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March 17, 2009 Beyond Earth Hour & The Seal Hunt 
Board games by candlelight... shadowy city skylines....Images of Earth Hour flicker across the mainstream and alternative media. As debates continue about the practical and symbolic impact of the action, the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) suggests that we move "Beyond Earth Hour." This perennial gathering promotes a long-term and everyday strategy to help decrease the effects of global warming. Mishka Alarcon explains why the TVA calls vegetarianism "green eating." 
Then, in our feature interview, Sheryl Fink, the Senior Research and Projects Specialist for the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), shares her extensive expertise of Canada's commercial seal hunt. Specifically, Fink illuminates the current political initiatives, including the proposed European ban on seal hunt products and Senator Mac Harb's Bill S-229 (aka the "Harb Seal Bill"). She also delves into the scientific studies about the hunt, and explores some of the most controversial aspects of the slaughter. This interview offers an excellent primer on the major issues surrounding the hunt, and an exceptionally-researched perspective from someone who's studied the issues since 1994.
Download mp3s of the interview: August 19, 2008 Wildlife Photography: The Legacy of Camera Hunting, Masculinity, and Colonialism 
Theodore Roosevelt with a dead elephant. Photo by Edward Van Altena, 1909. In this conversation, Dr. Mathew Brower, Curator at the University of Toronto and Lecturer in Museum Studies, gives us a fascinating historical account of wildlife photography in the United States and Britain. With an emphasis on "camera hunting" and an eye toward masculinity, Brower notes the shifts in hunting and photography practices, and the larger accompanying political and cultural contexts that informed their development. From Roosevelt and the end of "manliness" to industrialization and the physical decline of "game" populations, the story of wildlife photography twists and turns through a number of interesting characters who were set on proving their prowess and skill, while animals at times disrupted the photographers' pursuits. Entangled with colonial history, tune in to learn how wildlife photography signifies much more than pretty pictures. News links:
Download mp3s of the interview: December 18, 2007 Skin Trade: An Interview with Shannon Keith 
This week we catch up with Shannon Keith, filmmaker and activist, to talk about her upcoming film Skin Trade: Fur, Fashion and Truth. After her highly successful and critically acclaimed documentary Behind the Mask, Keith is back planning and shooting her next film. This time, she sets her sights on farmers and clothing designers, to challenge the fur industry and the fashion world at its core. Though the production is still in its early stages, we learn what viewers can expect from Skin Trade, which is sure to be a provocative and intense piece.
Download mp3s of the interview: March 27, 2007 Seal Hunt Protests: Interviews about Rhetoric, Strategy, and Tactics 
Source: exZOOberance We are joined by three animal advocacy groups to discuss anti-sealing activism. We want to explore why some groups focus on the hunt, and ask critical questions about rhetoric, strategy, and tactics. Centrally, we hope to promote a dialogue amongst activists: we'll be featuring two Toronto groups (ARK II and Wild at Heart) in conversation with the Atlantic Canadian Anti-Sealing Coalition, to swap ideas and to reflect together. Throughout the program, we'll investigate the logistics of the hunt, but also examine how these issues are framed by groups, the media, workers, the government, etc. For example, the animal movements have often been seen as anti-labour; indeed, some AR activists have clearly vilified workers through a variety of means, including descriptions of sealers as uncivilized, "barbaric," and "savage." Similarly, protesters are often positioned as urban-centric, ruthlessly preying upon the sympathies of other ignorant urbanites, as they supposedly remain woefully detached from both the economic and cultural realities of Atlantic Canada. Further, while the debate is often framed as the seal industry and government on one side, and protesters on the other, the interests and perspectives of the seals are sometimes forgotten or even intentionally ignored. But what are seals' lives actually like, and how do they experience the hunt? How are they represented in the seal hunt debates? Please join us for this Animal Voices, as we turn a critical eye on the hunt and the protests that surround it. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (3.81 MB) and part 2 (2.03 MB) September 19, 2006 Folktails: Jan Thornhill talks about animals, children, and literature 
Folktails 
Jan Thornhill On this week's Animal Voices, we'll hear from Marine Mammal Specialist Richard O'Barry about the annual Japan Dolphin Day, the international protest against the slaughter of 20,000 dolphins in Japan. This year's protest is on Wednesday, September 20 at noon at Japanese Embassies worldwide. Click here for more details. Then we'll be speaking with children's author Jan Thornhill about her fascinating books Folktails: Animal Legends from Around the World and I Found a Dead Bird: The Kids' Guide to the Cycle of Life and Death. In Folktails, Jan brings together playful animal trickster stories from every continent (except Antarctica!) and pairs them with distinctive illustrations that both adults and children can enjoy. Employing a direct yet sensitve approach, I Found a Dead Bird presents children with thoughtful information about death and dying, and helps them understand this perplexing phenomenon. Thornhill teaches kids about animals without resorting to clichés and without patronizing them about more serious issues. Tune in to hear about how she approaches animal subjects in children's literature, and how she translates those thoughts into her beautifully-illustrated and informative books. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (2.96 MB) and part 2 (2.76 MB) April 11, 2006 Exploring the Seal Eco-Tourism Industry on Canada’s East Coast 
