Max Chesnes--the award-winning environment reporter for the Tampa Bay Times—a lifelong Floridian, recalls growing up in Jupiter, where he developed an almost religious fervor for nature, spending endless days in (and on) the water, hiking across the terrific parks,...
Dr. Jennifer Conrad—veterinarian, founder of The Paw Project, tireless crusader against declawing cats for a quarter century—recalls the initial impetus for her anti-declaw advocacy: her work, as a newly-minted veterinarian, with declawed big cats at a wildlife...
Steve Hindi--founder of SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), a national animal welfare organization concerned with halting and/or educating the public about pigeon shoots, rodeos, bullfighting, and canned hunts, among other issues—recounts the extended...
Joshua Zeman--award-winning filmmaker whose new documentary, “Checkpoint Zoo,” arrives in timely fashion, providing a distinctive window into the Russian-Ukraine war, chronicling efforts to care for, then evacuate, some 5000 animals at a Ukrainian zoo called...
Nicci Wright--co-founder and co-chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), dedicated to the protection and the conservation of the pangolin, the world’s most trafficked animal—recalls her first encounter with a pangolin more than two decades ago....
Dr. Holly Dutton, Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets--a national enterprise that specializes in providing around-the-clock emergency and critical care services for pets—flips the script on my mention of the countless guests...
Tanya Smith--Founder and President of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a 459-acre sanctuary in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, chiefly housing abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats—recalls a precocious first foray into big cat rescue…at age 11. She explains that...
Katrina Shadix--founder and executive director of Bear Warriors United (BWU), whose stated mission is to preserve and protect bears, and all of Florida’s natural resources and wildlife—recalls, as a second generation Floridian, the formative joys of growing up in...
Occasionally, I jettison the chief component of the "Talking Animals" format--a long form interview with a single guest--to give voice to a broader array of animal organizations and leaders, concerned animal advocates, and others who simply care about animals....
Kate MacFall and Katherine McGill—longtime wildlife experts joining me for a discussion devoted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), specifically, the FWC’s current effort to evaluate existing rules for wildlife trapping—address what for...
