Talking Animals

Instead of "Bueller...?." It's Apparently "Bridget...?"

2010-02-15T18:41:00.000-08:00

Say what you will about Ben Stein--given the hats he he's worn, and, indeed, full-blown careers he's juggled, you could say quite a few things, though I'm not sure how many of those things would be nice. Or laudatory.

But yesterday, on "CBS Sunday Morning," Mr. Stein delivered a piece that was sort of a Valentine's Day loveletter to his dog, Bridget--but was really singing the praises of adopting an animal.

Hear, hear, Ben.

Climbing Back On The Blogging Horse in 2010--With A Glimpse At A 2009 Highlight...

2010-01-17T08:08:00.000-08:00

If you host a radio show about animals and animal issues--as I obviously do with "Talking Animals"--there are certain icons in that world you naturally have on your wish list to one day interview.

Dr. Jane Goodall is probably atop most people's list. She certainly was mine.

So I was delighted, honored and flat-out thrilled to record an interview with Dr. Goodall in early December. You can hear our conversation, which aired Dec. 9, here.

Please Help The Animals At This So-Called Sanctuary--Watch This Video, Contact Authorities, Spread The Word

2009-11-02T08:03:00.000-08:00

There's nothing light, whimsical or entertaining about this blog post. There's not even a photo.

Just please watch this video

It was shot at a facility that has the nerve to use "Sanctuary" in its name--10th Life Sanctuary. It's in Clewiston, sort of a remote part of South Florida.

And using "Sanctuary" in the name is the least of its transgressions. Beyond this video, I've seen photographs taken there that shook me deeply--neglect, filth, and death.

The way I understand it, the guy who operates the place doesn't allow visitors (little wonder!), and doesn't accept volunteers! I mean, if these things alone constitute a huge red flag.

Sure enough, this is an emergency situation. I know people who've been not only deeply concerned about this facility and its treatment of animals for several months, but have alerted various county and other authorities, and apparently the response has been, in effect, the conditions there don't seem serious enough, horrifying enough, to take official action.

Knowing & seeing what goes on at this joint, that alone seems kinda frightening--but maybe if we get far more people talking, and complaining, about this, we can force some action.

So share this video, spread the word, make calls, send e-mails, let's do everything we can to help the animals at this place...before more die.

My thanks to Jodi Chemes of Florida Voices For Animals, who provided the following contact info:

Hendry County Board of County Commissioners

P O Box 1760

La Belle, FL 33975-1760

Hendry County Commissioners:

- Janet Taylor, e-mail: bocc1@hendryfla.net

- Darrell Harris, e-mail: bocc2@hendryfla.net

- Tristan Chapman, e-mail: bocc3@hendryfla.net

- Kevin McCarthy, e-mail: bocc4@hendryfla.net

- Karson Turner, e-mail: bocc5@hendryfla.net

Triumph at D.O.G. (10/16/09)

2009-10-24T05:40:00.001-07:00

Video Recaps | Full Episodes | Webisodes

Past "Talking Animals" Guest, Uh, Triumphs Again

2009-10-24T05:16:00.000-07:00

A momentous occasion in the annals of "Talking Animals"--for starters, it was the first (and, so far, only) instance of a talking animal being a guest--was when we aired an interview with Triumph The Insult Comic Dog on the May 9, 2005 edition of the show.

It was a typically amusing, often hilarious exchange, even as it flirted with one or more FCC violations. Semi-interestingly, at that point, "Talking Animals" was based on the West Coast, Triumph on the East Coast; now, the reverse is true.

We've adored Triumph long before that visit, and, of course, ever since. Including this recent piece he did for "The Tonight Show With Conan O'Brien."

Whatever The Opposite Of Whoa Nellie Would Be--That's What This Headline Is

2009-10-20T18:12:00.000-07:00

Nellie McKay was on "Talking Animals" the other day, marking her fourth visit to the show--the most of any guest.

It makes sense, really. She's the quintessential "Talking Animals" guest, given the show's unusual mix of music, comedy, journalism, animal advocacy and more:

*She's an enormously gifted and acclaimed singer-songwriter-multi-instrumentalist (she released her fourth album, "Normal As Blueberry Pie: A Tribute To Doris Day" one day before this latest chat);

* She's funny. some years ago, she tried her hand at stand-up and her performances--and interviews--are often laced with sharply witty patter);

* Among her initially less obvious talents: At least one type of high-end journalism in the form of her 2007 New York Times Book Review critique of a Doris Day biography

* She's a fervently committed animal welfare advocate--and has been, as we learned in this recent interview, since her pre-adolescence--one of the essential traits she shares with Doris Day. In 2005, McKay was the recipient of the Humane Society's highly prestigious Doris Day Music Award.

The conversation touched on topics ranging from the rescue pitbulls, Hank and Bessie, that share her home--and the "Blueberry Pie" album cover--to re-explaining why, in that Times review of the Doris Day biography, she took the author to task for his repeated use of the phrase "animal lover."

Yet, we didn't come close to covering all the areas I'd hoped to--nor, it seemed, that she'd hoped to.

Stay tuned for another Nellie visit to "Talking Animals"...

Classic Equation: Dog + Ball= Happiness

2009-10-17T18:32:00.000-07:00

Daisy is a Labrador Retriever puppy. She loves chasing--retrieving--balls. Enough said.

With Halloween--And Costume Contests--Fast Approaching...

2009-10-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

Some of those who live at our house are gearing up for Halloween, and the attendant costume contests. I think the Ironman is pretty good, but whoever that is portraying a Golden Lab puppy is probably going to blow away the competition, no?

A Boy And His Dog

2009-10-05T17:21:00.001-07:00

So when we were gearing up to adopt a dog, I knew that I needed to repair or replace a fallen fence in the back of our property before any new canine family member could roam free.

And then, just as we were finalizing plans to bring home our beloved new puppy, Daisy, the folks who bought the house next door--and, it turns out, are nationally-recognized horse people in the realm of dressage, and have been busily converting the place to a full-tilt training facility that would accommodate 8-10 horses--tore out the fence that bordered our home and theirs.

They put in a gleaming white equestrian fence there (and elsewhere, tracing the perimeter of their property). The new fence looks gorgeous, but unlike its predecessor, is not designed to keep animals smaller than horses in, or out.

Which meant that the scope--and cost--of my own fence project had suddenly tripled, maybe quadrupled. As my wife Colleen has reminded each time I've whined, or cursed, about my immense irritation about this matter, the neighbors were perfectly entitled to remove the old fence.

It was on their property, it was theirs to replace.

Which is absolutely accurate, even if that observation fails to note that the other fence was there for decades--at one location, the even had a gate connecting that property with our property, a souvenir of the close friendship enjoyed by the family we bought our home from and the people who recently sold the adjacent house.

Anyway, as of today, our fencing project is complete, and now Daisy can be released from her leash, and run free.

And chase balls--as a dog, especially a Retriever, is meant to do. Daisy is thrilled by this development, as is our son, Mike.

Which has yielded classic photo opps like above: A boy and his dog.

Fund Drives Fund Stations--And Shows

2009-09-29T18:13:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow--Thursday, Oct. 1--the WMNF Fall Fund Drive gets underway.

What does that mean?

Viewed by some as the necessary evil of public radio (or public television), fund drives are those weeklong periods during which much of a station's regular programming is suspended while on air hosts, DJs and sometimes others try to urge the audience to pledge its financial support via the telephone or the Internet.

And the coin of the realm in these transactions is the premium. In this case, premium is another term for "thank you gift for your donation"...you probably know how this works: For a pledge of $50, you get this...for a pledge of $300, you'll receive this" and so on.

