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Animal Voices Podcast by Lauren Corman

Steven passed away in 1997 but his words remain the foundation for why Animal Voices exists today.

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J.E., February 17, 2006
Reviewer: J.E. from Chicago, Illinois

The Animal Voices podcast keeps listeners informed of the latest happenings in the world of animal rights advocacy. The show usually starts off with a brief reading of animal rights news, and then moves on to an interview with someone involved with the cause.

I like animals well enough and I am interested in seeing them receive fair and humane treatment, but I don't consider myself an activist. So some of these topics were a bit "out there" for me. For example, one show included a discussion with someone from an organization that is fighting to grant great apes some of the same basic legal protection currently reserved only for humans.

On the whole, though, I think this podcast has a great purpose, so I'm willing to listen again. If you feel strongly about animal rights, you will definitely want to subscribe to this one.

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Vegan Muscle Power

animalvoices@gmail.com (Animal Voices)
Tue, Jan 15, 2008

Photos from: veganmusclepower.org

To some, the idea of an herbivorous bodybuilder might seem laughable, but Kenneth Williams is living proof that mass and veganism can go hand-in-hand. Tune in to learn the surprising story of how he became vegan, and the even more surprising story of how he started bodybuilding. Also, Evelyn Molina-Williams talks about how she overcame a serious health issue through nutrition and exercise. Starting from a place of compassion not only toward animals, but also toward their own bodies, Evelyn and Kenneth are passionate about a holistic approach to diet and exercise. Peek into the fridges and hearts of these role-models, who seem to enjoy outreach just as much as (or maybe even more than) their leafy greens and amaranth. (And yes, we ask the question on every skeptic's mind: But where do you get your protein?)

News links:

• European seal product bans 'a crisis': industry group
• Have you herd? Anxious farmer waits for the cows to come home
• Quitting meat

Maggy. Photo from Best Friends Network.

Animals on their way from Beirut to Utah. Photo from BETA.

Seasoned traveller Sarah Kramer invites you to share your favourite recipes from How it All Vegan, The Garden of Vegan, and La Dolce Vegan, for her upcoming cute and compact travel book. In this fun interview, we peek into Vegan A Go-Go, and hear Sarah's essential tips for the road.

Then we connect with Maggy (Marguerite Shaarawi) from Beirut for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. In this moving conversation, Maggy tells us about a cat they rescued, literally right as we ended our interview in 2006. We also learn what it's like to fly over the Atlantic with three hundred animals (they definitely don't fit under the seat), and how BETA keeps hope alive in the midst of political instability and violence.

Click to watch the short video "From Beirut to Best Friends - BETA - In Their Own Words".

News links:

• Animal-human embryo research is approved
• Chefs' New Goal: Looking Dinner in the Eye
• Tiger-attack victim admits taunting animal at San Francisco Zoo

"The White Bone is an attempt, however presumptuous, to make a huge imaginative leap — to imagine what it would be like to be that big and gentle, to be that imperiled, and to have that prodigious a memory. It may well be true, by the way, that elephants never forget." - Barbara Gowdy

Gowdy argues that, if animals have emotions and consciousness (and ethological research confirms this), then animals likely have stories. The White Bone tells the story of Mud, a young orphaned elephant, and her adoptive family as they roam sub-Saharan Africa in search of the "Safe Place," free from human violence. Mistakenly grouped with works such as Animal Farm, Gowdy's story sharply departs from the fabulist tradition, which uses animal behaviour to highlight human folly. Instead, in this unusual piece of adult fiction, Gowdy draws upon her extensive research on elephants to construct a narrative from their perspectives. Tender, yet unsentimental, the result is a text that both compels and shocks.

In our conversation, prized Canadian author Barbara Gowdy shares the motivations and techniques involved in writing such a startling book. Tune in to hear one of Canada's most prized writers discuss literature, ethics, and the animals who inspire her.

Gowdy is an award-winning author whose previous books include The Romantic, The White Bone, Mister Sandman, We So Seldom Look on Love, Falling Angels, and most recently, Helpless. In 1996, she won the Marian Engel Award. She has been a finalist for the Commonwealth Writers' Prize and a repeat finalist for the Giller Prize, the Governor General's Award, the Trillium Award and the Rogers Writers' Trust Fiction prize.

