Talking Animals

Jane O’Hara—the animal advocate and artist whose paintings explore animal issues, depict their plight, and explore our relationships with them–recalls growing up in a family where animals didn’t have much of a presence, but she liked them. O’Hara notes that art became a passion early on, and she attended art school at Boston University’s College of Fine Arts. She describes a pivotal moment in her career, when she viewed the Byzantium exhibit at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art, struck that the saints had sacrificed their lives to God in every facet of it, and created a counterpart, “Sacrifice,” a five foot tall screen, presenting an array of images of animals and the sacrifices they make. This represented a turning point in her art, she allows, and addresses some of the main themes in her work. O’Hara mentions that, a few years ago, she received the Peace Abbey Foundation’s Courage of Conscience Award—and that past recipients include the Dalai Lama, Mother Teresa, Muhammad Ali…not bad company to keep! She also touches on art as animal advocacy. O’Hara explains the genesis of “Beasts of Burden,” an exhibition by 15 artists (including O’Hara and past “Talking Animals” guests Jo-Anne McArthur and Moby), who use animals as their subjects for an array of reasons–and working in diverse media–examining the often-complicated connections we have with animals and how intertwined they are with our lives. “Beasts of Burden” has shown in Boston and New York, and other shows are on the horizon, O’Hara says. (https://www.janeohara.com)

 

ALSO: I spoke with Rowan Deacon, director of “Nature: The Last Rhino,” a new PBS documentary (that aired for the first time that night, Feb. 21) about Sudan, the last male Northern White Rhinoceros remaining on the planet. Deacon addresses the scope of the film, from profiling Sudan’s enormously devoted, full-time caretaker to exploring the realm of rhino IVF, as a means to try to save the species. (http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/last-rhino-caring-worlds-famous-rhino/16049/)

COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Animal Lover” (http://www.jimgaffigan.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/2018/02/TAFeb21-1-2.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Elaine West—the founder of Rooterville Animal Sanctuary, a haven housing about 300 rescued farm animals, predominantly pigs, located in Melrose, FL—recalls the first pig she met, as a kid at her aunt’s farm in Illinois, describing a love-at-first-sight sensation that’s continued for decades. West also recounts the circumstances surrounding the first pig she rescued, when she was at a Humane Society to adopt a dog, and learned the organization also had a pig on hand—that they intended to give away to some folks who planned to eat the animal. Incredulous and outraged, West says she “shamed” those folks into giving her the pig, thus starting a long string of rescued pigs that ultimately prompted her to launch Rooterville, first a three-acre facility in Jacksonville, then relocating to a 10-acre spread in Archer, and now occupying 30 acres in Melrose. (She mentions a desire to relocate once again, ideally to a 100-acre parcel in Orlando–the thinking being that tourists heading to DisneyWorld or Universal one day would visit Rooterville the next day.) West outlines what happens when visitors arrive at the sanctuary for a visit, and how Rooterville accommodates overnight guests. She shares the story of Stella, a farm pig—“a spent sow,” in West’s words, whose job was to have babies, while confined to a gestation crate—the first one she brought in to Rooterville, and one that clearly became a pivotal porcine figure at the sanctuary; she died about three years ago, but all visitors hear Stella’s story. West describes the circumstances of taking in more than 100 pigs that were seized in August of 2016 from Darlynn’s Darlins, in Polk City, some in such bad shape they had to be euthanized, many adopted out, and a number still living at Rooterville. (https://rooterville.org, https://www.facebook.com/rooterville/)

ALSO: I spoke with Kathleen Wood, Criminal Justice Program Fellow at the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF), where she helped prepare ALDF’s recently-released report that ranks the best and worst states for animal protection. We discussed, among other elements of the report—including the criteria used in compiling it– Florida’s ranking at Number 16, what accounted for Kentucky placing last (for many years running), and how Illinois achieved its Number 1 ranking. (http://aldf.org)

COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Whales” (portion) (http://www.jimgaffigan.com)

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

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

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/02/TAFeb7.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Maria McKee—the singer-songwriter who burst onto the music scene some 35 years ago, fronting the band Lone Justice, going on to a storied solo career—discusses her lifelong love of dogs, while noting, early on, there was an incident that so traumatized her that she steered clear of dogs (“I shut down around dogs”) for a number of years. But, McKee recalls, once she reconciled those feelings, it’s been dogs, dogs, and more dogs ever since. Indeed, at the moment, she and her husband, Jim Akin, currently share their home with three: a pug, a whippet, and a greyhound. McKee notes that over the years, she’s had a real soft spot for pugs—she mentions writing the grieving lament, “My First Night Without You,” after another, much-beloved pug of hers died many years ago (I ended up playing the song later in the show)—but given the health challenges that routinely plague these in-bred animals, she’s decided she’s unlikely to adopt another pug. That decision partly prompted McKee to adopt a greyhound, a black former racer that she renamed Enitharmon, a nod to her passion for William Blake’s work. McKee has since plunged into the greyhound world, volunteering for an adoption group, attending greyhound events, etc. She still regularly travels to the UK, and somewhat less frequently than before, to Ireland, and outlined the multiple steps involved in having Enitharmon travel with her. She enthuses about a concert she gave last January in St. Patrick’s Cathedral in Dublin, as part of a festival, noting that performances may become somewhat less rare, because she’s preparing to release her first new album in a decade. McKee explains that the new material—which, musically, she describes as “orchestral pop”–is the product of looking back on various stages of her life, including the famously complicated career of Lone Justice. In addition to this sort of reflection, she observes that a key impetus and inspiration for the new music was the deeply dark, “iconic” character she portrays in “Beauty, Majesty, And Terror,” the third and latest film she and Akin have made. (http://mariamckee.org, https://www.facebook.com/maria.mckee.7)

 

ALSO: I spoke with Talking Animals “Greyhound Correspondent” Don Goldstein—albeit belatedly and far too briefly, owing to a telephone outage so significant that 911 systems in four counties were temporarily down; we finally connected via Skype in the final two minutes of the show—about pending legislation (House Bill 463, Senate Bill 674) that would ban the use of anabolic steroids in racing greyhounds, and about Proposed Amendment 67, which would phase out greyhound racing in Florida. It was to be heard two days later, on Feb. 2, by The Florida Constitution Revision Commission’s Executive Committee—the next step in the process.

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

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Maria McKee’s “My First Night Without You,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Joni Mitchell’s “Black Crow”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TAJan31.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Jodie Wiederkehr—campaign director for Chicago Alliance For Animals (CAA), she’s spearheading CAA’s campaign to ban horse carriages in Chicago—recalls how her earliest professional animal advocacy work began in 1997, but that she grew up in a politically-engaged household that was forever taking in sick or injured animals, including a baby lamb! She describes other campaigns she’s worked on in different parts of the country, including the successful effort a few years back to ban greyhound racing in Massachusetts. Wiederkuhr discusses the key things learned from the greyhound effort that she’s applying to the campaign seeking the ban of horse carriages—the core of that campaign is CAA’s contention that the horse carriage companies are regularly violating ordinances that dictate that these horses may not be worked more than six hours in any 24-hour period, often working the horses far longer than that, sometimes twice that limit…and the city’s often ineffectual  policing and enforcement of that law. Other concerns include the impact on the horses’ hooves of walking on streets and pavement for all those hours—often doing so in extreme heat or cold. Wiederkuhr outlines the underpinnings of the endeavor, including sending Daily Action Alerts—a notice requesting a specific action be undertaken–to CAA members and others participating in the campaign, which often involves communicating with the 50 aldermen (Chicago’s counterparts to city council members). She also notes that living in Chicago is not required to assist in this campaign. (https://www.facebook.com/groups/1744351765790299/2309412465950890/)