To sort of purposely get ahead of myself, allow me to mention some of the premiums I'll be offering on my Fund Drive show (to support "Talking Animals," the Wednesday Sonic Detour, WMNF and me):

* A two-person, four-night package for whale watching at The San Ignacio Lagoon in Baja California--this is regular ol' whale watching, but communing with the so-called "friendly whales": California grey whale moms and their babies that approach you while you're in small skiffs and allow you to touch and even pet them! We devoted the May 13 edition of "Talking Animals" to this, and there are details about the package on the program website.

* One week stay in condo on the Hawaiian island of Kauai, in Poipu Beach. More details here.

* Rare Tom Waits items, signed exclusively for us by Waits!

* And lots more, from amazing concert tickets to signed CDs & books and more (details here)--exclusive to the "Talking Animals"/Sonic Detour fund drive show we'll be hosting Wednesday Oct. 7, 4-6 pm ET.

There are also lots of non-exclusive premiums, from WMNF t-shirts to HD radios, to the newly remastered Beatles' "Abbey Road" CD, and more.

For most public radio stations, including WMNF, these Fund Drives account for upwards of 70-80% of the annual budget--so, clearly, they're immensely important to the ongoing health and well-being of the shows, and station, you love and listen to.

So, I hope you'll mark your calendar for Oct. 7, and in the period between 4pm and 6pm ET, either call in a pledge (the number: 813-238-8001), or you can make a secure pledge on the WMNF website.

And we totally understand that these days many people are tightening their belts, but no pledge is too small--$35 or $50 is great!--and at the same time, WMNF has experienced some budget shortfalls and fairly grim belt-tightening of its own, so if you can spare $100, $250 or even $500, that would help us enormously.

And would get you one or more of those fabulous premiums.

In the cliche business, we call that a win-win.

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie...

2009-09-27T11:39:00.003-07:00

Here's our new puppy, Daisy, after a long walk and a nice lunch...

Cop--Or Should I Say Pig?--Eludes Prosecution On Sex With Cows Charges

2009-09-26T11:19:00.000-07:00

There are so many things wrong with this story, it's difficult to know where to begin.

This is a mugshot of Robert Melia, a New Jersey (Moorestown, to be precise) police officer, who was accused of committing a sex act with young cows, according to a New York Daily News account.

The judge in this case, Judge Morely, dismissed the animal cruelty charges--Melia allegedly engaged in in oral sex acts with five calves in 2006.

Judge Moreley opined that it was questionable that Melia's activity with the calves--though "disgusting"--qualified as animal cruelty. The prosecutor vehemently disagreed, noting "I think any reasonable juror could infer that a man's penis in the mouth of a calf is torment."

Oh, geez.

And this story actually manages to find a way to get worse: Turns out Officer Melia and his girlfriend were arrested last year for sexually assaulting three young girls.

Fresh As A Daisy

2009-09-17T17:15:00.000-07:00

As of last night, we have a new member of the family: Daisy, a four-month-old golden Labrador retriever (or mix), who's low-key, sweet and--at the risk of stating the obvious--darn cute.

Technically, we adopted Daisy from Florida All Retriever Rescue (FARR), which describes itself as "a non-profit, all volunteer, rescue organization dedicated to saving the lives of unwanted and neglected dogs throughout Florida, with a special focus on retriever breeds."

But I brought Daisy to our home from the home of Lee Courtney and Lauren Beardsley, who were fostering Daisy for FARR. Lee is also known as "Flee," the Music Director at WMNF, the Tampa radio station where I do "Talking Animals" (and a weekly music show).

The Friday of Labor Day Weekend, Flee sent an e-mail to all WMNF programmers that Daisy--then called Ashley--would be available for adoption soon. And he included pictures

The other parts of the description--including good with cats--sounded right up our alley. The next time I was in Tampa, Flee was kind enough to accommodate a visit to his house, so I could meet this pooch.

She was dreamy.

Fast forward to the next Wednesday--that is, yesterday--and I was back at Flee and Lauren's house to pay the FARR adoption fee, get the lowdown on this nice girl, including instructions for her post-spay care, and receive a Daisy briefing before embarking on the three-plus hour drive.

Now, she's met my wife, Colleen, and our son Mike (not quite six)--who both adore Daisy--and she's met our three cats, who don't. Yet...

More of the Daisy Chronicles in the coming days.

Pacelle Discusses Leadership, Legislation--And Vick

2009-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

We were pleased to host Wayne Pacelle, the President and CEO of The Humane Society of The United States--the country's largest animal protection organization--on the Sept. 9 edition of "Talking Animals," at roughly the five-year mark of his being top dog of HSUS.

With upwards of 11 million members, the HSUS is a elephantine, sprawling entity, and therefore an interview with Pacelle about his organization runs the risk of being quite sprawling, too.

So I partly tried to frame the conversation around the notion of leadership.

Which means we touched on topics ranging from what he views as the three most important hallmarks of his tenure as CEO, to his decision to have HSUS team with Michael Vick for educational efforts on dogfighting--and how that decision (and reaction to it) speaks to the intricacies and challenges of leadership at that level--to the increasing premium he has placed on cultivating and passing legislation as a more profoundly effective way to alter the animal welfare landscape, and more.

It felt like a good, substantive, lively conversation, and the calls and e-mails I've received afterward underscore that impression--including one listener who called the studio mere seconds after we'd finished the broadcast, wondering where she could hear the Pacelle interview again.

Uh, right here.

Ric O' Barry Elaborates On His Tale Of Redemption--And Dolphins

2009-09-06T10:23:00.000-07:00

In "The Cove," the award-winning, revolutionary documentary about--among other things--the annual dolphin slaughter that takes place in the cove of a small Japanese town called Taiji--Ric O' Barry looks deeply weary, but is also a riveting, heroic presence, emerging as the nominal star of film.

As soon as I saw "The Cove," I knew I wanted to interview O' Barry on "Talking Animals."

For one thing, I'm fascinated by people who undergo a wholesale transformation, and O' Barry's arc extended from dolphin trainer in the 1960s--most notably, training the five dolphins who portrayed the titular star of "Flipper"--to shortly after that experience, becoming, arguably, dolphins' chief protector/rescuer/advocate.

This has meant everything from trying to generate attention toward the tightly-guarded carnage that takes place at Taiji, to emerging as a staunch opponent of any form of dolphin captivity.

Interestingly, going through proper channels to seek the interview with O'Barry, I got jerked around in myriad, puzzling ways--I can only conclude, counter-intuitively, that the studio and others affiliated with "The Cove" do not want to encourage O'Barry-centered publicity.

Maybe their mandate is to place director Louie Psihoyos at the center of such efforts. At any rate, with a clock ticking ever more loudly before I knew O'Barry was flying back to Japan, I finally recognized that the folks ostensibly helping me coordinate the interview couldn't/weren't going to get it done, I started trying to track O'Barry down on my own.

I did so Friday Aug. 28, as he was racing around handling final preparations to depart first thing the next morning for Japan, and we recorded this interview, which aired on the Sept. 2 edition of "Talking Animals."

We touched on everything from his surprise that he ended up being the focus of "The Cove," to what triggered his transformation (Cathy, the main dolphin portraying "Flipper," was so despondent in captivity after the series concluded that she committed suicide in his arms), to his ensuing efforts on behalf of dolphins and attendant tale of redemption.

Which led to some intriguing comments on the prospect of Michael Vick experiencing his own tale of redemption.

Even with the audio challenges (in recording this interview, there were some ghosts in the machine), it was a powerful conversation, laced with O'Barry-derived insights and surprises.

