Defender Radio: The Podcast For Wildlife Advocates And Animal Lovers

Every day, life happens around us: from viruses multiplying to humans launching rockets into space - the need for growth forces change. Yet despite these clearly understood needs, we often have difficulty understanding the millions of lives surrounding our own. The quest to understand what animals think and feel is one that may never be complete; but there are ways for us to understand what motivates them and why it is important to work to ensure their protection. On the west coast, thousands of people are working to protect grizzly bears – apex predators essential to the survival of ecosystems. Included in those ranks are professional bear guides from the Coastal First Nations who want hunters to take a shot – but with cameras instead of guns. We’ll be joined by expert bear guide Douglas Neasloss who explains what the Great Bear Initiative means and how it may save the bears of the west coast. Out east, tragedy struck Moncton as three RCMP officers were killed and others injured when a madman opened fire u

We’re celebrating beavers this week and asking you to become a beaver believer. We’re happy to bring you two great beaver stories. First up is Simon Jones of the Scottish Wildlife Trust. Simon joined us from across the pond to talk about the reintroduction of Eurasian beavers to an area of Scotland after a 300-year absence. We’ll also be talking with Sarah Koenigsberg, who is producing and crowd-sourcing a film about beavers and their role in ecosystems and climate change. The film is aptly titled, Beaver Believers. An update on our 2014 Ontario Beaver Tour is also to be heard on this episode.  

We’re all about Marcy this week. Marcy Potter is our newest team member at APFA, our Office and Database Administrator. She is an animal advocate, trained rehabilitator and an absolute machine at organizing our office, our databases and, frankly, all of us. Marcy joined Defender Radio recently to talk about her past, her future and what people need to know about finding wildlife near their homes.

This week we’re celebrating victories across North America. We’ll hear from Sheryl Fink of the International Fund for Animal Welfare who will explain why the World Trade Organization upheld a European Union ban on the importation of Canadian seal products – and what that means for Canada and our seals. Then we’ll be talking with Tara Zuardo of the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., who will share her experiences protecting North Carolina’s red wolves from coyote hunters. We're also thanking sponsors from two recent events - one in Calgary (Celebration of Wildlife:photographers Jason Bantle, John Marriott and Kerri Martin, along with Alberta Skydivers and White Lotus Jewellery) and one in Vancouver (Discover Dogs presents a Fur-Bearer Mingler: artists Adelle Airey, Vicki Lynn Rae, Tracey Tomtene, Jesse Toso and Rod Preston as well as thank Discover Dogs, the Vancouver Canadians, Just Beef and Nothing But, The Honest Kitchen and Zimt Artisan Chocolates).  

For nearly 80 years, The Association for the Protection of Fur-Bearing Animals has tried to find ways to stop the use of fur and end trapping. While many of our traditional methods – letter-writing, campaigning, advertising and others – have worked well in many areas, our co-existence program has yielded the greatest results. The concept of co-existence stems from understanding the wildlife in an ecosystem and finding steps that can help prevent conflict. This week, we’re hearing from two experts. First up is Adrian Nelson, my colleague at APFA who is also our urban wildlife conflict manager. For the last several years, Adrian has headed up our Living With Wildlife beavers campaign to great success – and he’ll be sharing how the program works and what you can do to get involved. Following Adrian will be Sara Dubois, Chief Scientific Officer at the BC SPCA who will discuss a recent study out of Africa illustrating that not only is co-existence better for the environment and animals, but better for the econom

The Ontario spring bear hunt has begun. After a long battle, advocates have been unable to reverse the government’s vote-grabbing plan to open up the hunt, which was closed more than a decade ago. The reason the hunt was ended was simple:  bear cubs were being orphaned by the hundreds. But in a desperate bid to please northern voters, Minister of Natural Resources David Orazietti ignored his own department’s scientific reports and launched a pilot project of the hunt, which began on May 1. In past episodes, we’ve learned why the original hunt was cancelled and what the possible repercussions could be if it was reinstated. Now we’re learning what is being done to prepare for those repercussions. We’ll be hearing from Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Sanctuary, where many bear cubs – if found in time – will go to be rehabilitated, raised and eventually released into the wild. We’ll then talk with Julie Woodyer from Zoocheck Canada, who is part of an initiative to encourage residents of Northern Ontario to report

