Talking Animals

Sarah Baeckler Davis—a primatologist and lawyer who is president and CEO of Project Chimps, a relatively new chimpanzee sanctuary in Northern Georgia—discusses how, at eight years old, reading a book about Jane Goodall absolutely fascinated her, and she decided right then that she wanted to do the same kind of work. That objective, and the passion to realize it, never wavered, Davis explains, including attending Central Washington University, the only U.S. college where undergraduates could learn how to take care of captive chimps, and receive hands-on experience doing so. She went on to get a graduate degree in primatology at the same institution. Davis’ educational path continued, but not quite in the direction you might anticipate, if you’ve been closely following the saga so far—she went to law school! This move, she notes, was chiefly to make herself more effective as a chimp advocate, and an offshoot of participating in an undercover investigation of the chimp training industry. Davis also recalls working for five years at the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, as its first executive director. She speaks about her subsequent stint leading the North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA), which she co-founded. In 2014, much as she initially felt reluctant to lead another chimp sanctuary, she did accept the president/CEO position at Project Chimps—about which she addresses converting the facility from a defunct gorilla sanctuary, how to bring in chimps, test them in pairs for compatibility to create a group that can peacefully coexist, and more. (http://projectchimps.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Kevin Nealon’s “Chimp Fear” (http://kevinnealon.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Harry Hmura’s “I Am, I Am” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Joni Mitchell’s “Coyote”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TADec28.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

This morning, I once again set aside the usual “Talking Animals” format to present my Annual Christmas Animal Song special—that is, a show entirely devoted to Christmas-oriented animal tunes. Sure, as in the past, to pull off this conceit, I fashioned the program with a liberal sprinkling of “Rudolph” songs, from The Brian Setzer Orchestera’s peppy  offering, “Rockabilly Rudolph” to Keith Richards’ classic fiery take on “Run Rudolph Run.” I also played some far less obvious nuggets and possible future classics, including Kacey Musgraves’ new rendition of “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas,” and delightful fresh oddity “Snails Christmas (I Want A New Shell)” by The Snails. We extended another tradition when I took a brief break from playing the yuletide animal songs to read what I refer to as the Dorothy Strauss Christmas Poem. Happy Holidays to you and yours.

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Tippi Hedren—the actress and longtime animal advocate, who recently published her memoir, “Tippi: A Memoir”—discusses Shambala Preserve, her sanctuary for rescued lions, tigers and other big cats that she established in 1972, and where Hedren, now 86 years old, still lives. She addresses the background and experiences animals of the who live there, and how the animal population of Shambala has evolved to where it now houses only big cats—in the past, two African elephants lived there. Curiously, despite the ongoing need for homes for tigers and other big cats that are the product of tiger cub photo/petting businesses, roadside zoos and various black market animal enterprises, Hedren notes that she is never contacted about taking in such animals at Shambala. She touches on the making of “Roar”—a cinematic undertaking that spanned more than a decade (and occupied a substantial portion of the memoir), beset with a long string of disasters, including escaped lions, numerous injuries to cast and crew, fires, floods and more; “Roar” was long ago called “the most dangerous movie ever made,” and when given the chance in this interview, Hedren chooses not to dispute that description. While the section about the misadventures of “Roar,” constitutes by far the largest section of “Tippi,” yet nearly every review and story about the book has focused part she devoted to discussing her work and relationship with Alfred Hitchcock—understandable, given Hitchcock’s stature and, especially, that she alleges that director sexually assaulted her. Yet, when I bring that up in our interview, she laughs it off, dismissing its importance each time I try to follow-up on. We talk about other topics, including legislation to protect big cats, and her thoughts on how to respond to Ringling Bros., which has suspended the use of elephants in its circus, but still presents other animals, including tigers and lions. (www.shambala.org)

ALSO: I spoke with Joe Waltman, co-founder of VetPronto, a relatively new company that offers house-call veterinary services for dogs and cats. VetPronto was launched in San Francisco, and is now expanding to seven new cities, including New York, Chicago, Washington, DC, and Tampa. (www.vetpronto.com)

