Today we are focussing on one of most intelligent, socially complex, and inspiring animals on the planet; elephants.  While being indigenous to just two continents Africa and Asia, elephants are easily one of the most recognizable mammals on earth.  While mainly living in the wild, for millennia humans have captured elephants for use as labor, for war and most significantly in recent centuries, for entertainment –circuses, zoos or in television and movies.  Thankfully, we are developing a better understanding of and appreciation for these smart, thoughtful creatures, the need to protect them in the wild and to properly care for them when in captivity.  Our guest today is Margaret Whittaker, Executive Director of Wild Welfare U.S., a new American branch of the international organization Wild Welfare based on the United Kingdom.  Margaret has spent many years working with elephants and understanding their habits and behaviour and she shares her knowledge with us today.

Links:

Contact Info: [email protected]

Website: https://wildwelfare.org

North Carolina Zoo: https://www.nczoo.org

The Elephant Sanctuary of Tennessee: https://www.elephants.com

Today we will be exploring some interesting studies relating to the welfare of farmed animals.  As we have discussed before, billions of farmed animals around the world endure significant suffering and inhumane treatment to feed humans, largely in industrial farming. And yet, like other animals, cows, pigs and chickens, are sentient with clearly documented evidence of emotions, personality differences, kinship with others, etc.  For those of us who consume animal products, we can make a real difference in the lives of animals by insisting upon better animal welfare in the human food system.  There are many factors that need to be addressed (nutrition, health, environment, behaviour, and mental state) and much work needs to be done.  And our guest today is one of the people involved.

 Dr. Maria Camila Ceballos Bettancourt, is an assistant professor in the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Calgary in Alberta Canada.  She has a specialization in beef cattle welfare but, as you will hear, she has been involved in a number of really interesting studies involving pigs and chickens also.  She will talk about music and its impact on pigs, the positive benefits of silvopasturing on cattle and how different practices of handling chickens can have a big impact on their welfare.

Links:

 Contact Info: [email protected]

U of C: https://vet.ucalgary.ca/contact-us/maria 

Google scholar: https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=z85KvpwAAAAJ&hl=es&oi=ao

Social Media links: 

X: @mariaceballosb    
Mastodon: @mariacceballos
Instagram: @animalwelbe 

Academic Collaborators Mentioned:

Dr. Berardo Rodriguez, Ph.D.  Professor, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia 

Dr. Juliana Zapata, Ph.D. Professor, Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia

The late Dr. Ariel Tarazona, Professor of animal welfare and behaviour, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

MSc Victor Lima, Animal Welfare Consultant

Additional Resources:

Ceballos MC, Sant’Anna AC, Boivin X, Costa FO, Carvalhal MVL, Paranhos da Costa MJR (2018) Impact of good practices of handling training on beef cattle welfare and stockpeople attitudes and behaviors. Livestock Science. (216): 24-31. http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2018.06.019 

Ceballos MC, Sant’Anna AC, Gois KCR, Ferraudo AS, Negrao JA, Paranhos da Costa MJR (2018) Investigating the relationship between human-animal interactions, reactivity, stress response and reproductive performance in Nellore heifers. Livestock Science. (216): 65-75. http://dx.doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.livsci.2018.08.001 

Tarazona AM, Ceballos MC, Broom DM. Human Relationships with Domestic and Other Animals: One Health, One Welfare, One Biology. Animals. 2020; 10(1):43. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani10010043

Zapata-Cardona J, Ceballos MC, Tarazona Morales AM, Jaramillo ED, Rodríguez BJ (2023). Spectro-temporal acoustic elements of music interact in an integrated way to modulate emotional responses in pigs. Scientific Reports: 13, 2994. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-30057-5 

When you think about medicine and animals, what comes to mind?  For a lot of us, we first think of animal testing; clinical trials, lab mice, etc.  But we don’t tend to think so much about the ingredients in our medicines and what animals they come from.  Many common drugs and medicines like blood thinners, treatments for menopause and even vaccines contain pig, horse or chicken byproducts.  In some countries such as several in Asia, some medicines contain products from animals that are endangered such as tigers and rhinos.  Others involve extractions from live animals that can involve considerable pain to animal, damage to its health, and quite horrendous living conditions.  Use of bear bile is one example of this latter category.

 Today, we are going to devote a lot of time to the subject thanks to our guest Dr. Mandala Hunter-Ishikawa.  Mandala is a veterinarian with Animals Asia which is a charity headquartered in Hong Kong that has been working for decades to rescue and rehabilitate bears from the bear bile trade in China and Vietnam.  It aims to end the bear bile trade through awareness, education and rescue efforts.  