COMEDY CORNER: Nick DiPaolo’s “Animal Activists” (https://www.nickdip.com)

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

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Matthew Sweet’s version of “Flipper”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/TAJan24-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Amy Kight—newly named executive director of Busch Wildlife Sanctuary (though she’s worked at the Jupiter, FL wildlife refuge, hospital, rehabilitation facility, and educational center since 2004)—discusses being so passionate about working with animals and so eager to do so as a very determined little kid that she landed a gig helping out at a veterinarian’s office at age six…and continued in various capacities there until she was 22. Meeting a woman who ran a wildlife hospital spun Kight in that direction, she recalls, and she has traveled that direction practically ever since, with a detour to return to school for training as a veterinary technician. She notes that Busch Wildlife Sanctuary treats about 4500 animals each year, from birds to bobcats to gators, pointing out the emphasis is on helping sick or injured Florida species, but the facility tends not to turn away any animal that’s brought there, or brought to their attention, citing as a recent example a kinkajou they’ve been looking after until the animal can be relocated to an establishment that cares for exotic animals. Kight explains that the Sanctuary’s goal is to release the “patients” back into the wild after treating them, but some are too injured or ill to make it, and many end up recovering, but for one reason or another cannot be released and are provided a permanent home at Busch. She also describes the Sanctuary’s multifaceted educational efforts, among them guided tours, presentations, and outreach that includes providing animals to late-night talk shows and other television programs. (http://www.buschwildlife.org, https://www.facebook.com/BuschWildlife/)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Brad Myers, aka “The Vegabond Chef,” who is slated to present a cooking demo, showing how to make his popular Mediterranean veggie burger, part of an ongoing event that, for the first time, will also become a vegan potluck, to be held Jan. 25 at the Safety Harbor Art And Music Center. (https://vegabondchef.com, https://www.facebook.com/VegabondChef, http://www.safetyharborartandmusiccenter.com)

 

COMEDY CORNER: Jackie Kashian’s “New Dog” (http://www.jackiekashian.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/2018/01/TAJan17-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Peter Rork—a retired orthopedic surgeon and pilot who co-founded Dog Is My CoPilot, an organization that flys shelter animals to different parts of the country, boosting their prospects of being adopted—recalls his lifelong love of flying, taking his first lessons at age 12. He describes his all-consuming passion for being airborne, noting that one of the top ten experiences in his life was when he first soloed in a plane. Rork explains that his zeal for flying has never wavered, that even during the grueling years of medical school, subsequent training and practicing, he always found the time to fly. Rork recounts how Founding Dog Is My CoPilot (with attorney and original executive director Judy Zimet) represents the confluence of a few factors, including having volunteered with Pilots N Paws, a somewhat similar organization (though it tended to fly few animals, sometimes as few as one), Rork’s decision to retire from his medical practice, and his enduring love of dogs. He addresses some aspects of the early years (mistakes made while traveling the learning curve, a smaller plane, etc.), while reporting how the well-oiled machine that DICM has become—with present/current executive director Kara Pollard, deftly handling all the planning involved with the sending organizations, the receiving organizations, the other logistics—now operates on a given flight. Noting that they have now flown more than 8000 animals, Rork points out that apart from a couple of modest grants—and reaching into his own pocket as needed—Dog Is My CoPilot is a nonprofit funded by donations; the organizations for whom Rork flys the animals never pay a dime. (https://dogcopilot.org, https://www.facebook.com/DogIsMyCoPilotInc)

 

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Frank Cerabino, a columnist at The Palm Beach Post, who tweeted a photo of an iguana who, temporarily stunned by the 40-degree temperatures that marked the south Florida cold snap, was lying supine near the edge of Cerabino’s pool. That photo went big-time viral, appearing online, in newspapers, and on television across the world. Cerabino’s column about the iguana adventure: https://tinyurl.com/y84bjp6u

