Talking Animals

Kim Caswell–president of the Skyway Cats Inc., a nonprofit operated by a cadre of volunteers who feed and care for a feral cat colony in a distinctive location, the South Skyway Fishing Pier, in Tampa Bay—notes that, as a longtime cat lover, the first time she saw a colony, she recognized a problem that needed […]

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Gene Baur–co-founder and president of Farm Sanctuary, which Baur helped launch in 1986—responds to the observation that, nearly 40 years later, he could be excused if some days felt “same old, old,” recounting some of the activities that currently most invigorate him. Fortunately, for him (and, really, for the rest of us), Baur explains he […]

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Susan Hanus–executive director of Cat Depot, a unique feline-only shelter in Sarasota—recalls when she first became a cat person. Hanus has remained staunchly feline-friendly ever since, though, she explains, she stopped living with them when it turned out one of her kids is allergic to cats. Hanus outlines some of the traits that help make […]

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Kathy Finelli–the director of Gainesville Rabbit Rescue (GRR), a nonprofit organization founded in 1998 by two University of Florida students—recalls how her involvement with GRR began 20-plus years ago, when she sought their help after finding a domestic rabbit outside her home. That was a fateful moment in more ways than one. It not only […]

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Valerie Benka–the Director of Programs for the Alliance for Contraception in Cats and Dogs (ACC&D)—recalls being someone who was nuts about animals from the time she was a kid, growing up in a family amidst a veritable menagerie. This early pet passion created something of a gravitational pull, drawing Benka toward animals, as she traveled […]

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pattrice jones–co-founder of VINE Sanctuary, sprawling across 100 acres in Springfield, Vermont, and a self-described “LGBTQ-led farmed animal sanctuary”—spontaneously describes instances of talking animals’ activity by resident roosters that very morning. jones explains rooster’s crowing goes far beyond the stereotypical heralding thatff morning has broken, citing, for example, one cry that alerts fellow roosters to […]

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Donna Kalil–a python removal contractor (aka “python hunter”)—recalls growing up in Venezuela, with close proximity to the jungle helping cultivate a lifelong passion for snakes and other wildlife. In 1969, Kalil explains, the family moved to Florida, landing initially in north Miami, then relocating to south Miami, where she’s remained—and her many years as a […]

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Jane O’Hara, the animal advocate and artist–whose paintings tend to celebrate animals or explore animal issues—recalls a regular upbringing, amidst conventional companion animals. Only some years later, O’Hara adds, did she start researching animals, reading some influential books, becoming steeped in the good, the bad, and the ugly of eating and otherwise mistreating animals. It […]

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Susan Tellem–executive director of American Tortoise Rescue (ATR), a nonprofit established in 1990 for the protection of all species of turtles and tortoises—recalls that she began helping animals in cat rescue. Some years later, she recounts, she and her husband experienced a revelatory moment while eating out—and decided to go vegetarian—and not long after they […]

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Diana Goodrich–co-director of the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, located not far from Seattle, and housing 15 chimps—says she can’t recall a time she didn’t want to work with animals. Goodrich traces the winding path, academically and professionally, that led her to helping lead the Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, addressing the qualities she finds captivating about chimps. When […]

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