While “Talking Animals” consists of multiple elements--including animals news, animal songs, animal comedy, and our quick quiz feature, “Name That Animal Tune”-- the true heart of the show is the interview we conduct with some notable inhabitant of some province of the animal world. This has ranged from such longtime luminaries as Jane Goodall, Wayne Pacelle, Jean-Michel Cousteau, Temple Grandin, Peter Singer, Joyce Pool, Paul Watson, Ric O'Barry and Monty Roberts, to those who run shelters and sanctuaries like Pat Derby  (PAWS/ARK 2000), Tippi Hedren (Shambala Preserve), Gene Baur (The Farm Sanctuary) and Carol Buckley (The Elephant Sanctuary), Dr. Carole Noon (the late Save The Chimps Founder), plus separate interviews with three founders of Best Friends Animal Society; veteran activists like Ingrid Newkirk and Dan Matthews (both of Peta), and Chris DeRose (Last Chance For Animals), Ringling Bros. Whistleblower Tom Rider, as well as veterinarians (like Paw Project Director Dr. Jennifer Conrad), biologists, folks who run rescue organizations, assorted animal experts, and many more.

In other words, our guests tend to be those whose job or main mission is working with--or for--animals. Yet, in trying to reach all the way across the vast landscape of animal people, we’ve also occasionally interviewed well-known musicians, actors, comedians, writers and others who are passionate about animals and animal causes, including Chrissie Hynde, Moby, Janeane Garofalo, Kinky Friedman, Emmylou Harris, Tony La Russa, Richard Belzer, Joan Jett, Eels Singer-Songwriter E, Margaret Cho, John Doe (X, The Knitters, etc), Elayne Boosler, Terry Adams (Former NRBQ Maestro), Bob Barker, Simpson's co-creator Sam Simon, Writer-Comedian Carol Leifer, Dan Piraro ("Bizarro" cartoonist), Greg Ginn (Black Flag), Dog Author Jon Katz, Merrill Markoe (Letterman’s “Stupid Pet Tricks”), NY Times Magazine Writer-Author Charles Siebert, Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), pop wunderkind Nellie McKay--heck, we’ve even interviewed a talking animal on “Talking Animals”: Triumph The Insult Comic Dog.

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