News links:

• Chips could put lab rats out of work
• Rethinking the Meat-Guzzler

Photo by Jeremy M. Lange. Source: porchlifeproductions.com

Meat-eating is a ubiquitous practice through many parts of the world. While vegetarians are frequently asked why they eschew animal products, it is less likely to hear omnivores reflect on their dietary choices. Eleni Vlachos, with camera in hand and judgement reserved, takes to the streets in the United States to talk with activists and non-activists alike about animals, culture, food, and the many factors that shape daily consumption. We also travel with Vlachos to Greece, as she meets with her father and other family to explore these questions in person. What emerges is a set of intimate conversations that are at times funny and bittersweet. Those who have found themselves misunderstood by their families because of their veganism will likely see their experiences reflected in these moving and sympathetic family portraits.

First-time documentarian Eleni Vlachos offers a film whose ethical heart rests at the seat of conversation. Join us as she shares the challenges and rewards of making Seeing Through the Fence.

News links:

• Lawmakers take aim at 'canned hunts'
• Protests free monkeys from cages
• Yogurt maker Dannon sued over probiotic claims
• Bombers strike markets in Baghdad, kill 91

A sequence of photos by Eadweard Muybridge, 1887.

Rather than predetermined and fixed, the categories "human" and "animal" are in flux. In this interview, Akira Lippit talks about how notions of humanity and animality are tightly bound together. Tracing the disappearance of animals from various ecospheres and the simultaneous appearance of animals in cinema (among other technological media), Lippit explores the figure of the animal within the context of modernity. Understood as without language and thus unable to conceptualize death, Western thought strangely maintains that animals cannot die. Turning a critical eye to the expression, "It's only an animal," the interview concludes with an analysis of violence against humans and animals during modernity. Given the weight of history, Lippit responds to the question, is resistance and agency possible? If so, how?

Original air date: October 11, 2005

Lauren: "Years ago, an irate university student accused me, a new vegetarian, of "being worse than meat-eaters because [I] steal the cows' food!" Even at the time his logic seemed a little faulty. Thankfully, with the help of folks like Danielle Nierenberg, a research associate with the World Watch Institute, we're all a lot more educated about world food systems."

We discuss Nierenberg's recent report Happier Meals: Rethinking the Global Meat Industry, which addresses the devastating effects of factory farming on the industrialized and "developing" world. If you've ever been curious about how widespread factory farming has become or what animal issues have to do with globalization, this will be the show for you. From the health, ecological, and humane issues associated with factory farming, we've got it covered.

Then, we'll hear from Adam Weissman from Freegan.info. Adam will discuss the philosophy of freeganism and living as a freegan. What does consumption, capitalism, and First World affluence have to do with animals? According to Adam, quite a bit.

Russell (left) and Fawcett (right)

In this lively panel discussion, colleagues and friends Dr. Leesa Fawcett and Dr. Constance (Connie) Russell reflect on environmental education, critical pedagogy, and the rise of "human-animal studies." Russell (whose research interests include animal-related ecotourism) and Fawcett (whose research interests include animal consciousness and cultures) offer their personal and professional experiences to highlight questions related to advocacy, classroom dynamics, feminism and ideological shifts in the Academy. Never satisfied with simple answers, these interdisciplinary scholars bring a sense of humility to their work to offer complex and ethically-informed analyses of human-animal relationships. Notably, too, as mentors to the current host of Animal Voices, both Russell and Fawcett have greatly influenced the direction of the radio program.

Connie Russell is co-editor of the Canadian Journal of Environmental Education and an Associate Professor in the Faculty of Education at Lakehead University.

Leesa Fawcett is an Associate Professor of Environmental Studies at York University. In 2001, she received the University-Wide Teaching Award for Teaching Excellence from the York University Senate Committee on Teaching and Learning and the York Parents Association.

News links:

• South Africa removes elephant cull ban

Isa Chandra Moskowitz (left) and Terry Hope Romero (right). Author photo from the Veganomicon, taken by Evan McGraw.

1924 - Penniless Sci-Fi author H.P. Lovecraft writes his first story that includes the Necronomicon (book of the dead), a book of spells and incantations designed for protecting yourself from malevolent intergalactic space creatures. His stories don't become famous until after he dies, but many future generations of geeky teens are enthralled by Lovecraft's paranoid and supernatural musings.

2008 - Isa Chandra Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero bring forth the Veganomicon, a book of culinary spells and delicious incantations designed for protecting yourself from vegan cooking boredom. Luckily for us, they are still alive and will be joining us this week to talk about their latest vegan bible. If Vegan with a Vengeance was just enough to whet your appetite, and if Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World filled your belly with cake-y goodness, you won't want to miss this interview with New York's vegan queens. Tune in to hear about cooking, community, and Terry's biblical carob moment.