And then we said goodbye, so he could resume preparations for his return to Japan. Clearly, as this L.A. Times piece made clear, when he arrived in Taiji, he hit the ground running.

Indeed, he's got dolphins to save.

Pertinent Pachyderm Humor?

2009-08-29T12:08:00.000-07:00

I guess you could suggest this cartoon is apropos of the portion of my recent conversation on "Talking Animals" with writer Charles Siebert in which we were discussing elephants--both captive and in the wild--that exhibit behavior akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, attacking other animals and trampling humans.

Or you might attempt to tie it to circus elephants, who endure a miserable existence, including oppressive travel conditions in cramped train cars, as well as often-vicious ankus beatings and other forms of horrific treatment...and have been known to attack their "trainers" and other circus personnel.

Me? I just thought the cartoon (appearing in the current, Aug. 31 issue of The New Yorker) was funny...

Thrilling Symphony Of Anime Sights And Sounds: You Can Tune A "Ponyo" But Can You Tuna Fish?

2009-08-24T17:50:00.000-07:00

I couldn't begin to claim profound expertise about the work of Hayao Mizazaki, but I can certainly suggest that the latest offering from Japan's anime wizard, "Ponyo," will constitute a profound bonanza for lovers of wildly inventive animation--and animal lovers.

Of all ages, in both cases.

And although at the screening I attended, the audience was about 70% kids, "Ponyo" should in no way be confused with warm, cuddly child-flick fare. Sure, the film is nominally about a young female fish, Ponyo, who wants to be a little girl and the little boy, Sosuke, who plucks her from the sea--and their (sometimes) cross-species, uh, friendship.

But "Ponyo" is a rich, flavorful bouillabaisse of images and ideas, where parental figures seem sometimes puzzling for their misanthropy (Ponyo's underwater-wizard dad, a Peter Max-ish figure voiced by Liam Neeson) or lapses in judgment (Sosuke's mom, depicted vocally by Tiny Fey drives like a bat out of hell on twisty roads with him in the car and leaves her son--and Ponyo--alone at home in the midst of a huge hurricane), and good/evil issues swirl around environmental questions of varying stripes.

And that ain't the half of it. The film seemed deeply compelling on each of its myriad levels. Most of the kids in the theater watched "Ponyo" in rapt silence.

Same here.

Another Installment In The "A Picture Is Worth A Thousand Words" Series

2009-08-20T18:38:00.000-07:00

We've done a few shows on "Talking Animals" over the years focusing on the issue of feline de-clawing--which as our periodic guest and perhaps foremost expert on this, Dr. Jennifer Conrad, has explained essentially involves amputation--so we were quite struck by this billboard at the center of the new campaign by Dr. Conrad's organization, The Paw Project.

Vick Story Has A Weird Wrinkle That Hits Close To Home

2009-08-18T12:33:00.001-07:00

When it comes to the ongoing Michael Vick story, recently turbo-charged in the media world (most notable, Sunday's interview on "60 Minutes") and blogosphere by the double-barrel news that he was released from prison and signed by the Philadelphia Eagles, I think it's safe to say there's been no shortage of opinions--many quite emotionally charged--being expressed...well, damn near everywhere.

For the record, my own view is closely aligned with that of Humane Society Of The US honcho Wayne Pacelle, who obviously feels that this particular leopard not only can change his spots, and did, but having done so is in a uniquely potent position to influence and guide young Vick types away from the dogfighting subculture--and Alec Baldwin, whose Vick-deserves-a-second chance piece on Huffington Post was, I thought, spot-on.

But as has been made abundantly clear since the first bit of Vick news broke--and was underscored on last night's edition of "Larry King Live," which did a nice job of capturing some of the chief facets of the current Vick brouhaha, featuring a key exec from PETA, a key exec from HSUS, a Philadelphia Inquirer sportswriter and James Brown, who conducted the "60 Minutes" interview--animal welfare groups, including the most notable ones, are sharply divided on the matter.

We've already outlined the Pacelle/HSUS position, whereas the PETA stance is squarely opposed to Vick--and vehemently opposed to Vicks' new Eagles contract. Part of PETA's campaign to make this displeasure known, loud and clear, is to urge PETA supporters to boycott Eagles sponsors, and otherwise communicate just how unhappy they are with the Eagles, and anyone affiliated with the Eagles.

Here's where the plot thickens (or sickens): One of those sponsors is an organization called The Strauss Foundation. Now, I don't know what this Strauss Foundation does, but I will tell you I'm part of something called The Strauss Foundation--full name: The Donald A. Strauss Public Service Scholarship Foundation--which, as the longer name suggests, provides public service scholarships.

Our Strauss Foundation is based in Newport Beach, CA, was founded more than a dozen years ago by Mom, the late Dorothy Strauss (to pay tribute to my Dad after he died, the titular Donald, and cultivate interest in public service) and provides those scholarships to juniors at more than 15 California colleges and universities, including Stanford and all the UCs.

My Mom's vision for the foundation has proved to be pretty remarkable. We're now mentioned by administrators at prominent schools in the same breath as big, venerable, national scholarships like the Rhodes. Our alumni include a slew of impressive young adults (among them, multiple Rhodes Scholars)--one is a member of the Obama Administration, working in the West Wing.

So the administrator of that Strauss Foundation--my Strauss Foundation, as it were--rolls into the office Monday, fires up the computer, and there's a zillion e-mails, virtually all with the subject heading "sponsorship"...all quite peeved about our support of the Eagles.

But, of course, we don't sponsor or support the Eagles. We aren't that Strauss Foundation. Weird.

Writer Siebert Discusses His New Book—Which Was Re-Titled 11th Hour (And I’d Subtitle “Simian Roger & Me”)—And Animals In Crisis

2009-08-16T16:04:00.000-07:00

I was greatly privileged to speak on Wednesday’s show with writer Charles Siebert, whose new book is “The Wauchula Woods Accord: Toward A New Understanding Of Animals.”

The book chronicles his extended encounter with a retired circus chimp named Roger at The Center For Great Apes, a chimpanzee sanctuary in Wauchula, FL, but widens out considerably from the personal reportage of that encounter.

But as Charles made clear in our on-air conversation, his time spent with Roger had a profound impact on him (he originally intended to call the book “Humanzee”; it’s probably too late to consider my proposed sub-title: “Simian Roger & Me”), while serving as a jumping off point for addressing what he found at other chimp sanctuaries across the county he traveled to, and musings about scientific research and literature on the man/ape connection, as well as observations and reporting from other pieces he’s written.

Indeed, over the years, Charles Siebert has written a number of New York Times Magazine cover stories about animals and animal issues, most recently his July 13 piece on whales—a sizable portion of which was devoted to the phenomenon of “friendly whales,” the focus of the May 13 “Talking Animals.”

Other celebrated Siebert NYT Magazine cover pieces include an Oct. 2006 article on elephants experiencing something akin to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and, perhaps most disturbingly, as Charles and I discussed, this didn’t apply merely to captive elephants, but ones in the wild, too; and the story on chimps, the reporting of which led to his pivotal meeting with Roger and, ultimately, the new book.

In briefly addressing his career path, he explained that he came to writing about animals from a background as a poet. That makes perfect sense: "The Wauchula Woods Accord" and his Times Magazine pieces reflect the heart of a animal lover and advocate, and the soul of a poet.

Or maybe vice versa.

Blog Sloth Becomes New Animal!

2009-08-15T10:48:00.000-07:00

Pictured at the left is a cartoonish depiction of 10-toed sloth.

By which, I mean that it's been nearly five months since my last blog post--for reasons too boring and pitiful to explain, though they largely involve...yes, sloth.

But I am ready to return to regular posting, mindful that the blogosphere is absolutely clamoring for yet another person with lots of fuzzy opinions, and even fuzzier grammar...