Links:

https://www.animalsasia.org

Video of Tuffy, a rescued Moon bear jumping for joy in water for the first time:  https://youtu.be/GN4svy6iGT4

 Fear Free Pets:  https://fearfreepets.com

Social Media links: 

https://www.instagram.com/animalsasia

https://www.facebook.com/AnimalsAsia

https://www.youtube.com/user/HKAAF?feature=watch

https://twitter.com/AnimalsAsia

Happy July everyone!  Our guest today is Dr. Heather Bacon, Dean of the School of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Central Lancashire in the United Kingdom.  Heather has worked internationally on veterinary education and animal welfare projects for over 15 years.  Her experience with and interest in animal welfare issues is so extensive it was difficult to decide on which topic to cover with her today.  In the end, we decided to focus mainly on issues of the health and well-being of captive wildlife, specifically those in zoos and aquaria.  

 Heather will talk about the five domains of animal welfare and how they underpin several frameworks around the world for treatment of zoo and aquarium animals.  You may recall I did an episode on that subject almost a year ago.  That episode is called Feeling Groovy – the Five Domains of Animal Welfare.  If you haven’t already done so you may want to check it out.

Heather also makes some compelling comments about importance of human interaction with animals, particularly for animals in zoos and aquaria.  Enjoy!

Links:

https://www.uclan.ac.uk/schools/veterinary-medicine

Recommendations of books, publications:  

https://www.routledge.com/One-Welfare-in-Practice-The-Role-of-the-Veterinarian/Stephens/p/book/9780367904067

 https://www.cabidigitallibrary.org/doi/book/10.1079/9781789247237.0000

 https://www.mdpi.com/2076-2615/8/7/103

 https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/10888705.2021.2012784

Social Media links: 

@UCLanvets (twitter), 

@AW_Vet (personal twitter), 

@UCLan Veterinary Medicine (facebook)

Today we are exploring the world of domestic cat behaviour. Chances are either you have a cat in your family or you know someone who does.  There are around 400 million cats in households around the globe.  We humans have long had a fascination with these beautiful creatures dating back to ancient Egypt.  It is estimated that cats have been domestic pets for 12,000 years.  And yet, in many respects, they remain a mystery to us.

 Our guest is going to help us deepen our understanding of cat behaviour.  Nicky Trevorrow, behaviour manager in the Veterinary Department of Cats Protection, the largest UK charity for rescuing and placing cats for adoption.  Nicky’s role at Cats Protection is to implement the charity’s strategy to promote feline behaviour and welfare. She is a registered veterinary nurse. She holds a BSc (Hons) degree in Animal Behaviour. She also undertook an Advanced Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Therapy from the Centre of Applied Pet Ethology and a Postgraduate Diploma in Companion Animal Behaviour Counselling from the University of Southampton. Nicky is a full member of the Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors and a Registered Clinical Animal Behaviourist through the Animal Behaviour & Training Council (ABTC). The ABTC seeks to promote humane practices in animal training and behaviour therapy by setting and maintaining standards of knowledge and skills for practitioners in animal training and behaviour.  We will leave links to those organizations in our show notes if you would like to learn more about them.

 And please check out Cats Protection’s Youtube channel for lots of great content to help you understand the cats in your life.

Links:

Cats.org.uk

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/@catsprotection

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/catsprotection/

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/catsprotection

Association of Pet Behaviour Counsellors: https://www.apbc.org.uk

Animal Behaviour and Training Council: https://abtc.org.uk  

Today, we are talking about the impact of non-native and invasive wildlife when they are introduced into an environment.  What effect can they have on native wildlife and the ecosystem on which they rely.  Today’s guest is Paul Evans, a Science Writer and Outreach Coordinator at Croc Docs, a University of Florida team of biologists, ecological modelers, and outreach specialists conducting research in south Florida and the Caribbean.  As you can tell by the name Croc Docs, this scientific group has a special focus on crocodilian (alligators and crocodiles).  They are doing important research on native wildlife in south Florida as well as in the Caribbean.  They are helping address the challenge of non-native species that have been introduced into the environment, usually because they were kept as pets and either escaped or were released into the wild.  Some non-native species are invasive, like the speckled Caiman which is a type of crocodile indigenous to central and south America.  These Caimans can have devastating effects on the environment and the native wildlife of Florida.  Another highly destructive invasive species is the Argentine tegu, a type of large lizard which poses a serious threat to many native species like the American alligator, sea turtles and ground nesting birds.  Paul gives us insights into how these species were introduced to the area, what the Croc Docs are doing to address the challenges they pose and he will share a little bit about what people can do to help stop the spread of these and other invasive species.