News links:

• 1,270 birds destroyed after raid on B.C. cockfighting ring
• From wheat to meat: cattle producers anxious over jumping grain prices
• Compassionate Campaigners: How animal voters are shaping the 2008 presidential election

"Grace happens when we act with others on behalf of our world." - Joanna Macy

Please join us for a much anticipated conversation with Dr. Joanna Macy. Widely recognized as a scholar of Buddhism, general systems theory, and deep ecology, Macy is less well-known as a proponent of animal issues and veganism. On this program, we'll explore some of the philosophical ideas and practical insights offered through this beloved mentor's engaged teachings, including their relevance to animals.

A vocal critic of industrial growth society, Macy will describe her understanding of the Great Turning, "the essential adventure of our time: the shift from the Industrial Growth Society to a life-sustaining civilization." For those who despair in the face of so many environmental and social crises, she encourages, "don't be afraid of the anguish you feel, or the anger or fear, for these responses arise from the depth of your caring and the truth of your interconnectedness with all beings. To suffer with is the literal meaning of compassion". Through decades of activism within the ecology, justice, and peace movements, Macy's interdisciplinary "work that reconnects" remains deeply grounded, and infused with profound gratitude.

Joanna Macy is the author of numerous books, such as Despair and Personal Power in the Nuclear Age (1983); Dharma and Development (1985); Thinking Like a Mountain (with John Seed, Pat Fleming, and Arne Naess; 1988); Mutual Causality in Buddhism and General Systems Theory (1991); World as Lover, World as Self (1991); Rilke's Book of Hours (1996, 2005); In Praise of Mortality (2004) (with Anita Barrows); Coming Back to Life: Practices to Reconnect Our Lives, Our World (with Molly Young Brown, New Society Publishers, 1998), and a memoir Widening Circles (2000).

Source: Humane Society of the United States / ABC News

At the top of hour, we connect with Cyrus Showkati from Canadians for Effective Animal Cruelty Legislation, a coalition that is raising awareness about the weaknesses of Bill S-203. A bogus piece of legislation, argues the coalition, Bill S-203 is set to pass in Parliament in April. Not only does the proposed bill not go far enough to address animal cruelty, but CEACL also claims that it could actually distract attention from the real problem and from creating meaningful change. (Shockingly, Canada's animal cruelty legislation has not been updated since 1892!)

For our feature interview, Gary Patronek explains animal hoarding, a term he coined in 1997. Patronek, who founded the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium (HARC), has worked with colleagues for over ten years to understand this disturbing psychological and social phenomenon. Tune in to hear about what compels people to hoard, the different types of hoarders, and what can be done to help both the animals and humans involved.

Still strikingly under-researched by the academic and medical communities, animal hoarding largely remains misunderstood by the public, as those who hoard are often demonized, or understood as simply loving animals too much. As Patronek discusses, the HARC research suggests a nuanced account of this difficult problem.

Original air dates: March 15 2005, April 19 2005, April 11 2006, and March 27 2007.

This show re-presents interviews about the seal hunt with Rebbeca Aldworth of the Humane Society of the United States, Captain Paul Watson of the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, Cathy Kangas of PRAI Beauty, and activists from ARK II, Wild at Heart, and the Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition.

Photo © kevindooley

A huge thank you to everyone who donated during the Spring "Friends of 89.5" fundraising drive. During each drive, most spoken word programmers struggle to achieve their minimum membership quotas, us included. Fortunately, since '96, people like you have helped the program flourish.

As an exclusively volunteer-run show, we strive to bring you quality and compelling programming. As you know, Animal Voices works at the intersections of the animal, environmental, and social justice movements, bridging activism and scholarship, while highlighting topics often neglected and views little known. Many hours each week are spent researching, organizing, and producing original content.

There are so few public forums for people to exchange ideas about animals in a critical way; community radio is one of the only places that animal issues become part of the public landscape. If you missed the opportunity to donate, please hang on to that cash until the next fundraising drive in the Fall. It would be great if we could count on you to help us meet our quota next time. In the meantime, check out the archived program to hear some highlights of the past six months. Thanks for your ongoing support!

© iStockphoto.com / Oliver Anlauf

While the mainstream media tends to frame the Canadian seal hunt as a clash between protesters and supporters, it's easy to forget about the seals' perspectives and experiences, especially those beyond the hunt. In response, today we're speaking with Fred Bruemmer, world-renowned nature photographer and researcher. In this program, we primarily focus on Bruemmer's encounters with Canadian harp seals, as we peek behind the camera to learn more about these animals, and one man's celebration of their lives.