COMEDY CORNER: Ahmed Bharoocha’s “Crows & Cows” (http://ahmedbharoocha.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/2018/01/TAJan10.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Ann Weaver—an animal behaviorist conducting a long-term study of bottlenose dolphins off the coast of St. Petersburg, Florida—talks about the enormous array of species she has worked with directly or studied before landing on the dolphin study in 2005, driven by a lifelong passion to work with any animal she could. This yielded a large number of jobs, ranging from the Department of Agriculture, to The San Diego Zoo, to stints in academia as a professor and dean. Weaver recounts why she initially found the dolphin study intriguing, and why—13 years later—she feels every bit as enthusiastic, hoping it continues indefinitely. Part of her enthusiasm stems from the singularity of the study: charting the behavior of the bottlenose dolphins that live in and around the John’s Pass area, recording the impact before, during and after a major bridge construction project there—affording the rare opportunity to study a species before it’s impacted by such an endeavor. She outlines some of the study’s findings, and how they might help guide those undertaking a comparable project where one or species might otherwise be similarly affected. Weaver discusses some of the more unusual stories included in her new book, “Secrets Behind The Dolphin Smile—25 Amazing Things Dolphins Do,” including a female dolphin kidnapping another’s calf, and a male playing dead as a highly unusual courting strategy. (http://www.goodnaturedstatistics.com)

Dr. Weaver Interview on Facebook Live:

ALSO: I spoke briefly with Trevor Chin, of Florida Voices For Animals, about a demonstration against Gibsonton Circus, slated to perform three shows on Jan. 6 at the International Independent Showmen’s Club, in Riverview, FL. (https://www.floridavoicesforanimals.org)

 

 

COMEDY CORNER: Kevin Hart’s “honiZ” (portion) (http://www.kevinhart.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/2018/01/TAJan3-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Sam Litzinger signs off from his Talking Animals podcast for the last time -- and what better way to end the show than to talk to another animal lover -- Jane Goodall.

Obesity is a problem in America -- but not just among humans. Plus -- some good news for our national bird. Sam Litzinger features pieces from Don Dahler and Chip Reid on this week's Talking Animals.

Christophe Cox—co-founder and CEO of APOPO, a Tanzania-based nonprofit organization that trains African giant pouched rats to detect landmines and to detect tuberculosis—recounts the genesis of the organization, when co-founder Bart Weetjens began contemplating whether the rodents he kept as pets could be taught to find landmines, and drafted his friend, Cox, to help explore and realize this vision.

Cox outlines some of the new countries APOPO is expanding its landmine-detecting operations to—Columbia being the newest—while noting those where the organization continues those efforts, including Cambodia, Angola, and Zimbabwe. Cox allows that someone newly exposed to APOPO could be excused for finding the mission—training rats to detect landmines and tuberculosis—to sound a bit improbable at first blush. He notes that the institution has grown accustomed to skepticism over the years—APOPO is now celebrating its 20th anniversary, and has always forged ahead, undeterred bynaysayers. Cox describes the training process the rats undergo to learn to detect landmines within ever-expanding parcels of land, working closely with their handlers, pointing out that APOPO breeds the rats in-house that then receive this tutelage. The rats have detected over 100,000 landmines, and Cox says not a single rat has detonated a landmine or otherwise died in the performance of the detection duties. He also explains how the rats that detect tuberculosis approach that task—multiple rats sniffing samples that have tested negative—and the so-called HeroRats have identified more than 12,000 tuberculosis infections that were missed by clinics; that is, by conventional medical means to diagnose the disease. (https://www.apopo.org/en, https://www.facebook.com/heroRAT/)

COMEDY CORNER: Dana Gould’s “Chimps, Bears & JFK” (http://www.danagould.com)

MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Lauris Vidal’s version of “Queen Bee,” Booker T’s version of “Get Behind The Mule,” instrumentals

NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Black Sabbath’s “Rat Salad”

AUDIO ARCHIVE:

Listen Online Now: https://talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/TADec27.mp3 | Open Player in New Window