Links:

Website links:  https://crocdoc.ifas.ufl.edu 

Social Media links: 

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/TheCrocDocs

Twitter: http://twitter.com/TheCrocDocs 

Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/theCrocDocs 

Other Mentioned Links and Resources:  

I’ve Got 1 -  App for Apple or Android: https://www.eddmaps.org/florida/report/ 

Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission:  https://myfwc.com.  

Today we are exploring the healing power of connecting with animals.  You have probably heard of programs in hospitals and nursing homes where animals, typically dogs, are brought in to interact with patients.  The human-animal engagement has been found to be highly beneficial for many people and can help combat depression, anxiety and loneliness.  Dogs are also employed at some airports to help reduce anxiety in passengers who are afraid to fly.  But human-animal interaction can also be a form of therapy for dealing with significant trauma such as PTSD.  And, what is not discussed as frequently is that the benefits of the interaction can help heal animals of trauma as much as it does humans.

 Our guest today is Dr. Genie Joseph, the Executive Director of The Human-Animal Connection, a US non-profit organization dedicated to changing the way humanity relates to animals.  Her organization brings people and therapy animals together for the benefit of both. They offer a variety of therapy programs including free therapy dog visits to veterans, Active Duty, Health Care Providers, and anyone experiencing stress in the field of Service to Others.  They also provide  educational classes and zoom sessions to help people deepen their connection to animals, increase empathy, and facilitate cross-species communication.  One of them is the Canines Teach Compassion which s a program for high school students that combines social skills and resilience training with animal interaction.  

 Genie is an Emmy Award-winning filmmaker, an author, a dog trainer and consultant on relationships between people and animals, and as you will hear a very dynamic speaker.  She is the creator of The Act Resilient Method of therapy which works with therapy animals.  She authored a book on the subject called The Act Resilient Method.  She has presented using that method to over 4,000 Service Members and their families, and for her work, she received a Volunteer Service Award from then President Barack Obama.  Her team at Tripler Army Medical Center was given a National Award for Workplace Resilience from the American Psychological Association.  Her latest endeavour is her new book entitled The Human Animal Connection: Deepening Relationships with Animals and Ourselves.

 In this episode, Genie will discuss the benefits of connection between people and animals for both, her work with service personnel, high school students and rescue animals, her own rescue dog Sophia, and how we can all improve our interactions with our pets.  And much more!

Links:

Website links:  https://thehumananimalconnection.org 

 
Social Media links: 

Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumanAnimal2

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWvWUghDeo_kMViWDPNnvQQ 

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/thehumananimalconnection/

Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/TheHACOfficial/ 

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thehumananimalconnection/ 

Other Mentioned Links:  

HABRI: Human Animal Bond Research Institute.  https://habri.org 

The Canine Campus Connection book.  https://www.amazon.com/Canine-Campus-Connection-Students-Directions-Human-Animal/dp/1612496482 

Today’s guest is Patti Ragan, founder and president of the Center for Great Apes in southcentral Florida.  The Center is a sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees, many of whom were in the entertainment industry.  Others were personal pets or research subjects.  It is currently home to 27 orangutans and 42 chimpanzees and is the only accredited sanctuary for orangutans in North America.  A couple of the most well-known residents are Bubbles, a chimpanzee once owned by Michael Jackson and Sandra, an orangutan who, through a legal challenge in Argentina, is the first in the world to be legally recognized as having personhood rights.  We talked about some of the legal cases that have brought around recognizing the legal rights of non-human animals in episode 14 Animals in the News so you might want to check that out and we will say more about that in future episodes. 

 Patti gives us a great overview of orangutans and chimps as ape species and she shares stories of some of the residents at the Center.  She also provides details regarding the extraordinary facility she and her team of staff and volunteers have created over the past 30 years.  Further, she gives us reason to be hopeful for the day when centers such as hers are no longer required because there will no longer be captive great apes needing sanctuary.  

Links:

 Website link:
 https://centerforgreatapes.org

 Social Media links: 

https://www.facebook.com/CenterForGreatApes

https://twitter.com/CFGA

https://www.youtube.com/user/Centerforgreatapes

https://www.instagram.com/centerforgreatapes/

Other Mentioned Links:  

 Sandra’s court decision in Argentina:  

https://www.animallaw.info/case/orangutana-sandra-s-habeas-corpus

 Tommy’s court decision in New York:
https://www.animallaw.info/case/people-ex-rel-nonhuman-rights-project-inc-v-lavery

We know a great deal about cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises) thanks to the remarkable work of scientists all over the world.  They have been studied in their natural habitat as well as in captivity.  As a result, scientists have identified the significant adverse consequences cetaceans experience in captivity in aquariums and other facilities.  Their captivity is usually just for the purpose of entertaining us humans and to make profit for a few people. 