Part natural history, part memoir, Bruemmer's reflections capture a deep affection for animals and an ongoing passion for his work. Tune in to hear about his interactions with seals (and other animals), their remarkable lives, and the nature of his craft.

More about Bruemmer...

Born in Latvia, Bruemmer emigrated to Canada in 1951. Among his many notable accomplishments, Bruemmer was made a Member of the Order of Canada in 1983, an Honorary Doctoral Degree from the University of New Brunswick, and the North American Nature Photography Association Lifetime Award, and other accolades. He has written extensively for a variety of magazines and journals, and has penned over twenty books, including Arctic Memories: Living with the Inuit (1993), The Life of the Harp Seal (1977), Seals in the Wild (1998), and Survival - A Refugee Life (2005).

News links:

• Big dam! Alberta beavers build 850-metre barrier
• Group raises funds for pet neutering
• 7,000 pigs perish in Hutterite barn fire

Tags: Seals

Dr. Haraway with Cayenne. Photo © Rusten Hogness

In this interview we speak with Dr. Donna Haraway about her new book, When Species Meet. Haraway is well-known for her cyborg-related scholarship, through such essays as "A Cyborg Manifesto: Science, Technology, and Socialist-Feminism in the Late Twentieth Century." Though not abandoned, the cyborg now rides sidecar to "companion species," the driving figure in her current work.

Born of real infoldings of flesh, trust, and respect, "companion species" entails lived relations of significant otherness. In her own words, "When Species Meet is about the entanglements of beings in technoculture that work through reciprocal inductions to shape companion species." The book is greatly informed by a cross-species sport called agility. In particular, When Species Meet introduces us to two dogs, Cayenne and Roland, her partners in the practice. Importantly, though, "companion species" also resonates beyond human-dog relationships, and maneuvers through, in, and around all sorts of fascinating terrain.

Donna Haraway is a Professor in the History of Consciousness Department at the University of California, Santa Cruz. She received her Ph.D. in Biology from Yale in 1972. In 2000, Haraway earned the J.D. Bernal Prize, a lifetime achievement award from the Society for Social Studies of Science. A scholar of feminist theory, animal studies, cultural and historical studies of modern science and technology, she is the author of numerous books, such as The Companion Species Manifesto: Dogs, People, and Significant Otherness; Modest_Witness@Second_Millennium. FemaleMan©_Meets_OncoMouse™: Feminism and Technoscience; Simians, Cyborgs, and Women: The Reinvention of Nature; and Primate Visions: Gender, Race, and Nature in the World of Modern Science.

News links:

• Ban hakapiks at seal hunt, premiers tell Ottawa
• PETA's Latest Tactic: $1 Million for Fake Meat

Tags: Companion Animals

photo from Gigliotti's forthcoming edited book, Leonardo's Choice: genetic technologies and animals

As technologies change so does art in its response and engagement. New ethical questions emerge, while old debates are reignited, both about the meaning of art and the world beyond. In this conversation, we speak with artist and professor Dr. Carol Gigliotti (Emily Carr University of Art and Design) about contemporary artists' use of animal life in interactive technologies, also known as New Media. Gigliotti guides us through some case studies, including that of Alba, artist Eduardo Kac's "GFP (green fluorescent protein) Bunny," while she elaborates on her own ethical and aesthetic interpretation of such projects. Informed by years of study and relationships with other artists, Gigliotti deftly challenges New Media's cutting edge as it slices across art and science, social taboos, and animals' lives.

Gigliotti's upcoming book is entitled Wildness and Technology. She is the Co-Chair of the Community Engagement Research Cluster for Vancouver's Center for Interactive Research in Sustainability, and is the Associate Editor of the Journal for Critical Animal Studies. For more information, please see her extensive website www.carolgigliotti.net.

News links:

• Dogs killed because owner on welfare, Sask. tribunal hears
• Mining company gets prospecting permits near Nunavut bird sanctuary
• Group pushes for moratorium on Baffin Bay polar bear hunt
• Wind farm plans changed to protect birds

Tags: Arts & Music

Bob Barker & Frederico

Taimie L. Bryant

Original air date: November 22, 2005

First, Bob Barker, venerable host of The Price Is Right for the past 34 years, explains his motivation for donating 1 million dollars each to the law schools of Stanford, Columbia, Northwestern, Duke, UCLA and Harvard to fund animal rights law courses. A passionate animal advocate, Bob also set up the DJ & T Foundation in honour of his wife, Dorothy Jo, and his mother, Matilda (Tilly) Valandra, to fund low cost spay/neuter clinics and voucher programs as a way to help relieve animal over population.

