Captain Paul Watson—the founder, president, and executive director of Sea Shepherd Conservation Society, the marine conservation organization he launched in 1977, and whose profile rose dramatically in the wake of the Animal Planet series “Whale Wars”—discusses his recent period of exile in France, and the international legal troubles that led to it. 
Watson explains these troubles involved a highly unusual circumstance: Not one, but two Red Notices (akin to an international arrest warrant) were issued against him, one by Costa Rica and the other by Japan. While exiled, Watson relinquished his duties—or, at least, titles—at Sea Shepherd, but notes he has now resumed roles as president and executive director. He addresses how, 
while he had stepped away, Sea Shepherd has mutated from “an organization to a movement” and as part of that transformation, has diversified and forged partnerships with various entities; some of those alliances allow for the enforcement of laws, whereas Sea Shepherd was previously limited to raising awareness of crimes against marine animals and the environment—and, 
often, disrupting such crimes, like Japanese whaling in the Southern Ocean. Another by-product of Sea Shepherd’s evolution is they’re now undertaking an enormous number of campaigns, almost too many for Watson to keep track of—though he does describe many of them in this interview. He comments on the International Panel on Climate Change’s report, which had been released the day before the interview was recorded, and goes on to compare Trump’s and Trudeau’s track record on environmental policies—making it clear that, for different reasons, he’s no fan of either. Captain Watson will speak at the Tampa Bay Veg Fest, on Nov. 3 at Perry Harvey, Sr. Park, in Tampa. (https://seashepherd.org)
ALSO: I spoke with Loretta Williams, event coordinator of St. Francis Society Animal Rescue’s “KittyCon Tampa Bay,” which they’ve billed, among other descriptions, as “A Fan Convention For People Crazy About Cats.” Williams outlined some of the cat-centric celebs and special guests who will participate in meet-and-greets at the event, as well as other activities offered throughout the day, from a cat costume contest to panel discussions. (https://www.kittycontampabay.org)
COMEDY CORNER: David Huntsberger’s “The God of Ants” (https://www.davidhuntsberger.com)
MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Smashing Pumpkins’ “Bullet With Butterfly Wings”
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