All posts in Health & Behavior

Emily McCormack, Animal Curator at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

Emily McCormack—the Animal Curator at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR), a sanctuary in Eureka Springs, Arkansas housing 94 animals (mostly big cats, plus bears)—recalls being infatuated with tigers since childhood, telling her parents at age 10 or 12 that she intended to save them. Read more…

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers, plant-based doctor

Dr. Shayla Toombs-Withers–who runs a medical practice in Chattanooga, Tenn. called The Essence of Health Wellness Clinic—describes growing up in the South (Atlanta), where dishes like fried chicken and mac and cheese were common to family meals and larger celebrations. Read more…

Duncan P. Forgey, author of “Flyin’ Kai: A Pelican’s Tale”

Duncan P. Forgey– author of Flyin’ Kai: A Pelican’s Tale, in which Forgey has spun an inventive yarn, starting with a pelican occupying the center of the novel, and no shortage of talking animals(!) dotting the landscape—recalls growing up in Newport Beach, CA, and how that experience shaped the protect-the environment-and-wildlife themes coursing through his book. Read more…

Ann Paul, an organizer of the Florida Birding and Nature Festival

Ann Paul—an organizer of the Florida Birding and Nature Festival, a multifaceted, multi-day extravaganza, slated for Oct. 20-23, in and around Apollo Beach, but ultimately traversing six counties—recalls when she first became interested in birds. Read more…

Dr. Eric Eisenman, founder of International Veterinary Outreach (IVO)

Dr. Eric Eisenman—founder of International Veterinary Outreach (IVO), which provides veterinary services and training to rural areas in countries sorely lacking both, in a bid to cultivate animal welfare—shares the unusual detail that he only became interested in becoming a veterinarian at the end of his undergraduate career. Read more…