Talking Animals

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:

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Correspondent Sam Litzinger explains how feral cats took care of a rodent problem in the Big Apple.

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

When is it appropriate to step in when a wild animal is in distress? CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger has more in this week's Talking Animals.

In South Africa -- lions are being bred in captivity, just to be killed by big game hunters. It's called canned hunting -- and it's under scrutiny. CBS News Correspondent Debora Patta reports. Plus -- CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger takes a look at the brains of bumble bees.

Which species of North American birds are facing extinction? CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger finds out. Plus -- a look at the evolution of the giraffe on Talking Animals.

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

Are human noises affecting animal environments? CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger finds out.

CBS News Correspondent Sam Litzinger reports on the first dolphin sanctuary to open in North America. Plus -- climate change claims its first victim. Those stories on Talking Animals.

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