Dr. David M. Pena-Guzman—a philosopher and assistant professor at San Francisco State University, who wrote a scholarly paper for the journal Animal Sentience, entitled “Can Nonhuman Animals Commit Suicide?”—recounts how he had no pets during his formative years,...
John Cherwa—a sportswriter (or editor) for 40+ years, who covers horse racing for The Los Angeles Times—explains the scene before the race at this year’s Kentucky Derby, especially given the growing concern and scrutiny leveled at the racing industry, chiefly in...
Dr. Frans de Waal—the primatologist, ethologist, and prolific author, most recently of “Mama’s Last Hug: Animal Emotions and What They Tell Us About Ourselves”—cites some stories from the new book, in response to a question about a hypothetical person who’s heard...
Bruce Friedrich—the co-founder and executive director of The Good Food Institute (GFI), which promotes plant-based dairy, eggs, and so-called clean meat, as alternatives to those items as produced by animal agriculture (factory farming)—outlines how, starting at...
This unusual edition of “Talking Animals” featured the first portion of an interview with Dr. Temple Grandin I conducted Feb. 1 in front of 1200 people at the Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX. Grandin is the professor of animal science at Colorado State University,...
Cathryn Michon & W. Bruce Cameron—screenwriters of the movie, “A Dog’s Way Home,” based on Cameron’s novel, and which had opened nationwide less than a week before this conversation—discuss the enthusiastic reception accorded the film: high audience ratings,...
Dr. Nick Pyenson—the curator of fossil marine mammals at the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of Natural History, and the author of “Spying on Whales: The Past, Present, and Future of Earth’s Most Awesome Creatures”—traces his interest in fossils to his...
Jason M. Colby—an environmental and international historian, and professor, at the University of Victoria and author, most recently of “Orca: How We Came to Know and Love the Ocean’s Greatest Predator”—recounts the impetus for writing the new book, acknowledging...
Sy Montgomery—the author of numerous acclaimed books about animals, including bestsellers “The Good Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood” and “The Soul of an Octopus: A Surprising Exploration Into the Wonder of Consciousness”—discusses the...
Kinky Friedman—the singer-songwriter-author-satirist-animal rescuer and veteran cigar-chomping wag—describes how his longtime friend and sometimes advisor Willie Nelson, upon hearing in a 3am phone call that Friedman was watching “Matlock,” decided his friend was...