COMEDY CORNER: Nate Bergatze’s “Thinking About Buying A Home Security System? Consider A Tiger” (www.natebargatze.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Van Morrison’s “The Lion This Time,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Tokens’ “The Lion Sleeps Tonight (Wimoweh)”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TADec14.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Jennifer Conrad—the veterinarian and founder of The Paw Project, which has long educated the public about the painful and crippling effects of feline declawing, and who, as of this interview, has made more appearances on “Talking Animals” than any other guest–reviews what exactly the feline declaw procedure involves. She notes that the term is a misnomer, that it more aptly should be called “de-knuckling,” as it really is an amputation. Conrad discusses the impact on the cat, starting with the intense pain caused by the procedure—which most owners never recognize, because cats are notoriously stoic—and which also include significant problems using the litter box (their paws hurt them and can no longer dig) and, because they no longer can scratch to protect themselves, they often start biting. These two developments, Conrad points out, frequently lead to the cat being surrendered to a shelter or otherwise removed from the house. She also addresses the financial motives for veterinarians performing the declaw procedure (a $1 billion industry), since there is no legitimate medical reason, for either the cat or any humans in the household, carry out declaw. Among the resources on The Paw Project website is a list of veterinarians across the country who do not perform the declaw procedure. Conrad recounts her earliest legislative efforts to help impose declaw bans, beginning in West Hollywood, later followed by seven more California cities (including Los Angeles and San Francisco). She details the current legislative status in New York and New Jersey, which both appear to be within striking distance of imposing statewide declaw bands. (www.pawproject.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Jake Johannsen’s “Whale Watching” (www.jakethis.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Jethro Tull’s “Mother Goose”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/TADec7-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Cheri Vandersluis—co-founder and director of the Maple Farm Sanctuary, and featured in the award-winning documentary, “Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home”—discusses her reaction upon learning she was a new recipient of the Courage of Conscience Award, presented by The Peace Abbey Foundation, and whose past recipients include Mother Teresa, the Dalai Lama, Rosa Parks, Muhammad Ali, Nelson Mandela, and Mahatma Gandhi. Vandersluis allows that she was unfamiliar with the Award before hearing she was to receive it, but thrilled and humbled once she became steeped in its mission, history and past awardees. Because her Award honored her life and devotion to animal advocacy–including inspiring active compassion in others–we trace her career path, starting with, as a very young woman with a scientific bent, working for a pharmaceutical company in a role that placed her in close proximity to beagles that were being tested on then euthanized (Vandersluis was often doing the euthanizing.) Vandersluis also recalls an unhappy stint working at Mystic Aquarium, in Mystic, Connecticut, which put her off in profound ways operations that feature animals performing or otherwise being used for entertainment. She also recounts the supreme challenges of joining his husband, Jim, on his dairy farm (he was a third generation diary farmer), and after becoming increasingly troubled by what their dairy business represented for the cows, they altered their focus to raising goats. Over time, Vandersluis remembers, that, too, proved to be too difficult on their emotional constitutions. This period, and the feelings they arrived at, yielded some significant changes, including embracing a vegan lifestyle, and opening the Maple Farm Sanctuary, a 120-acre animal sanctuary in Mendon, Massachusetts. (www.peaceabbey.org/courage-of-conscience-award/, www.maplefarmsanctuary.org, www.peaceablekingdomfilm.org)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Gina Knepp, director of the Front Street animal shelter in Sacramento, which is in the midst of a remarkable situation, owing to a realtor there who pledged to pay for every adoption at the shelter through the end of December. This pledge kicked in just before Thanksgiving, and in the first five days, more than 330 cats and dogs were adopted. We should note that, the name notwithstanding, Front Street is Sacramento’s city shelter. (www.cityofsacramento.org/general-services/animal-care)