One year ago a small budget documentary was premiered at the HotDocs film festival in Toronto. The film followed the journey of a photographer – Jo-Anne McArthur – as she explored the exploitation of animals in modern society. In the year that passed, The Ghosts in Our Machine has become a staple in the work of advocates everywhere. With harrowing – yet not gruesome - scenes inside factory farms and fur farms, Ghosts is a powerful yet palatable look into a world many try to ignore.  To celebrate this one year landmark and the release of The Ghosts on DVD and the iTunes Store, Jo-Anne McArthur joined Defender Radio for a candid conversation.

On April 12, APFA converged on Calgary, Alberta to host A Celebration of Wildlife. Nearly 100 wildlife lovers joined us at the Hotel Alma at the University of Calgary for this half-day event, which featured experts from across the province. Included in that list was Predator-Friendly Rancher Louise Liebenberg and the University of Calgary’s Dr. Shelley Alexander. In this week’s Special Report we’re bringing you highlights from the presentations of these two leaders. More from the event can be found on the Celebration of Wildlife page, including videos, by clicking here.

This week we’re continuing to look at the subject of humane education with one of the biggest names in the business: Zoe Weil of the Institute for Humane Education. The co-founder and president of the Institute for Humane Education, Zoe is an award-winning author of six books, educator and speaker. She designed the graduate certificate programs for the Institute of Humane Education and is noted by many as a leader in the field of animal welfare and education. We recently spoke with Zoe about her work at the Institute of Humane Education, the importance of humane education in today’s world, and how it can improve not just animal welfare, but the quality of life for everyone.  

This week’s episode is the first of many to come that will focus on a subject of the utmost importance to us – humane education. Compassion and respect for animals is something that is taught and learned. The lessons we all have learned on our own journeys to understanding stem from somewhere, be it classrooms, books, movies or even podcasts like this one. In episodes throughout the coming months, we will be taking a look at how humane education can grow, impact our society and why it matters. To kick off this ongoing theme we’re taking an adventure to the past. The National Museum of Animals and Society opened their doors last year in Los Angeles California. Executive Director and Founder Carolyn Mullin will speak to the history of the museum, its foundations and how it will help create a more humane world. We’ll also be hearing from Dr. Keri Cronin, a professor of visual arts and art history at Brock University. Dr. Cronin is the curator of an online exhibit at the National Museum of Animals and Society tit

A hot topic these days is the BC government’s wolf management plan. Or, more particularly, it’s the lack of information about the plan. This week we’ll hear from two people who have followed this story closely. Up first is Andrew MacLeod, a reporter with online news magazine The Tyee. Andrew filed numerous Freedom of Information Act requests with the BC government to find the facts behind the wolf management plan – and was shut down repeatedly. Then we’ll talk with Sadie Parr, the advocate behind Just Beings, who has numerous projects in British Columbia and western Canada and works towards understanding and coexistence with wolves. Please remember while you listen to this episode that the government has still not released their plan and many questions remain unanswered.

We’re always trying to discover new ways to spread our message – whether it’s to go fur-free, coexist or simply be more compassionate. This week we’re chatting with two people who are working toward similar goals with different approaches. We’ll hear from Kim Elmslie, Communications and Advocacy Manager for The Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, who will chat with us about their upcoming National Animal Welfare Conference in Toronto. Then we’ll talk with recording artist Gaiaisi, a supporter who was inspired by one of our campaigns and wrote a song – for which he also created a music video – about the fur industry. Recently it was added to Upworthy and is quickly gaining popularity.

Animal Advocacy Camp is a two-day 'un-conference' that will bring together advocates of all volitions to support, share and learn together on March 22 and 23. In episode 123, Defender Radio interviews Animal Advocacy Camp host Glenn Gaetz, who explains how he developed the conference, who will be speaking and what guests can expect. We also hear from Sara Dubois of the BC SPCA, who is slated as a speaker at the conference. Sara will explore her new position of Chief Scientific Officer at the BC SPCA and give our audience an idea of what she will be presenting during her time at the conference. APFA is a proud supporter of Animal Advocacy Camp and encourages all our members to attend if they're available. To learn more about the event, visit animaladvocacycamp.ca.

