Dr. Tim Caro —a professor at UC Davis and wildlife biologist whose new book is “Zebra Stripes”—traces some of the arc of his academic career, including how he became interested in researching animal coloration. Caro goes on to explain how this focus led to...
For today’s edition of Talking Animals, I jettisoned the usual format and convened a panel discussion about the end of the Ringling Bros. circus. I was inspired to present the panel because I was struck by the array of reactions in the wake of the announcement by...
Dr. Don Moore—who wears many hats, among them scientist, wildlife biologist, Oregon Zoo director, and expert on polar bears featured in “Polar Bear Town,” a Smithsonian Channel docu-series examining the annual migration of polar bears to Churchill,...
Dr. Alexandra Horowitz—the scientist, professor at Barnard College, and bestselling author of books about dogs, most recently, “Being A Dog: Following The Dog Into A World of Smell”—discusses Tucker, the dog trained to detect the scat of orcas who live in Puget...
Raymond J. Lesniak—veteran State Senator of New Jersey, who has a distinguished track record of working on behalf of animals and animal welfare—explains that he didn’t really harbor any political ambition while growing up, sort of wandering into that realm after...
Luan Dean—the Director of Mission Advancement at SPCA Tampa Bay—explains the scope of her duties at the organization, which began in 1940, while describing the work undertaken there in the earliest days, some 70 years ago. Dean also briefly traces SPCA Tampa Bay’s...
Jennifer Arnold—the founder and executive director of Canine Assistants, which trains and provides service dogs for children and adults with physical disabilities and author, most recently, of “Love Is All You Need: The Revolutionary Bond-Based Approach To...
This represents a highly unusual edition of “Talking Animals,” chiefly, because it features far more guests at one time—eight—than any other show in our 13-plus year history. The overall topic was Pasco County’s Inmate Labor Program, which allows inmates to “work”...
Dr. Lisa Kemmerer—a professor of philosophy and religions at Montana State University Billings, who has written and/or edited none books—discusses her unusual, stop-start path as an academic, including what drew her to Harvard Divinity School, where she earned her...
Dr. James Keen—a veterinarian and scientist, and surely one of this era’s most significant whistle blowers in the animal welfare realm--describes the U.S. Meat Animal Research Center (USMARC), a 55 square-mile livestock research facility in Nebraska, where Keen had...