COMEDY CORNER: Tom Papa’s “Fake Service Dogs” (http://tompapa.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/2016/12/TANov30-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Don Moore—who wears many hats, among them scientist, wildlife biologist, Oregon Zoo director, and expert on polar bears featured in “Polar Bear Town,” a Smithsonian Channel docu-series examining the annual migration of polar bears to Churchill, Manitoba—outlines when his interest in polar bears was piqued. Moore explains that his experience with bears traces back decades, noting that he began working with polar bears in parks and zoos in the 1990s. This leads to an immediate digression (my fault! I asked!) about Gus, the infamous polar bear at the Central Park Zoo in the 90s who exhibited notably neurotic behavior, eliciting tremendous public attention, media coverage, a song by the Canadian band The Tragically Hip—and, it turns out, Moore worked with Gus, helping improve his habitat, enrichment program and other aspects of his life at the Zoo. Dealing more with the core of “Polar Bear Town,” Moore describes the migration of the polar bear that leads them to Churchill—a town of 800 that, in the migration period of October-November, plays host to more than 1000 hungry polar bears, and 10,000 tourists visit each year to witness this phenomenon. He discusses the measures that Manitoba Conservation officers and other officials have put in place to mitigate the dangers of the conflict between the humans living or visiting there and the polar bears wandering in and around the town—and the added vigilance since the previous Halloween, when a Churchill resident, Erin Greene, was attacked by a polar bear. Moore also touches on Brian Ladoon—a colorful, if polarizing character prominently featured in the series—who operates a Canadian Eskimo dog “sanctuary,” and in feeding his dogs, attracts the hungry polar bears and charges tourists admission to the sanctuary to get a closer look at the bears. This interview was mere days after it was revealed that a viral video of a polar bear petting a dog (shot at Ladoon’s place) held a grim back story: one of the bears had eaten one of the dogs, though it wasn’t clear that they were the bear and dog featured in the video. Moore also talks about the sixth episode of this series, in which he is prominently featured, tracking (alongside fellow scientists) mother polar bears and their cubs, who have emerged from birthing dens–and amplifies a statement he makes onscreen about mother polar bears exhibiting the most incredible maternal behavior of any mammal on the planet.  Moore also spends some time addressing the implications of climate change for polar bears. (www.smithsonianchannel.com/shows/polar-bear-town/1004349, www.facebook.com/polarbeartown/)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Joan Zacharias, co-founder of Tampa’s ThanksVegan Dinner, marking its 11th year of gathering folks on Thanksgiving Day for a sprawling vegan buffet. (www.floridavoicesforanimals.org/thanksvegan, www.facebook.com/ThanksVegan

 

COMEDY CORNER: Dana Gould’s “Snakes & Alligators” (www.danagould.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals (intended to play The Tragically Hip’s “Gus: The Polar Bear From Central Park,” but ran short on time)

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Sharon Jones “Fish In The Dish” R.I.P., Sharon

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/TANov23-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Alexandra Horowitz—the scientist, professor at Barnard College, and bestselling author of books about dogs, most recently, “Being A Dog: Following The Dog Into A World of Smell”—discusses Tucker, the dog trained to detect the scat of orcas who live in Puget Sound, as one measure of the scope of revelations offered about detection dogs (and otherwise) in the new book. Horowitz explains how dogs use smells to tell time, or, at least, determine when their owners will come home—as well as some of the components that account for a dog’s extraordinary sense of smell, including “stereo” olfaction, whereby each nostril takes in different aspects of an odor and processes them by re-assembling them in a way that provides dimension. She recounts some of the experiences she undertook to enhance her sniffing skills and/or to provide insights into how a dog smells, including enrolling in a semester-long perfumer’s course, taking sommelier training, and learning animal tracking. She observes how these and other adventures re-shaped her thinking about dogs both professionally and personally. Horowitz also notes how all the research (including her own; she started and runs the Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College), anecdotal evidence and personal observations altered her life with her own dogs, Finnegan and Upton, perhaps most notably taking them on so-called “smell walks” now daily. (https://alexandrahorowitz.net, http://insideofadog.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Alicia Lawler, senior volunteer coordinator at Suncoast Hospice in Pinellas Park, about their multifaceted pet therapy program, which provides visits with dogs, cats and other animals to hospice patients at home, Suncoast Care Centers and elsewhere—and which is seeking volunteers, both human and animal. (https://empathhealth.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Steven Wright’s “Dog Stay” (www.stevenwright.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Leonard Cohen’s “Bird On The Wire” R.I.P., Leonard

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/TANov16-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Adam Sugalski—executive director of OneProtest, a Florida-based advocacy organization perhaps best known for its high-profile, successful effort to help halt the Florida bear hunt—recalls how he first stepped into the role of advocate when, as a professional artist, he was invited to a circus protest and realized the appearance of the signs and other materials used at that demonstration could be made sharper, and more effective. In noting how personal interests have shaped his advocacy efforts, Sugalski recounts situations in his formative years that prompted him to become vegetarian. He also outlines what he believes constitutes the components of effective advocacy, underlining the game-changing significance of social media. Sugalski also explains how he and his OneProtest colleagues have recalibrated protests of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus, in the wake of Ringling ending the use of elephants in shows last May, but still requiring tigers and other animals to perform. Throughout this conversation, Sugalski addresses the strategy and various actions he feels were pivotal to the Stop The Bear Hunt campaign, ultimately persuading the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) to halt the hunt—to Sugalski’s surprise, he acknowledged in the immediate aftermath. Slated to speak at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest on Saturday, Nov. 12, Sugalski provides a sneak preview of the subjects he plans to cover in his talk. www.oneprotest.org, www.facebook.com/oneprotest)