Hangin' With Whales: Part One

2009-03-24T07:18:00.000-07:00

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

2009-02-22T11:24:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-02-02T08:28:00.000-08:00

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?

2009-01-30T10:54:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-25T17:55:00.000-08:00

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...

2009-01-17T17:02:00.000-08:00

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

2009-01-12T09:22:00.000-08:00

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.

Unlikely Hero Gives Voice To Elephants Who Can't Voice Their Own Complaints

2009-01-08T10:51:00.000-08:00

At first glance, you wouldn't necessarily peg Tom Rider as a guy speaking up for animals and educating the public in the process.

I mean, he doesn't cut the dashing figure of, say, Wayne Pacelle, the handsome, dapper honcho of the Humane Society of The U.S.

Rider's rounder, more rumpled.

But heroes come in all shapes and sizes, and many would say that Rider, who was my guest on the Jan. 7 edition of "Talking Animals," has done heroic work on behalf of circus elephants--particularly those forced to sing for their supper in Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus--for many years.

In 1997, Rider went to work for Ringling caring for the elephants, and over the course of a two 1/2 year stint, became a whistleblower after witnessing the daily abuse of those pacyhderms. That abuse involved the elephants being immobilized by chains for most of the day (often unchained only long enough to perform), and for even longer periods in the trains that transport the Ringling units, which means the elephants are forced to stand for hours in their own waste.

Worse--as has been widely documented in video pieces and by Rider (who reiterated this in our interview) and other Ringling whistleblowers--these wonderful, intelligent, complex creatures are repeatedly beaten with an ankus or bullhook which is heavy and club-like and has a pointy, sharp tip. Imagine a heavy and sharp fireplace poker. (I've done a Ringling-related show each year since I launched "Talking Animals" in 2003, and I've written on this topic for The Huffington Post and elsewhere.)

Tom Rider is now a central figure in a federal lawsuit brought against Ringling by multiple animal groups (including the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals [ASPCA], The Fund for Animals, the Animal Welfare Institute, and the Animal Protection Institute ) for mistreatment of the elephants under the Endangered Species Act.

That suit is slated to resume--some would say commence-- February 3 in Washington, DC.

In an odd intersection of heroic with nomadic, Rider essentially lives in his 80s Volkswagen bus, traveling to where one of the Ringling units is performing, making himself available to local media types and anyone else interested in hearing the dark truth about the life of circus animals.

Filling this role ain't exactly a get-rich scheme. Indeed, it would appear that Rider maintains a hand-to-mouth existence.

Joined by his daughter, whom he's been visiting in recent days, he had driven a considerable distance to join me in-studio for the "Talking Animals" interview, but wasn't sticking around for opening night of Ringling's Tampa engagement because his VW bus has a bum starter he can't afford to get fixed and he didn't want to get stranded in the dark, especially with rain forecast for the evening.

I offered to take them to lunch after the show--under the circumstances, seemed like the least I could do--but he politely declined, mostly because they needed to get back so his daughter could sort out a problem with her food stamps.

So, again, it's safe to say that speaking for the elephants--and against Ringling--has not served as a lucrative gambit for Rider. It's just something he feels compelled to do. As he noted in our interview, he plans to walk into that courtroom Feb. 3 and testify under oath, in large part because none of the affected elephants (even the ones still alive) can do so.

Those elephants will have a very forceful surrogate in that witness box.

Back In Blogging Action; Here's To Home Hares

2009-01-04T10:30:00.000-08:00

For many years, I haven't been a big personal proponent of New Year's Resolutions--mostly, I guess, because back when I did make such resolutions, they'd typically become a pile of smoking wreckage by, oh, January 3rd.

Sometimes sooner.

So while I'm accordingly disinclined to even flirt with making any such resolution, now, in 2009, I'm also quite prepared to resolve to do regular, consistent posting on this blog. Does that mean daily posts? Hell, no. In immensely busy periods, it might not even mean weekly.

But generally, there's going to be far more action here this year, both directly and indirectly tied to "Talking Animals," and damn near always tied to animals.

For example, one of my very favorite things about our house--and we're fortunate enough to live on a pretty vast patch of land, including a pond where fish and turtle live and all sorts of fowl visit (but more on that in future posts)--is that in the early morning and again at dusk, a handful of wild rabbits collect on different hunks of our lawn and munch away contentedly.

They're not the only contented ones. I find it deeply calming, and sweet, that these hares not only live on our property, but at the appointed hours, when neither sizzling south Florida sun nor assorted predators are factors, emerge twice daily for a lovely grass repast.

They project a sense of feeling happy and safe. Which has added a notable wrinkle to a looming family decision: Now that Mike Strauss is five years old and has learned to become careful and gentle with the cats that live inside our home, we're giving increasingly serious thought to expanding our family by adopting a dog.

Endless pluses, of course, to such a move, but one major potential minus of a pooch roaming our digs is that our rabbit friends would likely feel unsafe dining on our lawn. Not hard to imagine them disappearing altogether.

For me, at least, it'd be a sad loss if we could no longer herald these hares. Stay tuned.

TNT's Ringling Reality Series: Sickest Show On Earth

2008-04-11T19:27:00.000-07:00

Published today, April 11, 2008, on Huffington Post: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/duncan-strauss/tnts-ringling-reality-ser_b_96302.html

I read with great interest--and greater horror--that one component of TNT’s new plan to expand the network’s slate of original programming is an unscripted series set aboard the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus train that transports the performers and animals from show to show.

That sound you’re hearing may be the bottom of the barrel scraping--or it could be the moaning of an elephant being abused.

Sure, the unscripted-series barrel has been dredged ever deeper over the years, so that, now, darn near anything constitutes a reality show. If you’re intrigued by, say, who Chef Ramsay will next scream at, or which young lady will be selected to rock Bret Michaels’ world, hey, Godspeed.

Similarly, I certainly can’t keep you from watching this forthcoming TNT program about Ringling entitled, predictably enough, “The Greatest Show On Earth.” And I’m mindful that criticizing any sort of work—particularly if fueled by moral outrage—before seeing, reading, hearing that work is the province of the lunkhead.

But I don’t really seek to criticize this TNT series, and my outrage toward Ringling isn’t particularly elevated after hearing about the show—it’s always pretty damn high.

In answer to the question that must’ve popped up right about now—who the hell is this guy?—I’m a father, a passionate animal lover, and host of “Talking Animals,” a radio program about animals I launched in 2003 on KUCI in Irvine, and now airs on WMNF, an NPR station in Tampa, FL. (www.talkinganimals.net)

So, here are some defining Ringling Bros. traits that, even allowing for the often-altered reality of reality show, may lend this new TNT series an undercurrent of darkness.

Ringling has a long record of animal abuse, most notoriously toward its elephants, which spend most of their time shackled in chains or squeezed into boxcars. Aboard the circus train--center stage of the new series, remember—boxcars are often cramped, poorly ventilated, and the elephants stand for long stretches chained in their own waste.

Their training is fear-driven, revolving around punishing and hurting the animals. The main weapon of education is the bull hook, or ankus—picture a heavy, sharp fireplace poker—and the trainers hit the elephants, often repeatedly, with the bull hook in various parts of their body, so that they comply, so they “learn.” These scenes should make for some terrific television.

If you simply find it impossible to believe what I’m saying about Ringling’s routine animal abuse, no offense taken. It is almost too horrific to believe.