Our guest today is world renowned neuroscientist Dr. Lori Marino.  Lori is an expert in animal behaviour and intelligence, particularly marine mammals held in captivity.  She is the President and co-founder of the Whale Sanctuary Project, a science-based non-profit organization working to end the exploitation of whales and dolphins and creating sanctuaries for those who have been in captivity.  The Whale Sanctuary Project is currently preparing a sanctuary site in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia.  Lori will explain the physical, psychological and mental harms experienced by cetaceans in captivity and the work the Whale Sanctuary Project is doing to create sanctuaries for captive cetaceans so they can live out the rest of their lives in a healthy way.

If you follow the news, you may have noticed that the number of stories involving whales and dolphins have been increasing.  Unfortunately, many of these stories are sad ones, like the report of almost 500 pilot whales being found dead after being beached on an island in New Zealand.  Scientists are still trying to understand the cause of that tragedy.  Or the many stories of whales and dolphins getting caught in ghost fishing gear left behind by the fishing industry.  But there are also many wonderous stories of our interaction with whales, dolphins and porpoises.  Like the group of dolphins who protected swimmers in New Zealand from a great white shark.  Or the stories of humpback whales saving seals and others mammals from orcas.  These animals are intelligent, complex beings with language, culture, and social skills. 

We know a great deal about cetaceans the order of marine mammals that includes (whales, dolphins and porpoises) thanks to the remarkable work of scientists all over the world.  They have been studied in their natural habitat as well as in captivity.  As a result, scientists have identified the significant adverse consequences cetaceans experience in captivity.  Their captivity is usually for the sole purpose of entertaining us humans and to make some people some money. 

Our guest today is world renowned neuroscientist Dr. Lori Marino.  Lori is an expert in animal behaviour and intelligence, particularly marine mammals held in captivity.  She is the President and co-founder of the Whale Sanctuary Project, a science-based non-profit organization working to end the exploitation of whales and dolphins and creating sanctuaries for those who have been in captivity.  The Whale Sanctuary Project is currently preparing a sanctuary site in Port Hilford, Nova Scotia.  Lori has appeared in several films and television programs, including the 2013 documentary Blackfish about killer whale captivity, Unlocking the Cage, the 2016 documentary on the Nonhuman Rights Project, and Long Gone Wild, the 2019 documentary that picks up where Blackfish left off.

Lori will explain the physical, psychological and mental harms experienced by cetaceans in captivity and will talk about the work the Whale Sanctuary Project is doing to create sanctuaries for captive cetaceans so they can live out the rest of their lives in a healthy way.

Links:

Website: The Whale Sanctuary Project

Social Media:

https://www.facebook.com/whalesanc

How do we know when an animal is experiencing acute pain?  As it turns out, for at least some animals like felines, a good indicator of their experience of pain can be seen in their faces.  As we humans wince or grimace when we experience pain, so do cats.  Our guest today is Dr. Paulo Steagall.  Dr. Steagall and a team of researchers working at his laboratory at the Université de Montréal veterinary teaching hospital developed the Feline Grimace Scale (www.felinegrimacescale.com), an amazing tool for assessing acute pain in cats.  This user-friendly assessment tool assists veterinary practitioners around the world in diagnosing and treating pain in cats.  But it is also helpful for those with pet cats in identifying acute pain so that proper veterinary care can be sought. 

Dr. Steagall is a Professor of Veterinary Anesthesiology and Pain Management at the City University of Hong Kong and the Université de Montréal. He is a board-certified specialist of the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia and Analgesia and received his degree in veterinary medicine in his native country of Brazil. He is the head of a clinical research laboratory dedicated to improving pain management and animal welfare with cutting-edge research in pain assessment.  Dr. Steagall and a team of researchers working at his laboratory at the Université de Montréal veterinary teaching hospital developed the Feline Grimace Scale (www.felinegrimacescale.com), an amazing tool for assessing acute pain in cats.  Among other involvements, he is a member of the World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) Global Pain Council, and co-chair of the WSAVA Therapeutic Guidelines Group.  He has published and lectured extensively on pain management and is the author of the book “Feline Anesthesia and Pain Management”. 

Links:

Website: www.felinegrimacescale.com

Social Media: https://www.linkedin.com/in/paulo-steagall-3481291a5/

Recommendations:  https://www.felinegrimacescale.com/more-about-our-work