ALSO: I played back my brief conversation with Laura Coffey, author of “My Old Dog: Rescued Pets with Remarkable Second Acts,” who was set to make two weekend appearances in the Tampa Bay area, including speaking at The Tampa Bay Times Festival of Reading Nov. 12, and appearing Nov. 13 at a book/dog adoption/literacy event at the Barnes & Noble in Clearwater. In this recorded conversation, the topic surfaced of animal rescue organizations that gear their efforts for terminally ill owners of dogs, and afterward Laura sent me a note with the link to a piece she had written about this: www.today.com/amp/pets/sense-peace-terminally-ill-woman-finds-help-pets-her-final-t103438?client=safari

(www.lauratcoffey.com, https://www.facebook.com/MyOldDog/?fref=ts (www.tampabay.com/expos/festival-of-reading/schedule.page)

COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Boo Sailboat—Pt. 1” (http://brianregan.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Pink Floyd’s “Dogs” (Three Different Ones)”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/TANov9-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Joel Rockey—executive director of One Last Treat, a nonprofit founded by a group of veterans whose mission (carried out by veterans who volunteer) is “to provide comfort, compassion, and one last treat to severely at-risk and soon-to-be-passing animals”—discusses his own history, including growing up with various animals, but at that point, being indifferent to them. He recounts his military career, initially serving as a Navy corpsman as part of traveling the path toward his true objective: to work as a medic in the Marines. During his combined five-year stint, he did tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and felt the virtues of a six-month transitional period between his discharge and returning home. Still, when he did get home, Rockey reports, he contended with some of the challenges that veterans often experience in the transition from being in combat to being at home, including being bothered by crowded rooms. He describes, partly owing to that sort of struggle, how the seeds of One Last Treat were sown, and the first animal was a blind, deaf pug that was roaming the streets of Detroit. Rockey recounts how helping that pug, the way a lot of fellow veterans were struggling the way he was—very much feeling less important and needed than they did while serving in the military—and recognizing a need to care for senior dogs all merged in what became the mission of One Last Treat. While acknowledging that One Last Treat is a nascent organization whose operation is largely confined to the Detroit area, Rockey outlines some scenarios on how they currently help senior and ailing dogs—and sometimes their families—including when that animal is facing euthanasia. (www.onelasttreat.org, www.facebook.com/onelasttreat/?fref=ts)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Sue Pike, a Reiki Master and Animal Communicator—and monthly guest on Eluv’s show, “Ultrasounds,” Thursday nights on WMNF—about her visit to Tampa, in which she was to again appear on “Ultrasounds,” and do a variety of Reiki sessions, pet readings and more. (www.suepikeenergy.com, http://animalchanneler.blogspot.com)

COMEDY CORNER: Sean Donnelly’s “I Love My Bulldog,” (http://seandonnellycomedy.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/2016/11/TANov2-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Laurie Hess—a veterinarian specializing in caring for exotic pets, and author of the new book “Unlikely Companions: The Adventures Of An Exotic Animal Doctor”—recounts growing up in a family that embraced a wide array of pets, how she herself loved animals as a child, and that’s also when she decided she wanted to be a veterinarian. Unlike most kids who declare the same career goal, Hess actually became a vet, propelled by ambition and laser-like focus (including attending Yale as an undergrad). Hess addresses the point at which she started contemplating a practice that would specialize in caring for birds and exotic animals, and what pulled her in that direction. A mother of two teenage songs, Hess outlines the components of any given workday—which tend to be exceptionally long and often grueling—starting at 5am with feeding and looking after the seven pets at home, various Mom duties, hitting the gym (critical to her, as a Type 1 diabetic) and only then beginning her day of seeing patients at her hospital, Veterinary Center for Birds & Exotics. Asked to cite a few animals she’d treated in recent days, Hess mentions a Bearded Dragon lizard (that hadn’t been exposed to enough ultraviolet light, spurring a calcium deficiency) and a rabbit, noting she sees a large number of rabbits at the Veterinary Center and dental problems are common, because rabbits’ teeth keep growing. Hess discusses other elements of “Unlikely Companions,” including a sugar glider-related mystery—not whodunnit so much as whatdunnit–that augments the book’s narrative drive. (http://avianexoticsvet.com, www.lauriehessdvm.com)

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Diane Koon, one of the organizers of the 7th Annual Tampa Bay Veg Fest, to be held Nov. 12 at Cotanchobee Fort Brooke Park. (www.tampabayvegfest.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Myq Kaplan’s “Ducks and Vegetarianism” (http://myqkaplan.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: EELS’ “I Like Birds”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/TAOct26-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window