But a few minutes of online research—start by Googling such innocuous words as “circus” and “animals”--will yield a torrent of verifying results, documents, references to lawsuits against Ringling for their mistreatment of the elephants (including numerous former employees serving as whistleblowers) and spools of footage, undercover and otherwise. Regarding footage, I’d be remiss if I didn’t cite the award-winning piece on Ringling and its abuse of Asian elephants by veteran television journalist Leslie Griffith, who has won nine local Emmys and two Edward R. Murrow Awards: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3rQzLOLR4M

I guess I’m also curious about how the new series will present the information that Ringling owner Kenneth Feld has known for more than a decade that many of its elephants have M-tuberculosis—the same kind of tuberculosis carried by and transmitted to humans—and that these elephants are allowed to tour (hey, more fascinating stories aboard the train) and to perform.

“The show must go on” adage takes on a complex new dimension when the show in question is posing a public health threat of, well, elephantine proportions.

Oh, sure, Feld and his lieutenants may tell you, on camera or otherwise, that elephants with TB are pulled from the show—from the train—and quarantined. The problem is that one can’t accurately diagnose an elephant with TB while he or she is alive—so-called “trunk washings” are imprecise, and, as you might imagine, it’s a little impractical to give a chest x-ray to an elephant.

Perhaps you’re thinking that this TB information, too, seems improbable. But Feld and his team are brilliant at marketing, and part of their genius is the deft way they get into bed with media outlets—one upshot is that you almost never see tough, much less investigative, reporting on Ringling.

Again, it will take you mere minutes of research to verify the TB situation, and once more I refer you to the work of Leslie Griffith, the journalist I think has done the best reporting on Ringling in recent years: This written piece includes e-mails and memos by veterinarians and USDA investigators expressing concern over TB in Ringling elephants. http://www.truthout.org/docs_2006/091207J.shtml

Gosh, endemic animal abuse and exposing audiences to TB seem to amount to blights on Ringling’s carefully-cultivated image as family entertainment. But I hope I don’t seem too cynical if I predict these elements may not get tremendous airplay on the TNT series.

Perhaps they’ll get their due attention in another TV project or documentary film on Ringling--may I suggest a working title of “The Sickest Show On Earth”?

For The Love Of Animals, Avoid The Circus

2007-12-31T08:30:00.000-08:00

For the love of animals, avoid the circus
Special to The Palm Beach Post

Sunday, December 23, 2007

By Duncan Strauss

On Wednesday, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus lumbers into the South Florida Fairgrounds Expo Center in Palm Beach County for 12 performances. To those considering stepping into the big top to attend one of these shows, I offer this polite request:

Please don't.

Who am I - some animal-hating killjoy out to spoil your fun? Far from it. I'm a father, a pretty passionate animal lover and, not coincidentally, I host a radio program about animals that airs on Tampa National Public Radio affiliate WMNF.

I do not claim to be a renowned animal expert. But over the years, I've done a great deal of research into an array of animal matters. In hosting the show, I've had the good fortune to interview a number of renowned animal experts, experiences that have yielded one indisputable conclusion:

Animals in circuses endure a relentlessly awful life, marked by constant travel in cramped quarters, where access to food and water and proper veterinary care can't always be counted on, but punishment, pain, cruelty and, sometimes, premature death can be.

Hyperbole? Hardly. Any unit of Ringling Bros. is on the road for six to 11 months at a time, typically traveling in small train cars or trucks that are often poorly ventilated and/or lack basic creature comforts.

But the travails of transportation practically seem glorious alongside the covert and overt cruelty of the training that prepares - if that's the right word - these animals to perform in "the greatest show on Earth." Allow me to pose two related rhetorical questions:

Do you think that tigers - who, like most animals, are deathly afraid of fire - would be naturally inclined to jump through a ring of fire?

Do you think that elephants would be naturally inclined to balance on a colorful perch, stand on their hind legs or heads, or dance?

The answer, of course, is a resounding "No." So, to achieve the sort of unnatural and physically challenging behaviors described above and others, the training is fear-driven, revolving around punishing and hurting the animals: whipping them, beating them with rods, etc.

Elephants often are restrained, then beaten until they understand not to fight back. The chief tool of the elephant training trade is the bull hook, or ankus, which is heavy and clublike and has a pointy, sharp tip. Imagine a heavy and sharp fireplace poker. The trainers hit the elephants with the bull hook in various parts of their body, so that they comply - "learn."

Sounds too horrendous to believe, doesn't it? But there is plenty of testimony by former Ringling employees that says as much, and lots of video that shows as much - some of it as new as this year. To see an extensive array of germane video footage in less than eight minutes, you could hardly do better than watching the award-winning piece on Ringling and its abuse of Asian elephants by television journalist Leslie Griffith, who has won nine local Emmys and two Edward R. Murrow Awards, It's at www.youtube.com/watch?v=I3rQzLOLR4M.

Keen observers of Ms. Griffith's work will notice that it's from 2004, and might reasonably wonder whether Ringling has improved its treatment of animals. Nope. In October 2006, Robert Tom, a former animal keeper who worked for Ringling for nearly two years (his wife, Margaret, also was employed by the circus) issued a notarized declaration - six pages of hair-raising accounts of animal neglect, abuse and cruelty in and around the big top.

Mr. Tom's experiences echo those of Archele Faye Hundley, a young mother of five, who worked as part of the animal crew. Her lengthy September 2006 notarized declaration, notes: "I quit the circus because the animal abuse was too upsetting. The abuse was not once in awhile, it occurred every day."

The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, along with three other not-for-profit animal welfare organizations - The Fund For Animals, Animal Welfare Institute and Animal Protection Institute - are in the midst of litigation, under the Federal Endangered Species Act, against Ringling. The allegations detail the routine abuse and neglect of Asian elephants. The groups are joined in the lawsuit by a former Ringling employee, Tom Rider, who worked as a barn man for the elephants for 21/2 years, and is featured in the Griffith piece.

I digress here briefly for a prediction: Ringling owner Kenneth Feld surely will dispatch someone to respond to this piece - could be an official employee or maybe someone in the guise of a Ringling fan writing a letter to the editor - to dismiss these contentions as the ravings of a misinformed loon.

There will be rosy scenarios offered about their training, about their "conservation efforts" (their Center for Elephant Conservation is little more than a facility to restock the touring units with fresh pachyderms), about how great their animals are treated, etc. There are millions of dollars at stake, and elephants are the prime drawing cards, so when someone is critical of the operation, Mr. Feld and his fellow Ringling panjandrums typically mobilize quickly. And they'll say anything.

Nonetheless, let's just say, for the sake of ludicrous argument, that nothing untoward is visited on elephants in the course of their big top training. They're still forced to travel in those train cars or trucks to perform up to three shows a day and to spend most of their non-performance time anchored by leg chains.

Let me hasten to add that I'm not at all universally opposed to circuses, just those that use animals. There are numerous animal-free circuses - perhaps the most famous is Cirque du Soleil, but the last list I saw featured more than 20 such outfits.

If your family has a hankering to see a circus, go to one of those. But attending a Ringling performance is tantamount to endorsing animal abuse.

This Ziggy Doesn't Play Guitar--But I Bet He Could

2007-12-10T08:41:00.000-08:00

One of the many things I like about living where we do--a vaguely rural area with lots of space and a decidedly equestrian bent--is that we share our digs with all sorts of fabulous creatures.

These range from lizards and frogs (one of which I, uh, profiled, in a previous post) to rabbits, opossums, squirrels to all kinds of wildlife in and around our pond, including turtles and fish inside, and assorted fowl outside.

Perhaps my favorite critter around these parts, though, is Ziggy, the fabulous white horse who lives next door. For one thing, as the accompanying picture suggests, he's gorgeous.

But it's more than that. He's a mellow and kind beast, with one of those especially magnetic personalities that only certain animals have. He's the kind of horse you're always happy to see, when you approach the house--or even when you're heading out.

