The Animal Chat Podcast

Paul Watson is one of the most influential and pioneering activists of marine wildlife and environmental conservation. Co-founder of Greenpeace and Founder of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Paul has spent his entire life fighting injustice.

Since its foundation, Sea Shepherd's innovative direct-action tactics have exposed and confronted illegal whaling, fishing, shark finning, hunting and poaching activities on the high seas. 

In this podcast, Paul chats about his lifetime of activism. From his childhood love of animals and respect for nature, to his early days in environmental activism, to his founding of Sea Shepherd and countless confrontations with whalers, hunters and poachers, to his partnerships with governments around the world to help protect the oceans. 

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society website - https://seashepherd.org

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society Global website - https://www.seashepherdglobal.org

Here's a little promo of what's in store for Season 2 of the Animal Chat podcast!

David Mech is a world renowned researcher and expert on wolves, wolf behaviour and wolf conservation. He is a senior research scientist for the U.S. Geological Survey and an adjunct professor at the University of Minnesota.

David has studied wolves since 1958 in locations including northern Minnesota, Isle Royale, Alaska, Yellowstone National Park, Ellesmere Island and Italy, and has published some 450 articles and 11 books on the subject. 

He is the founder and vice-chair of the Board of Directors of the International Wolf Center, an organisations whose mission is to advance the survival of wolf populations by teaching people about wolves, their relationship to wildlands and the human role in their future and coexistence.

In this podcast Harry and Matt talk to David about his life and work, his passion for wolves, their rebound from the brink of extinction, how some of his research on wolf behaviour continues to be misinterpreted by some dog behaviourists and trainers, and how we can do more to protect and understand these wonderful animals. 

David Mech business website - http://davemech.org

David Mech personal website - http://davemech.com

International Wold Center website - https://wolf.org

International Wold Center facebook page - https://www.facebook.com/InternationalWolfCenter

Liz Tyson is the Programs Director for Born Free USA and Director of the Born Free USA Primate Sanctuary. Prior to that she was International Director for the Palestinian Animal League and Director of the Captive Animals Protection Society (CAPS). She has a PhD in animal welfare law and has been an active advocate and voice for animals for over 15 years. 

Liz spent 2 years working with indigenous Amazonian Tikuna communities in South America on primate conservation.

In this podcast, Liz chats about her love of animals, her journey into and within the animal welfare sector, the many issues related to wildlife in captivity and some of the incredible memories and moments she has experienced throughout her career. 

Born Free USA website - https://www.bornfreeusa.org

Born Free Foundation website - https://www.bornfree.org.uk

Freedom for Animals website - https://www.freedomforanimals.org.uk

Dr Trent Grassian earned his PhD in Social Policy from the University of Kent in 2019 by conducting research with non-profit organisations promoting meat reduction and veganism, in the largest study of its kind and has given presentations all over the world about the project. The full dissertation is freely available online, as well as a summary report.

He wrote a book chapter, Food Policy: Where does environmental nutrition fit in? in the seminal volume Environmental Nutrition.

He also runs the on-line group, Vegan Researchers & Enthusiasts, and is a passionate human and animal advocate, who has worked on a variety of social justice issues and volunteered with animals on three continents. In a former life, he worked as a Special Needs Education teacher in California for half a decade and helped found a local volunteering non-profit branch.

You can follow Trent's work via his blog, For Us All, or get in touch with him via email.

For All Of Us website: https://forusallsite.wordpress.com

Vegan Society website: https://www.vegansociety.com/about-us/research/researcher-network/trent-grassian

HBCA website: http://www.hbcforanimals.com/who-we-are/the-extended-team/trent-grassian/

Amy Dickman is an internationally renowned conservation biologist. She’s dedicated her life to saving big cats in the wild, working in Africa for over 20 years on carnivore ecology and how to resolve human-wildlife conflict.

Amy is the Kaplan Senior Research Fellow in Wild Cat Conservation at Oxford University’s WildCRU. She worked at the Cheetah Conservation Fund in Namibia before moving to Tanzania, where she established the amazing Ruaha Carnivore Project in 2009, which works closely with local villagers to develop effective conservation solutions and focusses on ensuring that local communities truly benefit from the conservation of big cats and other wildlife.

