Ringling Bros. circus. I was inspired to present the panel because I was struck by the array of reactions in the wake of the announcement by Feld Entertainment that it was shutting down the circus in May. As you might expect, longtime activists were thrilled by the news, but there were also great expressions of ambivalence, sadness, disappointment, nostalgia, and so on. And central questions hovered: What will become of the animals? What will become of the nearly 400 Ringling employees who will find themselves out of come work come May? There are other issues and concerns, and with the panelists I invited, I sought to represent at least some of the many perspectives I’d seen surface on social media and elsewhere. They were, in alphabetical order:

Dr. Janet Davis: a professor at the University of Texas in Austin and historian, who’s done extensive research and writing about circuses (one of her books is The Circus Age: Culture And Society Under The American Big Top), and was in a position to offer a scholarly view of how the significant demise of Ringling can be placed within the history and evolution of circuses

Arin Greenwood: A non-practicing lawyer, former animal welfare editor at The Huffington Post and journalist who’s contributed to The Washington Post’s Animalia blog, The Dodo–and on social media had articulated a decidedly ambivalent, nuanced view of the Ringling news.

 

Stephen Payne: is the Vice-President of Corporate Communications at Feld Entertainment, and in that capacity, he’s served as the longtime spokesman for the Ringling Bros. circus.

 

 

Adam Sugalski: the executive director of OneProtest, the Florida-based advocacy organization known for its successful effort to help halt the Florida bear hunt, has long protested the Ringling circus—he did so days prior to the panel discussion, in Jacksonville, FL–and is thrilled about the news that the Ringling circus is ending.

 

We covered a great deal of ground, addressing topics ranging from the uncertainty over where the current Ringling animals will wind up, to the virtues and limitations of the Cirque de Soleil model, to the breeding and cancer research taking place at the 200-acre Center For Elephant Conservation in Polk City, Florida.

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/TAJan25-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon—the husband-wife team who wrote the screenplay for A Dog’s Purpose, a film starring Dennis Quaid, based on Cameron’s bestselling novel of the same name—discuss how the book has yet again become a New York Times bestseller (this time, recently reaching #1 on both the Paperback Trade Fiction and Mass-Market Fiction lists). A Dog’s Purpose, the book and the film, tells the story of a dog who’s reincarnated through several lives, and how he’s seeking to sort out his purpose through each of those lives. The couple recall how a pivotal moment while they were dating—Michon had explained that she was so crushed by the loss of her dog, Ellie, that she couldn’t envision ever getting another dog, while lifelong canine lover couldn’t envision life without a dog—led Cameron to spin the Purpose yarn while he and Michon were on a drive, with his own purpose to erode her resistance to resuming dog ownership by suggesting dogs we lose may be reincarnated into dogs we meet later in our lives. It worked! They now share their lives with an ultra-cute dog named Tucker. And the tale from that drive went on to become the core saga of the book, and then of the film—and they addressed the differences of writing the screenplay, given that so much of the breadth and depth of the book necessarily must be jettisoned. They also spoke to the movie studio’s sweeping promotional support of A Dog’s Purpose, the dogs appearing in the movie (the TMZ clip was posted a few hours after this interview, so we did not discuss it, but Cameron, director Lasse Hallstrom, producer Gavin Pallone and the studio have all released statements about the situation), Josh Gad’s work as the voice of the dogs’ soul, how they approached collaborating on this project, and more. (www.adogspurposemovie.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Alana Rogers, of Pig Advocates League (PAL), who provided an update on the so-called “Polk Pigs”—the 100-plus pigs that were seized in August from a Polk City facility, where the proprietors were charged with 138 counts of animal neglect and three counts of felony animal abuse. Most have found homes, but 30 still need homes, and meanwhile, remain temporarily housed at Rooterville, a sanctuary in Melrose, FL. (www.pigadvocates.com, https://rooterville.org/ )

COMEDY CORNER: Matt Braunger’s “Panda Butler” (www.mattbraunger.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The TV Theme Players’ “The Green Hornet Theme” (aka “Flight Of The Bumblebee”)

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/TAJan18-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Paul Solotaroff—Rolling Stone contributing editor who wrote a wide-ranging, high-profile exposé about the netherworld of puppy mills in the then-new issue of the magazine—discusses how he came to write the piece, sort of goaded into it by Humane Society of The United States CEO Wayne Pacelle, after Solotaroff completed another Rolling Stone investigative opus about factory farming. Solotaroff recounts the birth and development of puppy mills, chiefly outgrowths of family farms that evolved into dog-breeding operations. When asked, in reporting the puppy mills story, to what extent he anticipated just how dark and depraved a universe he was descending into, Solotaroff allows that he was steeped in horrors—of both the animal and human variety—from working on the factory farming piece, but was still struck by the cruelty visited on these canines consigned to the puppy mill biz. He addresses how these operations flourish because laws in the states where the operations are based tend to be weak, toothless or nonexistent—and even where there are stronger laws in place, there’s still the other major factor in allowing puppy mills to churn out dogs unchecked: Far too few USDA inspectors to monitor them, much less enforce the Animal Welfare Act, or any statewide statute. Solotaroff speaks to a section of his article that engendered a great deal of chatter on Facebook and elsewhere online: The current status of the Hunte Corporation, the largest of the puppy brokers, which, near as his reporting—and the stonewalling of repeated phone calls and emails from Solotaroff to Hunte—could assess, appeared to be “now-defunct,” but Solotaroff notes in our interview, has downsized and renamed itself Choice Puppies. (www.rollingstone.com/culture/features/the-dog-factory-inside-the-sickening-world-of-puppy-mills-w457673)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Joe Capozzi, a staff writer at The Palm Beach Post (and, full disclosure, a friend of mine), who was biking in Big Cypress National Preserve, when he came upon an astounding scene: A python attacking, and ultimately strangling, an alligator. He videotaped the battle with his iPhone, a dramatic video that’s since gone viral, and become an important document for those who study wildlife in that region. (www.palmbeachpost.com/news/video-big-cypress-bike-ride-watched-python-wrestle-alligator/YmShcrbLaGlyXpIFJyiUlM/)

COMEDY CORNER: Joe Zimmerman “Pet Snakes” (www.zimmermancomedy.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/2017/01/TAJan11-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window