Hangin' With Whales: Part One

Sometimes a picture really is worth a thousand words, give or take a few hundred. I just returned from San Ignacio Lagoon, an area in Baja California, Mexico, where mother California grey whales deliver their babies each winter.

Against all rules of nature--at least those I'm familiar with--these mothers not only allow strangers, human strangers, to get close to their babies, but encourage it.

To the point where these mom whales invite you to touch their babies; sometimes they seek an opportunity to be touched themselves. This whale, for instance, is being touched by my sister, Nancy. Incredible, no?

More posts, and pictures, on this trip in the coming days...

Chrissie Hynde, Temple Grandin: A Tale Of Two Guests

One of the major perks of hosting "Talking Animals" is the opportunity to speak with all kinds of bright, fascinating folks.

And while I make a concerted effort to achieve a real mix, so that the type of guests and the fields or interests they represent tend to vary significantly over the course of any given three to four show block, I still sometimes wind-up with some intriguing back-to-back bookings.

Like the juxtaposition of my two most recent guests, Chrissie Hynde, who chatted with me Feb. 4, and Dr. Temple Grandin, who joined me Feb. 11. (By way of the "Talking Animals" archives, you can check out the Hynde show, and the Grandin show

They're both enormously smart, accomplished, well-spoken women--Hynde, of course, is the veteran Pretenders leader and animal activist, while Grandin is a renowned expert on animal behavior and autism (she herself is autistic), and bestselling author--but probably occupy decidedly spots on the animal welfare continuum.

For instance, Grandin eats meat (in a previous "Talking Animals" interview she explained she'd tried but abandoned a vegeterian diet, which she said created some medical complications) and has done pioneering work in fostering more humane treatment of animals at slaughter plants. Hynde hasn't eaten meat in decades, and for much of that time has been a vegan.

At the same time, the organization Chrissie Hynde has been most closely identified for the better part of two decades is PETA, for which she's participated in campaigns and protests (efforts that have gotten her arrested a coupla times). If you know much about Hynde, nothing here is surprising.

What may be far more surprising, to some, is that, in 2004, PETA awarded Temple Grandin a Proggy (PETA Progress) Award in the "Visionary" category.

Strange bedfellows, indeed. And back to back guests--and exceptional guests, both, I might add--on "Talking Animals."

Here's Another Reason I'm Glad We Live In This House...

My family (wife Colleen, son Mike) and & I live in Jupiter Farms, a somewhat rural and more than a little equestrian-oriented area of Florida about 20 miles north of West Palm Beach.

We're five minutes from the grocery story, other shopping and restaurants, so it's not all remote, but it feels delightfully remote. Of course, we have friends who live as close as West Palm Beach yet consider driving up here such a major trip that you almost think they should bring their passport.

And there is some serious driving to commute to WMNF, the radio station in Tampa where I broadcast "Talking Animals": It takes three-plus hours to get there, which means on days I do one or more radio shows there, I'm spending more than six hours on the road. (Thank goodness for my Prius!)

But here's an example of just one of the virtues of this house: Thanks to what was happening with California real estate prices when we sold our home there a little over three years ago, we wound up with some spacious digs, including a good-sized house, a nice hunk of land that includes a pond where fish and turtles reside, even a barn; I'm writing this post from my office in the barn.

Over the weekend, my wonderful mother-in-law Liz and her also wonderful Yorkshire Terrier, Monty--an irresistibly sweet, happy guy; we call him the dog who loves too much--were visiting, and while Mike was napping, I took Monty for a walk around our digs, with Colleen and Liz strolling behind us.

All of a sudden, Monty was trying to dart off, straining mightily against his leash. We thought surely he'd spotted one of the many squirrels who live on the property, but when we got a closer look, we saw that it was a raccoon. A gorgeous raccoon, calmly ambling just on the other side of the fence that separates our property from the road.

This raccoon was doing turns like a furry runway model, so we all got a good look at him--he seemed really relaxed as he finally climbed up one of the trees, and settled in. I came back later with a camera, but didn't see any sign of him.

It would've been nice to include a picture of him with this post, but that's OK. The fact that we could see a raccoon on our property (and, at the risk of anthropomorphising, that he seemed quite comfortable being there) was plenty cool.

And yet another reason I love living here.

A Slippery Slope: Do We Really Want To Send In The Clones?

The Ottos seem like very nice folks, and they clearly love animals: on their Boca Raton spread not far from where I write this, they share space with several dogs, cats and sheep--and as of Monday night, Lancelot Encore lives there.

Lancelot Encore, as you might have learned from seeing the Ottos interviewed by Al Roker on "The Today Show," or in any number of newspaper accounts (I read a Miami Herald piece carried in The Palm Beach Post) is the couple's new puppy, a clone of the Otto's beloved yellow Labrador retriever Lancelot, who died a year ago.

Oh, did I mention that they paid $155,000 for Lancelot Encore?

That's what it cost for the Ottos to bid on this, uh, opportunity at an auction mounted by a California bio-tech firm. They won, I guess, and they were certainly prepared: They had taken some DNA samples from the original Lancelot five years ago, apparently with a vision of--and hope for--what came to pass with the arrival of Lancelot Encore.

