Talking Animals

Kristal Parks--a Denver-based veteran activist and elephant advocate

Kristal Parks, a Denver-based veteran activist and elephant advocate–who last year mounted a 12-day hunger strike in Denver while the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus was performing there, to call attention to the suffering of circus elephants–discusses her background as an activist, when & how she decided to focus on elephants, details of the water-only hunger strike and the attention it generated from both the media and circus-goers of all ages, the importance of civility when staging a circus protest and approaching audience members (and the greater goal of educating folks about circus animals’ plight before anyone buys tickets and turns up at the arena), and her recent elephant fact-finding mission to Africa. [www.KristalParks.com]

COMEDY CORNER: Ellen DeGeneres’ “Birds Mating”
MUSIC: Ry Cooder’s version of Leiber & Stoller’s “3 Cool Cats,” Paul Weller’s “Horseshoe Drama,” instrumentals
NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Henry Mancini’s “Baby Elephant Walk”