"Although female harp seals leave their With guest co-host, Melissa Tkachyk, Canadian Campaigns Officer for the World Society for the Protection of Animals, we'll be discussing this year's commercial seal hunt, the cultural issues associated with it, and the viability of eco-tourism options on the east coast for celebrating seals to replace the business of destroying them. We'll also look at the similarities between the commercial seal hunt and the commercial whale hunt that Canada banned in 1972 to see if we can learn from the past. Then, Cathy Kangas, CEO of PRAI Beauty, will tell us of her letter to Prime Minister Stephen Harper outlining her plan to raise the $16 million that the hunt brings in as an economic solution to the hunt - an offer that has been refused by the Canadian government. Kangas has also offered to work with the Canadian government to institute a buy-back program for existing hunting licenses and launch a program to promote eco-tourism. Also, Michael Mesure, Executive Director of the Fatal Light Awareness Program (FLAP), will tell us about Lights Out Toronto!, an initiative that will be launched at City Hall with Mesure, Mayor David Miller, and others at 12:45 - 1:15 on April 11. This program will raise awareness on how Torontonians can prevent the deaths of thousands of migratory birds with simple acts like turning the lights off and help them navigate through our dense urban environment. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (3.32 MB) and part 2 (2.96 MB) February 21, 2006 Hunting Wolves and Slaughtering Horses 
Wolf hunters and their "trophy" 
With the intent to protect moose and caribou hunting in Alaska, aerial hunters chase wolves to exhaustion and shoot them, a practice recently deemed illegal by a Superior Court Judge in a suit filed by Friends of Animals. Almost 450 wolves have been killed by aerial gunners in the past three years and the state has issued 157 permits this winter — under slightly changed rules — to pilot-gunner teams to kill upwards of 500 wolves. Priscilla Feral, Executive Director of FoA, will discuss their renewed call for a tourism boycott of Alaska, and Rick Steiner, Professor and Conservation Specialist for the University of Alaska Marine Advisory Program, will also be on hand to give us a local perspective on the hunt. Then, Sinikka Crosland, Executive Director of The Canadian Horse Defense Coalition, will discuss the slaughtering of horses for human consumption. While the US Department of Agriculture granted a loophole to meatpacking plants to sidetrack a temporary ban on horse slaughter and export for meat, many people don't even know the practice exists. Canada kills around 62,000 horses a year to produce meat considered a delicacy that is served across the country and exported overseas. We will learn how horses from the racing industry, the wild, family ranches, and the Pregnant Mare Urine (PMU) industry (for production of the hormone replacement drug, Premarin) enter the slaughterhouse pipeline, and we'll tackle the issue of possible widespread neglect and cruelty if the industry is stopped. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (3.63 MB) and part 2 (2.66 MB) November 1, 2005 AR in Japan / PETA2’s Jason Bayless 
Sakae Hemmi 
Jason Bayless First, we speak with author and environmentalist Sakae Hemmi of the Elsa Nature Conservancy from Japan who joined us August 30th to discuss the dolphin hunt. In this interview, Sakae discusses the state of the general animal protection movement in Japan. Then Jason Bayless, senior youth outreach specialist with PETA2, a youth marketing and resource branch of the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, talks about speaking with today's teens about vegetarianism, what it was like touring for the past 4 years with the Warped Tour, and his experiences being featured in the upcoming documentary, Wake Up Screaming. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (2.83 MB) and part 2 (3.13 MB) August 30, 2005 
Richard O'Barry 
This week, we'll be setting the stage for the international day of protest against the dolphin slaughter in Japan. Every year from September through April, fishermen in Japan hunt and kill about 20,000 dolphins and other whales in the largest dolphin slaughter in the world. The hunt is vicious but is justified for many reasons including "pest control", it is tradition, and marine theme parks pay well for capturing star attractions. Joining us to share their first-hand accounts of the hunt are two of the most outspoken activists against the dolphin slaughter, former dolphin trainer turned advocate Richard O'Barry and, speaking from Japan, author and environmentalist Sakae Hemmi/Fujiwara. We'll learn more about the industry, the dolphin hunters, why the hunt continues, and why we need to stop it. Help send a powerful message to the Japanese dolphin hunters and their government and let them know the world is watching on October 8th. Click here for photos from the protest in Toronto. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (3.84 MB) and part 2 (2.98 MB) April 19, 2005 Captivity, a Captain, & Some Sage Advice 
As the weather warms, many people emerge from hibernation in search of summer fun, including trips to the zoo. But what are animals' experiences of captivity? Tomorrow we'll hear from Rob Laidlaw (Zoocheck) about the physical and psychological effects of confined living. Then Pat Tohill (WSPA) will shed light on the dismal state of Ontario's roadside zoos. Next, Lawrence Carter-Long (IDA) will give us the details about this year's World Week for Animals in Laboratories, which begins April 23. He'll give us a vivisection primer (types of experiments, rationales for use, etc) and poke a big hole in the myth that animal testing is necessary to combat human disease. As Carter-Long writes, "As a former poster child for cerebral palsy research I've personally exposed the flaws of animal research in media interviews and debates against those in the vivisection industry." Lastly, barring another bad storm, we'll connect with the Captain of the Farley Mowat, Sea Shepherd's very own Paul Watson. Get his first-hand account of the seal hunt, and his take on the controversies surrounding him and his crew. Download mp3s of the interview: part 1 (4.04 MB) and part 2 (2.1 MB)  |
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