Leaving aside, at least momentarily, the monumental medical and bioethical questions of cloning animals--any kind of animals for any kind of purpose, ranging from food to companionship--there's a troubling set of issues here for those of us deeply concerned about animals, animal welfare, and the pet overpopulation.

I mean, we all could probably point to a certain animal who's passed away, but whom we consider extraordinary, with whom we forged a singular connection--and whom we'd love to have more time with. I certainly feel that way about an amazing black cat named Otis (after he died, I wrote this tribute).

But I never once gave any thought to cloning him and having Otis 2.0 in my life, even if someone else were picking up the considerable tab.

And I guess that tab is one of the most troublesome aspects here: I'm sure I'll be neither the first nor last to note all the wonderful, important things for animals and animal organizations that could be done with a 150K--from a slew of spy/neuter procedures to all sorts of veterinary services for ailing animals in overcrowded shelters to additions and improvements at such facilities.

Moreover, when many of us have devoted lots and time and energy over numerous years to trying to educate folks about the importance of adopting--never buying, much less from a breeder--animals, the Lancelot Encore scenario seems to be galloping toward the other extreme.

The Ottos suggest awareness of these issues by noting that they donate healthy amounts of dough to local shelters, and the next dog they add to their household will be adopted. Still, for all kinds of reasons, let's hope this story remains an isolated case rather than the start of trend.


And I should hasten to add this is not in any way intended to constitute a knock on Lancelot Encore, who's clearly an enormously attractive guy. A cute clone, as it were.

Pretenders/PETA Contest: Calling All Animal-Loving, Aspiring Video Auteurs

So, I'm delighted for all sorts of reasons that Chrissie Hynde will be my guest on the next edition of "Talking Animals"--Feb. 4, 11:30 a.m on WMNF (88.5 FM) in Tampa, streaming live via our web site, TalkingAnimals--including that she's touring behind a terrific, highly-acclaimed new album "Break Up The Concrete" (many critics have suggested it stands shoulder to shoulder with The Pretenders' best work), and that we'll be chatting live.

On a somewhat related note, The Pretenders have teamed with PETA and YouTube for a contest in which folks can create an original video for the band's first single from "Break Up The Concrete," a zippy rawker called "Boots Of Chinese Plastic."

You can read all the details about the contest on The Pretenders website.

And while pursuing the Pretenders video action, I hope you'll please keep in mind our audio action with Chrissie Hynde Feb. 4...

A Show of Shows...

Several years ago, when I was formulating the game plan for launching "Talking Animals"--and doing extensive research about (and listening to) animal radio shows--an important element that emerged was the notion of breadth.

That is to say, I was, and am a great admirer of pet shows, vet/pet shows and the like, just as I'm fond of vegan-oriented radio programs. In the right hands, I think both approaches can be well-executed and render an important service for their listeners.

But, personally, as a listener--and, particularly, as a practitioner--I tend to find both those realms too narrow, favoring a much broader gambit. Consequently, "Talking Animals" addresses a vast array of animal issues (including those concerned with pets), in large part by way of speaking with a sweeping spectrum of guests.

Having said all that, my guest on Wednesday's show was Dr. Anne Lampru, a holistic veterinarian whose practice is called Animal Alternatives, and damned if this edition of "Talking Animals" didn't closely resemble a vet/pet program:

Dr. Lampru was a wonderful: warm, accessible, articulate and clearly a deeply knowledgeable, experienced veterinarian--and as such, she was besieged with calls and e-mails from listeners.

Given this flurry of audience activity (and limited airtime), I had to forgo most of the things I wanted to ask her about, but sometimes the host's job is to recognize when to shut up and get out of the way. I was happy to do so, just as I was happy to host Dr. Lampru and deliver, for all intents and purposes, a vet/pet program.

I'm also happy that the guest on the previous show was former Ringling Bros. elephant caretaker/whistleblower Tom Rider, and that the guest on the next show (you heard it here first) will be Pretenders singer-songwriter and longtime animal activist Chrissie Hynde.

That's breadth, no?

Musing About Canine Matters On YouTube And In The White House

A few months back--knowing of my boundless fauna fascination--someone called my attention to a video featuring what you might call an unlikely alliance of a man, a dog, a cat and a rat.

Then it surfaced again in my e-mail inbox, this time forwarded with a note explaining the guy is a homeless man in Santa Barbara with his pets, and they set-up shop on State Street, a main drag I know quite well, receiving donations.

Ostensibly, according to this note, the Mayor of Santa Barbara shot this clip and sent it out as a Holiday greeting card of sorts. As with just about everything committed to video these days, it's on YouTube

Thoughts?

Also, word broke in the last 24 hours that the Obama family is zeroing in on a pick for the Presidential pooch: As part of his interview on ABC's "This Week," President-elect Barack Obama revealed to host George Stephanopoulos that his family has "narrowed it down to a Labradoodle or a Portuguese water hound."

Then, underscoring Obama's tendency to be a wag (sorry), he added "We're closing in on it. This has been tougher than finding a commerce secretary."

These canine candidates have moved to the head of the pack because they're considered particularly compatible with Malia Obama's allergy to dogs. I'm fine with either choice, provided they fulfill their pledge to adopt--rather than purchase--First Fido.