This week we’re taking a break from wildlife news to bring you information on a disease spreading from coast to coast to coast in our great nation. SLAPP suits. Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation are plaguing traditional and new media and stand as major threat to freedom of speech and all social movements. We have two guests who will help us bring awareness about this disturbing legal trend. Cara Zwibel of the Canadian Civil Liberties Association will discuss the ins and outs of SLAPP suits from a legal point of view and Dylan Powell of Marineland Animal Defense will share his story of facing a multi-million dollar suit and how supporters can help fight back.

We’re going to be focusing on conservation this week, taking a look at two areas that are of regular interest and importance to us and our membership. First up in our interviews is Rob Laidlaw of Zoocheck Canada, who will take us through a discourse of the role zoos play in species conservation following a report on The Public Library of Science indicating that zoos just aren’t doing their part. Then we’ll be hearing from Heidi Perryman of the Give A Dam website who will be telling us how beavers she helped to protect in Martinez, California nearly a decade ago are now keeping an entire ecosystem thriving while the rest of the state suffers through drought conditions.

This week’ we’re focusing on predators with two internationally-recognized scientists, Dr. John Laundre of Oswego University in New York and Dr. Euan Ritchie of Deakin University in Australia. Between these two professors, the clear case for protecting predators not just at home, but around the world, will be made clear and our listeners will learn what they can do to help. We'll also update you on our first advertising campaign of 2014.  

This week we’re taking a look at bears, with interviews outlining two different and unfortunate circumstances. First, Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us Sanctuary and Rehabilitation joins Defender Radio to update us on the return of the Ontario spring bear hunt, what it means for bears in the province and what every single one of us can do. Following that, we’ll hear from Bev McMullen, a photographer who was both eyewitness and ultimately the avenger of a bear who was beaten to near-death with a rock in Northern Ontario. The bear was later found, unfortunately deceased. But thanks to the photographs Bev was able to snap, a man is now facing charges. We’ll also be joined by Brad Gates of Gates Wildlife Control to answer one of the most common questions raised during wildlife conflict in the home.  

This week, we’re taking a look at a single incident which has captured the eyes of the world: a wolf whose leg was caught and nearly severed by a legal snare in northern Ontario. Paula Tough, a resident in a small town north of Huntsville and bordering Algonquin Park, came across the wolf, who was severely injured and in a snare. While many others passed by and did nothing, Paula refused to give up; she went home and got supplies to free and transport the female wolf and assisted in getting her into the care of Aspen Valley Wildlife Sanctuary. The story first came to light in a local paper. When APFA was contacted by Paula, we posted a blog. That blog has now been read thousands of times and shared around the world. Paula, a registered nurse and mother, joins us now to share her harrowing tale.

It may be warm and sunny on the west coast, but throughout much of Canada and the United States it’s howling cold – so we’re taking this opportunity to make a bad pun and bring you an episode exploring our relationships with coyotes. We have interviews with some great experts this week, including Phil Carter of Animal Protection of New Mexico; Lesley Sampson of Coyote Watch Canada; and Professor Sara Waller from the University of Montana. We’ll also be presenting a new segment of wild in the city with Brad Gates of Gates Wildlife Control. We're also proud to bring you news of our recent trip to Cornwall, Ontario.

At APFA we spend a lot of time behind the scenes, working with municipalities, providing literature to other groups and individuals and being animal advocacy ninjas, in general. Sometimes it feels like our work is a little underwhelming – we don’t have huge victories to celebrate, as the political machines of Canada are slow to move. But every day we do see change – big and small – and it’s time for us to celebrate that. This week we’re speaking with some friends, supporters and partners who have affected real change in the world around them and hope that it will serve as a reminder that every single voice can create change. Joining us this week are Jasmin and Mariann from Our Hen House; Danielle Legg, whose petition convinced Willie Nelson to cancel his SeaWorld show; Jasmine Polsinelli, whose anti fur campaign saw real results; and Sarah, a long-time member whose discovery of fur in the workplace led to a success.