I always stop, roll down the window and call, "Hi Ziggy." I recognize that it means a lot more to me than it does to him, but even if he's in the midst of chowing down, he always looks up and nods to acknowledge the greetings. That's just the kind of horse he is.

Several months ago, Ziggy's human companions placed their house on the market, which was sad news in all kinds of ways--not surprisingly, perhaps, these folks are as nice as Ziggy is, and we'll be very sorry to see them go.

Meanwhile, Ziggy has been spending large hunks of time at their ranch in another part of the state. He's had some problems of late with his feet, and the ground at the ranch is easier on his feet, plus he has a horse friend up there. Hard to begrudge him greater comfort & equine companionship.

But we miss him. This summer, Ziggy was gone for one of the first of his long stretches, and I was in the car with my 4-year-old, Mike, when we drove by his main stomping grounds, and we began wondering aloud where Ziggy was.

"Maybe," Mike suggested, "he's on vacation?"

Out of the mouth of babes, and all. Turns out, Mike's guess was pretty darn accurate. Ziggy came back a few weeks ago, and we all were bonkers with excitement. It was so great to see him, so comforting and wonderful to hear him snorting and whinnying at night.

I went over darn every day to talk with him. Again, the conversations meant a lot more to me than to him; for all I know, he just considered me an odd and lonely man. But, I guess, as someone who loves animals, it's a powerfully pleasurable feeling simply to be in the presence of an animal like that. I relish those visits.

He went back to the ranch recently. Of course, I'm glad he's happier and more comfortable up there, but every time I drive back to our house, I steal a glance next door, hoping Ziggy might have returned. I can hardly wait for our next chat.

Ingrid Newkirk & Other Wright-Thinking People On Behalf Of Turkeys

2007-11-23T07:35:00.000-08:00

By no small coincidence, I suppose, HBO's documentary "I Am An Animal: The Story Of Ingrid Newkirk And PETA" premiered Monday evening--just a few nights before Thanksgiving.

The film seeks to provide a profile of Ingrid Newkirk and the organization she co-founded some 27 years ago, People For The Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), showing her at her very spartan apartment and at work at the PETA offices as well as at the helm of PETA campaigns and investigations--including an undercover investigation of ConAgra turkey processing plant.

We see that this investigation is initially botched in the hands of too-green PETA operative before he's replaced by a grizzled vet who emerges with video footage of horrifying abuses of the turkeys in that plant. I'd like to think at least a small percentage of viewers opted to skip the turkey at this year's Thanksgiving meal.

Before moving on to a couple of other quick turkey/Thanksgiving-related observations, I like to note, for what little it's worth, that the documentary was not without its virtues, but presented a one-dimensional if not downright inaccurate portrait of Ingrid Newkirk. Do I agree with everything she says, or has done?

Certainly not. My theory (and an underlying premise of "Talking Animals") is that everyone--both inside and outside the animal welfare world--has their own philosophical threshold of ideas, arguments and tactics they deem appropriate for the cause they're seeking to serve. For me, for example, the PETA campaign comparing pigs and chickens squished together in a factory farming setting with Jews in the Holocaust--well, do I need to go on? Yet, even now, the film makes clear, Newkirk thinks that was a good campaign, and stands by it.

But I also think she's done enormous good for all sorts of animals for the better part of three decades. And I was surprised by the Ingrid Newkirk that was rendered in "I Am An Animal": Profoundly sad, disconnected, unpleasant, almost lifeless.

She might well be those things at times, but the Ingrid Newkirk I've seen in countless interviews and other settings--and I interviewed her myself on "Talking Animals" three years ago--and she more commonly comes across as a bright, peppy, witty, spirited, engaging figure. I didn't see that Ingrid in this documentary, which isn't to suggest the film was without merit. There just seemed to be curious choices made in the editing bay, and maybe elsewhere, along the way.

On a somewhat related note, Don Wright--The Palm Beach Post's phenomenal, Pulitzer-winning editorial cartoonist--offered the day before Thanksgiving a wordless but typically powerful cartoon: in a field there's a big human hunter carrying a gun, with a thought bubble above his ahead with the image of a turkey in a roasting pan; on the other side of a large tree, we see a turkey with a thought bubble above his ahead--with the image of the hunter in a roasting pan.

I'm with the turkey.

But for years now, I've sided with the turkey--and once again, yesterday, I had a fantastic turkey-free Thanksgiving meal. With any luck--whether or not they saw "I Am An Animal"--more folk did the same yesterday. And even more might consider that sort of Thanksgiving meal next year.

This Sloth Is Ten-Toed...

2007-11-09T08:04:00.000-08:00

There's been no legitimate contest--no competiton, online or otherwise (that I know of)--but unofficially, at least, I think it's safe to declare myself the World's Laziest Blogger.

Hardly a reason to brag, I realize.

I mean, most folks who go to the trouble to get themselves a blog actually use it, regularly tapping out their musings on a host of topics, creating posts that can range from the riveting and provocative to the indulgent and deadly dull. But wherever these bloggers land on this continuum, at least they're writing.

Me, not so much. Oh, sure, there's a litany of explanations/excuses I could offer for what has kept me from adding my two cents to the blogosphere in the last several weeks, but that'd likely end up a pathetic exercise in offering something perhaps even less compelling than my regular posts. No small task.

And why I haven't been blogging isn't really all that significant. What's important (well, to me) is that I get back on the blogging horse, in a manner of speaking.

So, getting a huge jump on my New Year's resolutions, I'm pledging to do much more blogging for the balance of '07, and into 2008. Mostly, as I outlined in the missive that launched this blog, posts will generally be connected to my radio show, "Talking Animals" or otherwise tied to the world of animals and animal welfare.

With that, let the blogging begin. Or resume.

Chrissie Hynde: A Rockin' Animal Advocate

2007-08-20T07:42:00.000-07:00

For better or worse, I'm old enough to be a fan of Chrissie Hynde and The Pretenders pretty much from the get-go.

Not just that glorious debut album--remember how damn near every song was fantastic, as the band roamed confidently all over the musical countryside from fiery rawker to tender ballad to Kinks cover to reggae number and back again?

It was more than that, though. It was also their first shows Stateside...which, for me, meant a 1980 concert at the Warfield Theatre in San Francisco, where The Pretenders opened for The Boomtown Rats.

And, as my buddy Randy Fender & I were recalling the other day, The Pretenders smoked. They were a terrific, muscular band, while Chrissie Hynde was an extraordinary singer and an absolutely riveting presence onstage. Over the years, the personnel changed, but that assessment never did.

It was a good handful of years later that I became aware of Chrissie's work on behalf of animals. But for quite some time, it's been pretty difficult to be unaware of that work, especially for anyone plugged into the world of animal welfare.

Of course, you didn't have to be all that plugged in to notice some of her work, which in no small measure because it's done by Chrissie Hynde--has often been rather high-profile and colorful.

For instance, she was arrested in Paris while protesting KFC and their inhumane treatment of chicken in the processing plant, arrested another time in New York protesting the use of leather by The Gap in some of its clothing.

And then there was that time nearly 20 years ago, when she famously said "I firebombed McDonald's," and the next day a McDonald's in Buckinghamshire was firebombed. But some of her work on behalf of animals isn't at all marked by that sort of dramatic flair--for instance, in April she wrote a sharp, powerful piece in the Toronto Globe & Mail about Canada's annual seal hunt.

So as a longtime fan of her music and the animal work, it was probably no surprise that I sought to have Chrissie Hynde join me on "Talking Animals." And probably no less surprising that this was quite difficult to pull off.