Then we speak with Taimie L. Bryant, PhD, professor of law at UCLA who has taught classes in animal law since 1995. In 1998, she was the lead drafter of California state legislation to shift animal sheltering from killing to saving lives. More recently, Professor Bryant is utilizing the literature of social justice activism in feminism and disability rights areas in order to inform activism for animals. In particular, she seeks to combine the approaches of radical feminism and social justice activism in her work on animal protection. She is also developing projects that combine social science with law with funds from a generous endowment by Bob Barker to UCLA Law School for the purpose of animal rights law teaching and scholarship.

News links:

• Few survivors after 500 ducks take dip in Alberta oilsands waste
• European retailers join mulesing ban

Tags: Law | Staff Picks

WSPA in Pakistan after an earthquake in 2005. Source: wspa-international.org

Although animals are clearly affected by natural and political disasters, their lives are often not prioritized in relief efforts, while their plight also receives little media coverage. WSPA (World Society for the Protection of Animals) predicts that many animals have already died and countless others are now suffering in the wake of Cyclone Nargis in Burma/Myanmar. In this interview, Project Manager Josey Kitson explains the role of WSPA's emergency response team and what they hope to accomplish once the country's borders open to foreign aid. We hear about the role of the team, their preparations for disaster relief, and the lessons learned from years of experience. (Click here for an update on the situation, and WSPA's efforts.)

News links:

• Calgary Zoo staff shaken by deaths of dozens of stingrays
• No independent review of duck deaths: Alberta
• Pet shop takes a stand, stops selling puppies
• Europe gets bullish on animal rights issues

Tags: Animal Rescues

Ever considered becoming a vet? If so, you may encounter some unexpected ethical dilemmas in your training. In this engaging interview, Dr. Erika Sullivan provides an intimate portrait of her veterinary school experience. An award-winning graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, Sullivan is concerned that many students still choose to practice surgical techniques on live animals. The animals are transported to the college, kept in the students' care, later anesthetized, operated upon, and then killed. Where do the animals come from, and why are healthy animals being "euthanized"? Given that an alternative stream exists, why do the majority of students opt for the regular program? Which program provides the better learning experience? Dr. Sullivan answers these and other questions as we don our scrubs and tour the veterinary classroom. Invaluable to both potential students and the general public, Sullivan's perspective is informed as much by science as compassion.

News links:

• China county orders dog cull after quake

Tags: Animal Experimentation | Dissection

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Photo from Annex Cat Rescue

In our first interview, Barbara Isherwood, a member of the volunteer-run Annex Cat Rescue (ACR), talks about the ins and outs of working with feral cats. We delve into the elusive lives of these animals, the underlying causes of their homelessness, and the creative ways the ACR helps.

With the arrival of spring comes the birth of many kittens, and the need for volunteers grows even greater. From feeding cats for an hour a week, to screening potential adopters, aiding with the Trap-Neuter/Spay-Return (TNR), or making a financial donation, among other useful contributions, the Annex Cat Rescue offers crucial support to thousands of cats who are too often neglected or simply forgotten. Isherwood calls her volunteering with the ACR the most rewarding aspect of her life. Tune in to find out why.

Then, Michelle Cliffe, WSPA's Communications Manager, provides an update about the organization's efforts to help animals affected by Cyclone Nargis in Burma/Myanmar.

News links:

• Vegan preschool builds its own garden
• Monkeys are bred to die of brain disease - As scientists search for cures
• Sharks swim closer to extinction
• Humpbacks make a comeback in Pacific

Tags: Animal Rescues

Photo from strikingattheroots.com, taken by Marji Beach

What happens when you ask one hundred and twenty animal activists their advice about strategy, tactics, and making meaningful change for animals? The answer is Mark Hawthorne's new book Striking at the Roots: A Practical Guide to Animal Activism. Highly readable, Hawthorne's text demystifies advocacy, showing the myriad entry points where people can get effectively involved, from the small-scale to elaborate, from the casual to highly organized. Showcasing the voices of activists, the personable text pulses with infectious enthusiasm. Tune in to hear Hawthorne talk about what surprised him, who inspires him, and where the movement stumbles (and thrives!).

News links:

• B.C. man found guilty of cooking a cat alive
• Class pets facing extinction in Britain
• Utah's Temma Martin has dedicated her life to standing up for pets

Tags: Activist Burnout