She is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission’s Cat Specialist Group and African Lion Working Group, is a co-founder of the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance that is helping to develop initiatives to empower future female conservation leaders in Africa. 

Ruaha Carnivore Project website: https://www.ruahacarnivoreproject.com

Pride Lion Conservation Alliance website: http://pridelionalliance.org

Nat Geo Big Cats Initiative: https://www.nationalgeographic.org/projects/big-cats-initiative/

Snapshot Ruaha: https://www.zooniverse.org/projects/meredithspalmer/snapshot-ruaha

Darem the Lion Defender book: https://www.ruahacarnivoreproject.com/news/darem-the-lion-defender/

For 25 years, Charles Vinick worked with Jean-Michel and Jacques Cousteau, helping the ocean explorers establish, grow and sustain their initiatives. As a co-founder of the Cousteau Centers, Charles oversaw development and management of Parc Oceanique Cousteau in Paris and shepherded the growth of the Cousteau Society.

Charles also served as director of the Keiko Project, a pioneering effort that marshalled public and media support to reintroduce to the wild the captive orca made famous through the Free Willy films.

Before joining the Whale Sanctuary Project, Charles served as CEO of two environmental technology companies. As President and Chief Executive Officer of the Alliance to Protect Nantucket Sound, Charles directed all aspects of an organization that was deeply engaged in ocean policy issues. He has received commendations from the White House for his work with youth education and from the Los Angeles City Council for community environmentalism.

And as a member of the Whale Sanctuary Project Board of Directors, Charles brings his unique blend of leadership and experience to his role as Executive Director.

Charles is no stranger to ambitious, visionary, ocean-related projects!

The Whale Sanctuary project website: https://whalesanctuaryproject.org

The Whale Sanctuary project facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/whalesanctuaryproject/

The Whale Sanctuary project Twitter page: https://twitter.com/Whale_Sanctuary

Charles Vinick "Whales Without Walls" TED talk: https://www.ted.com/talks/charles_vinick_whales_without_walls/transcript?language=en

Brian Faulkner’s is one of the world's foremost experts on dog population management and his experience animal control and welfare spans more than 30 years.

After serving in the Royal Navy, Brian worked for local government in the UK where he was responsible for stray dog control and enforcing dog control legislation.

In 1999, he began working for the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and managed many of their stray dog control programmes across the globe.

Since 2003, he has worked as an independent consultant in stray animal management for international NGO’s and governments around the world.

Brian has travelled the world and earned the respect and trust of countless communities, and in this podcast he talks about his love of dogs, tells stories about some of his incredible experiences around the world, and how important dog welfare is to him and to all of us. 

Brian Faulkner on Linkedin - https://www.linkedin.com/in/brian-faulkner-a0249534/

Brian Faulkner on facebook - https://www.facebook.com/brian.faulkner.7777

Bimbling With Dogs website - https://www.bimblingwithdogs.co.uk

Lori Marino is a neuroscientist and expert in animal behaviour and intelligence, and is internationally known for her work on the intelligence in dolphins and whales. In 2001, she co-authored a ground-breaking study offering the first conclusive evidence for mirror self-recognition in bottlenose dolphins, after which she decided against further research with captive animals.

Lori is the Founder and Executive Director of The Kimmela Center for Animal Advocacy, which focuses on bridging the gap between academic research and scholarship and on-the-ground animal advocacy efforts.

She is also the Founder and President of the Whale Sanctuary Project whose mission is to establish a model seaside sanctuary where whales and dolphins can be rehabilitated or can live permanently in an environment that maximises their well-being and autonomy and is as close as possible to their natural habitat.

Lori has appeared in several films and television programs, including the 2013 documentary Blackfish, Unlocking the Cage and Long Gone Wild - the 2019 documentary that picks up where Blackfish left off and where the work of the Whale Sanctuary Project begins.

The Whale Sanctuary project website: https://whalesanctuaryproject.org

The Whale Sanctuary project facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/whalesanctuaryproject/

The Whale Sanctuary project Twitter page: https://twitter.com/Whale_Sanctuary

Lori Marino's contact email address: [email protected]