During a period spanning more than three years, The Pretenders' manager and I became e-mail pen pals, with her generally--and quite courteously--explaining why Chrissie was not available or not doing interviews. But, crucially, she never told me to quit sending the e-mails, never said something akin to "we'll contact you when Chrissie can do the interview"--typically, in this scenario, the polite kiss of death.

Then, in July--in response to my latest invitation, noting the forthcoming opening of VegeTerranean, Chrissie's vegetarian restaurant in her native Akron, Ohio--she e-mailed back, starting the note with "Good things really do come to those who wait," explaining that Chrissie had agreed to do the interview.

I was thrilled, a degree of enthusiasm that was unwavering, even when the interview itself started out on somewhat curious footing: Chrissie sounded wary, maybe even a touch hostile initially. Turned out, a complicated day and the machinations of being in the midst of a Pretenders tour had prevented her from seeing notes that described the focus of "Talking Animals."

But the conversation was no less solid and vibrant for that (heck, probably more so), and toward the end, she was recognizing that "Talking Animals" was a show about animals and animal issues. I answered a few of her questions about the show, including mentioning some past guests--this was all on air, mind you--and then, landing about 180 degrees from where she started at the beginning of the conversation, she said brightly, "I'll do your show anytime."

Those were her final words in the interview. But, based on a few things--including an immensely kind voicemail she later left on my cell phone--probably not her final words on "Talking Animals."

And, to me, that was rockin' good news.

This Alison's Aim Is True, Too: Striving To Reduce Animal Abuse By Providing Significant Info About it

2007-07-30T17:13:00.000-07:00

There are countless heroes and heroines in the animal welfare world, but arguably few are doing more heavy lifting--emotionally speakng-than those dealing daily with animal abuse.

People like Alison Gianotto.

The guest on the July 11 edition of "Talking Animals," Alison Gianotto is a nationally-recognized expert on animal abuse and cruelty who also happens to be a computer whiz (and, yes, I realize everyone seems to be a computer whiz these days, but not everyone has written books on computer programming, as Alison has--alright, Bub?).

About six years ago, combing both areas of expertise, she created Pet-Abuse.com, a sprawling web site and online resource that seeks to reduce animal abuse through providing information and education. Moreover, the database--currently featuring more than 11,000 cases--has become a major tool relied on by law enforcement, prosecutors and others across the country.

Pet-Abuse.com provides details, updated daily, about neglect/abuse/cruelty court cases taking place across this country (and sometimes other countries), and a slew of other info, services and resources.

I urge you to visit Pet-Abuse.com.

And I urge you to hear Alison Gianotto speak--not necessarily on "Talking Animals" (although our conversation is archived and available as an iTunes podcast via the show website, http://www.talkinganimals.net/), but perhaps at one of the many talks she delivers at conferences, college campuses and other events throughout the nation.

She's whip-smart, wildly articulate, and while the topic can be dark and depressing, she's not.

Jeremiah Was A Tree Frog?

2007-07-09T08:46:00.000-07:00

There are many, many things that I love about our house in Jupiter Farms--even allowing for the fact that it's a three hour drive to WMNF, the radio station in Tampa where I hold forth on "Talking Animals"--and chief among those things is the tremendous amount of wildlife we share our digs with.

In subsequent posts, I'll surely address the sweeping array of fauna that live here, or periodically hang here. There's probably at least a post or two in just rhapsodizing about all the wonderful creatures that reside in--or visit--our pond.

But today I just want to mention our little tree frog friend, who perches near our front door, very close to the lights, which when illuminated in the darkness of night, attract all sorts of flying insects--sort of an All You Can Eat Buffet for our sticky-fingered (and tongued) friend.

He seems to have a good, comfortable life, and while awaiting nightfall, he can be an amusing feller. A picture may or may not be worth a thousand words, but perhaps this shot suggests a pretty relaxed character?

A Prized Show--& Ultra Surprised Host

2007-07-06T09:28:00.000-07:00

So, not quite two Saturdays ago, WMNF held its annual Volunteer Banquet, a gathering of about 250 folks, including the small number of station staffers and the huge number of volunteers--some of whom one can hear on air, most of whom work tirelessly behind the scenes at the station, at the concerts and other events presented by WMNF, and in assorted other capacities.

Having only been on the air at WMNF for a year and a half, this was my first such banquet, and I was struck by the warm, friendly atmosphere as people socialized, enjoyed a meal, then settled in for the presentation of the awards. That is, I was struck by this while remaining focused on the non-stop activities of my three-and-half-year-old son, Mike, who--along with my wife, Colleen--accompanied me to the banquet. (He's pictured at the banquet, mid-shenanigans, in a picture above, taken by WMNF's Dawn Morgan.)

I had been encouraged to bring Mike by a handful of longtime WMNFers, who noted the event was informal and that other young kids would also likely be there. Still, it didn't work out that great--partly 'cause we'd attended not long after making the three-hour drive to Tampa from our home in Jupiter Farms, partly 'cause it was "just one of those days," and partly because (did I mention?) Mike is three and half years old.

On the huge plus side, to my utter shock and amazement, I won an award--named the station's News & Public Affairs Programmer Of The Year. The Mike Factor and winning this award made for an unusual juxtaposition, if not collision.

At this point, in fact, this situation may be best addressed by providing a copy of the e-mail I sent the next day to WMNF's Assistant News & Public Affairs Director Mitch Perry, who presented me the award. The "Rob" I allude to is News & Public Affairs Director Rob Lorei, who gave me the opportunity to broadcast "Talking Animals" on WMNF when I was looking for a new home for the show after my family and I relocated from California to Florida. Here's the e-mail:
*************************************************************************
Hi Mitch,

Thanks so much for the award. As may have been all too apparent, I was stunned in every sense of the word. For starters, in the wake of urging from Carrie & polling other MNFers--mostly with kids--I brought my 3 and-a-half-year-old lunatic, Mike, to the banquet, which through nobody's fault (but mine) turned out to be a bad call. So my wife & I (& our tablemates) braved his hijinks til around 5, at which point my wife took him out for good (not in the assassination sense, though that was tempting), and I walked out with them.

I was kinda frazzled from the Mike misadventures & attendant distractions, so as I re-entered Maestro's, I looked forward to grabbing a beer, chilling out and watching the awards ceremony unfold. As I step to the bar, I half hear you mention Nellie McKay & Bob Barker, then like some cartoon, I whip my head around & hear you say something about Emmylou Harris.

Like some sort of drug experience (well, what I've heard about those), my sense of time & space became all distorted. I don't know what the heck's happening, but I head to my seat--at which point I think I hear you announce my name. I'm still not sure what's happening--in addition to being out of sorts from young Mike Strauss, this is my first MNF banquet, & the first award of the day--so I lean over & ask Miss Julie, who's temporarily roosted at my table, if I'm supposed to go up there, or what?

So this is the backdrop for what I was like when I got to the podium--shocked at winning the award, somewhat disoriented overall & more than a little uncertain what to say or do next; I was like an awards ceremony double-buffoon: In the bathroom (or at least away from the awards room) when about to receive an award, AND the dipshit who forgets to thank people--in my case, that certainly should've included Rob, among others.

What's done is done--I mean, I don't think I said anything abysmal, or urinated all over myself or anything. I just wish I'd been in the room, a little more calm & collected, and had heard what you said. My wife (who regrets having left the room mere minutes before, to whisk our loon away) wondered if you might have a copy of any written remarks you might have made before announcing my award, or if anyone was recording the ceremony? If not, no prob.

And, lemme extend my huge & heartfelt thanks to you & other members of the MNF juggernaut--even if those thanks were woefully MIA yesterday.

