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...
Bruce Cameron and Cathryn Michon—the husband-wife team who wrote the screenplay for A Dog’s Purpose, a film starring Dennis Quaid, based on Cameron’s bestselling novel of the same name—discuss how the book has yet again become a New York Times bestseller (this...
Paul Solotaroff—Rolling Stone contributing editor who wrote a wide-ranging, high-profile exposé about the netherworld of puppy mills in the then-new issue of the magazine—discusses how he came to write the piece, sort of goaded into it by Humane Society of The...
Sarah Baeckler Davis—a primatologist and lawyer who is president and CEO of Project Chimps, a relatively new chimpanzee sanctuary in Northern Georgia—discusses how, at eight years old, reading a book about Jane Goodall absolutely fascinated her, and she decided...
This morning, I once again set aside the usual “Talking Animals” format to present my Annual Christmas Animal Song special—that is, a show entirely devoted to Christmas-oriented animal tunes. Sure, as in the past, to pull off this conceit, I fashioned the program...
Tippi Hedren—the actress and longtime animal advocate, who recently published her memoir, “Tippi: A Memoir”—discusses Shambala Preserve, her sanctuary for rescued lions, tigers and other big cats that she established in 1972, and where Hedren, now 86 years old,...
Dr. Jennifer Conrad—the veterinarian and founder of The Paw Project, which has long educated the public about the painful and crippling effects of feline declawing, and who, as of this interview, has made more appearances on “Talking Animals” than any other...
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...
Adam Sugalski—executive director of OneProtest, a Florida-based advocacy organization perhaps best known for its high-profile, successful effort to help halt the Florida bear hunt—recalls how he first stepped into the role of advocate when, as a professional...
