Once in a while, I set aside the chief element of the “Talking Animals” format—a long form interview with a single guest—to offer a debate or some other multi-guest panel discussion. As part of that effort, and a parallel desire to give voice to a broader array of...
Neko Case—the singer-songwriter who has created a large, revered body of work, much of it laced with nature and animal themes—recalls how her lifelong kinship with animals began as a kid whose parents were infrequently present, so she spent a great deal of time...
Catherine Doyle--Director of Science, Research and Advocacy for the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS), and a noted, veteran elephant advocate —explains what’s behind her longtime passion for working to improve the welfare of captive elephants, while noting,...
Dr. Carl Safina — a prize-winning author, scientist and MacArthur Fellow—discusses his new book, “Beyond Words: What Animals Think And Feel,” which in the broadest of strokes, involves three big sections, in which Safina is observing the behavior of elephants at...
Andrea Turkalo, of the Wildlife Conservation Society—and considered the world’s leading expert on forest elephants, having studied them for more than two decades in the Central African Republic (CAR)—recounts what initially drew her to the CAR nearly 30 years ago,...
Dan Piraro—who, for 30 years, has drawn the highly-acclaimed, widely-syndicated comic “Bizarro”—discusses his recently announced plans, over the next two to three years, for retiring “Bizarro,” and how that announcement was initially misunderstood by some, and...
Don Anthony--Communications Director of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF), which, since 1989, has been speaking and acting on behalf of animals in a multitude of ways—traces the history of the organization, including the impetus for its founding. He...
Ryan Tate—co-founder and president of Veterans Empowered to Protect African Wildlife (VETPAW), which employs military veterans to combat poaching of elephants and rhinos in African nations—discusses growing up in Tampa in a family that prized animals, and later...
Ed Stewart—co-founder and president of the Performing Animal Welfare Society (PAWS)—recalls what prompted he and his late partner, the indefatigable Pat Derby, to launch PAWS, now marking its 30th anniversary. In answer to a question about what ways the PAWS...
Dr. Vint Virga—veterinarian, animal behaviorist and author of “The Soul of All Living Creatures: What Animals Can Teach Us About Being Human”—explains how the anti-zoo view he held earlier in his career evolved into seeing zoos in a more positive light. He also...