Yours,
Duncan
*************************************************************************
So, obviously, I was ultra surprised.

I was also thrilled, flattered and honored.

And, heck, maybe in all his nuttiness, Mike was a good luck charm.

More Reasons To Be Enamored Of Emmylou

2007-06-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

Emmylou Harris was the most recent guest on "Talking Animals," and I remain so excited about the conversation with her, I still have a spring in my step.

Of course, given the caliber of guests we're fortunate enough to have visit with us on the show, I'm pretty darn excited during (and after) speaking with all of 'em. It's just that Emmylou is the first guest since we launched the "Talking Animals" Blog, so this is the first opportunity I've had to blog about a guest.

But, really, it's more than that. Over a career spanning more than three decades--during which she's collected 12 Grammys and demonstrated a real affinity for collaboration, for example, recently recording an album with Mark Knopfler, "All The Roadrunning" and singing with Conor Oberst on three songs of Bright Eyes' "I'm Wide Awake, It's Morning"--she's established herself as a singular artist with a generous spirit.

So given that she's long projected a kind and generous attitude, perhaps it should be far from surprising that she's a lifelong animal advocate, from growing up in a house full of animals and animal lovers (her Dad was studying to be a veterinarian until World War II and other factors derailed him from that track) to now, at 60(!), when her own Nashville house is full of animals--and that she operates a small foster care shelter for dogs, Bonaparte's Retreat, at that house.

Or that the dogs she brings into Bonaparte's Retreat are ones who, for one reason or another, are otherwise prime candidates to be euthanized.

Or that she's lobbied for an anti-tethering (i.e., chaining a dog) ordinance.

Or that she's just as likely to talk about the importance of animal adoption and spay/neuter as about her latest music project.

Or that she's taped animal-oriented public service announcements.

Or that she's organized &/or performed benefit concerts for various animal welfare organizations.

Or in discussing some of these things in our conversation on "Talking Animals," that she spoke eloquently with deep expertise and authority--this ain't a celebrity diletante. She truly understands the issues, and has not only been in the trenches of working with local and national organizations on adoption (and other matters), but took it a step further by rolling up her sleeves and getting her hands by converting her back yard into a foster care shelter, saving countless dogs over the years from being put to death.

All this, with her gentle manner and humanity underscored by a speaking voice that's nearly as sweet, inviting and distinctive as her singing voice. Indeed, after the show, a friend e-mailed, saying, in part, "her voice and delivery are so soothing to my ears...She seems like a real gem of a human being."

Exactly. Which is why it was a huge treat--and enormously exciting--to have this conversation with Emmylou.

Yeah, But How Do I Listen To Those Nellie Shows?

2007-06-08T08:18:00.000-07:00

In the wake of my post about Nellie McKay, a number of people have wondered how they might hear the two editions of "Talking Animals" that featured interviews with Nellie.

OK, that's a thick slice of baloney--no one's inquired, and the only folks asking are the voices in my head. But I have a nice relationship with those voices, and always try to answer their questions.

And it's pretty simple to do so here: Nellie first chatted with us on the program that aired April 5, 2004 and returned for more conversation in the show that aired November 9, 2005 (our debut on WMNF, for those scoring at home). Moreover, every show we've ever broadcast--next week, "Talking Animals" celebrates its four year anniversary overall, for those still scoring at home --is archived on the program website: http://www.talkinganimals.net/

Plus, an increasing number of our shows--including the more recent Nellie one--are now available as podcasts on iTunes and other podcatchers.

Yet another reason to visit the program website is that it provides links that whisk you to the "Talking Animals" podcast, and makes it super-easy to subscribe to the monthly podcast. With any luck, this answers, for the moment, all questions posed by the voices in my head.

A Nod To Nellie...

2007-06-05T17:59:00.000-07:00

I'm a huge fan of Nellie McKay for all kinds of reasons--almost none having to do with her being a guest twice on "Talking Animals" (or saying incredibly kind things to me about the program; more on that later, perhaps)--and she somehow keeps providing more reasons to deepen my admiration for her.

Like her review of a new book on Doris Day, which ran in Sunday's edition of The New York Times--at least the second substantial book review Nellie has written for "the paper of record."

Let's back up a bit.

My first exposure to Nellie McKay was catching her on "Letterman" singing "The Dog Song"(early 2004?), and it was hard not to feel instantly enchanted. This was some days before she'd released her double-disc debut, "Get Away From Me," a winsome, wildly-impressive collection that went on to be named one of the 15 best albums of 2004 in the Village Voice poll of 800 critics nationwide.

Not bad.

Presented initially as the work of a 19-year-old before some suggestions surfaced that Nellie or someone in her camp had shaved a few years off her actual age--then and now, I ask: who cares?--it turned out she wasn't merely a musical wunderkind, but was also something of a precocious animal activist, including writing protest songs like "Columbia Is Bleeding," about the animal experimentation at Columbia University.

Not long after the release of "Get Away From Me," Nellie joined me on "Talking Animals" and proved to be a terrific guest--in our conversation as well as fielding listener questions--and things went at least that well a year and a half later, when she rejoined me on the show.

That second visit was on the eve of releasing her second album, "Pretty Little Head"--or so it seemed; in the wake of a dispute with her record company that led to her severing ties with that company, the album release was delayed about a year--and as she was preparing to make her Broadway debut as Polly Peachum in "Threepenny Opera," alongside Alan Cumming & Edie Falco.

Again, not bad.

This is obviously a very bright, immensely gifted woman--and then last March, as if she needed to do anything to underline that impression, Nellie published a book review (of Karen Schoemer's "Great Pretenders: My Strange Love Affair With '50s Pop Music") in The New York Times. It was a wonderful piece--probing, smart, incisive, and certainly didn't pull any punches.

She did it again Sunday, weighing in on "Considering Doris Day," a new examination of the life & career of the singer, actress and animal advocate--a major influence on Nellie--authored by Tom Santopietro.

The review is notable for both its sweep and depth--to those of us pretty familiar with Nellie and her work, it's a given that she's steeped in all things Day, but Nellie writes here with a knowledge and authority, an acute understanding and fierce intelligence that's downright preternatural for someone who, no matter how you slice it, is still in her 20s.

To note out that she's wise--or gifted--beyond her years is, at this point, woefully obvious, akin to suggesting things aren't going well in Iraq.

And she can certainly teach an old dog new tricks: At one point in the review, she chides Santopietro for repeatedly referring to Doris Day as an "animal lover," a term she finds both a misnomer and condescending, at least when applied to someone like Day, who's responsible for so many seismic shifts in the animal welfare landscape.

When I read the review, I was in the middle of preparing an announcement for "Talking Animals" that referred to a forthcoming guest as an "animal lover."

I changed it.

Long-Time Reader, First-Time Blogger

2007-05-31T08:41:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true--I've joined the blogosphere. (And, yes, I know: For using the term "blogosphere" in the very first sentence of my very first post, my blogging privileges should probably be immediately suspended, at least temporarily.)

But the idea behind this "Talking Animals"-oriented blog is to address guests and topics on the radio show (currently airing on Tampa NPR station WMNF the second Wednesday of each month, at 11:30 am EST. Please visit our website: at http://www.talkinganimals.net/), a variety of other animal issues, pending legislation, organizations, animal stories that have elicited significant media coverage--or should--and much more.

Some posts may be short, simple observations--like the profound bliss I feel when I step out of the house in the early morning and see wild bunnies munching on our lawn. Although the intent is for everything here to be somehow rooted in the world of animals and animal issues (much as the radio show is), who knows how far afield we may travel over time. I can safely say, though, that it'll likely be quite some time before I again use the word blogosphere...