Talking Animals

Helen Macdonald—author of “H is for Hawk,” a wildly-acclaimed, multifaceted memoir that recounts Macdonald’s struggle with the debilitating grief spawned by her father’s sudden death, and her singular solution to that struggle: training a goshawk, a large and particularly fierce bird of prey—explains that at 37, she had not yet experienced profound loss, so her dad’s passing generated an extra emotional wallop. Macdonald describes the earliest days of that sadness and how she arrived at the conclusion that the best way to ease her grief would be training and flying a goshawk. Too, she acknowledges that she settled on a goshawk precisely because they are so complicated and high strung—that any less challenging a bird would’ve failed to provide the sweeping diversion she sought. Responding to the part of “H is for Hawk”—which has received Samuel Johnson Prize, the UK’s most prestigious non-fiction award, and a long string of rave reviews (The New Yorker critic called it “perhaps the finest nonfiction I read in the last year”)—that chronicles first meeting her goshawk, whom she decided to call Mabel; she elaborates on purchasing Mabel through the internet, and the superstition of not giving your goshawk a sinister-sounding name, which often yields a meek and disappointing bird, whereas selecting a goofier moniker virtually assures the desired menacing creature. Macdonald reads the poetic pages in “H is for Hawk” that depict her reaction upon first laying eyes on Mabel. She discusses the abridged biography of author T. H. White that constitutes a through-line of the book, speaking to why White (and “The Goshawk,” his account as a neophyte in falconry) became such a prominent presence in her book. Noting that Mabel turned out to be surprisingly playful when they were at home (where they also watched a lot of bad TV together), Macdonald observes that some of her falconry colleagues who fly goshawks—decidedly a male bastion—were sheepish about confessing that they, too, played with their goshawks. A secret shame of sorts! She also contemplates aloud, some years after the deaths of her father and (spoiler alert!) Mabel, what she knows now about loss and how to deal with it. (www.groveatlantic.com/?isbn=9780802123411)   ALSO: I spoke briefly with Twila Cole, of the Humane Society of Pinellas County, about their then-forthcoming Spring Pet Fest. (http://humanesocietyofpinellas.org) COMEDY CORNER: Rocky Laporte’s “The Zoo” (portion) (http://rockylaporte.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Sons Of Hippies’ “Ladyhawk,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bill Haley & His Comets’ “See You Later, Alligator” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TAapril8-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Nathan Runkle—founder and president of Mercy For Animals—recounts the horrific incident (a fellow high school student that Runkle said slammed a baby piglet on a concrete floor during class) that prompted him to create the organization in 1999. He discusses Mercy For Animals’ early years and early achievements, as well as the evolution of the organization and what’s become their four-pronged mission. Regarding the Education facet, in response to a question about how Mercy For Animals folks seek to dissolve the cognitive dissonance of people who would passionate declaim they’re huge animal lovers—between bites of their cheeseburger—Runkle describes the organization’s “Why Love One But Eat The Other” campaign. But, really, undercover video investigations constitute the lifeblood of the Mercy For Animals operation, and Runkle addresses a select few and the significant–occasionally world-wide–impact they generated, affecting such corporate behemoths at Nestle and Costco. As part of that discussion, he speaks to the growing challenges of placing a Mercy For Animal investigator inside a factory farming enterprise, and the philosophical tenets shaping the release of video footage from those investigations—how long a clip, how graphic the footage, and so on. Runkle talks about the so-called “Ag-Gag” laws, and the sort of chilling effect they can have on such investigations. (www.mercyforanimals.org) ALSO: I spoke briefly with Joan Jett, the rocker and lifelong animal advocate who, with her band, The Blackhearts, about her opening for The Who April 15 in Tampa–first date on “The Who Hits 50” North American tour; Jett opens all shows. We also discussed Jett being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 18, her longstanding love of animals and advocacy on their behalf, and other topics, including Indiana’s Religious Freedom Restoration Act (www.joanjett.com) COMEDY CORNER: Myq Kaplan’s “Meat and Robots”  (http://myqkaplan.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Lake Street Dive’s “Rabid Animals,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: We did not play Name That Animal Tune today AUDIO ARCHIVE Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/TAapril1-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Cat Warren—author of “What The Dog Knows: Scent, Science, And The Amazing Ways Dog Perceive The World”—discusses how she approached writing the book, which, it’s observed in the interview, is so skillfully sprawling, it constitutes multiple books, and probably a few magazine pieces, too. She also addresses changes she’s experienced since writing the book and now, its paperback release, including initially feeling disinclined to mention in her university world (she’s an associate professor at North Carolina State University) that her avocation was working with cadaver dogs, while in the cadaver dog realm, she was sheepish about mentioning she was an academic. That’s different now: “My cover was blown” by publication of the book, she notes in this conversation. Warren traces the arc of her cadaver dog, Solo, from his first days at the house, explaining the implications of his status as a “singleton” (a puppy born without an littermates) through her decision to retire him, and beyond. She outlines some aspects of the training she undertook with Solo, and the importance of ongoing training even several years into the career of a cadaver dog team—and how this structured learning, combined with the years of experience, yields a dog who can successfully execute searches in, say, Year 8 that would be beyond his capability in Year 2. (There’s a parallel in her own seasoning and ongoing training as a handler.) This dovetails with little details and nuances in the search world, gleaned over time—for example, how a right-handed person who gets lost tends to move, contrasting that with the movements of a person suffering from Alzheimers or dementia. Warren discusses the impact on Solo, and herself, of looking for–and often finding–dead bodies. (http://catwarren.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Jody Jorgenson, Executive Director of InStride Therapy, a Nokomis nonprofit that provides therapeutic horseback riding to a variety of young riders with a variety of disabilities. The conversation was specifically tied to InStride then-looming big fundraiser, The Mane Event, to be held Saturday March 28. (www.instridetherapy.org) COMEDY CORNER: Brian Regan’s “Dog Barking”  (http://brianregan.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Antsy McClain’s “What I’ve Learned From Dogs,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Duran Duran’s “Hungry Like The Wolf” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TAMarch25-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Dr. Scott Sims—a veterinarian based on Kauai who travels across all the Hawaiian islands, treating a huge array of animals, often piloting his own plane to reach these clients, and is at the center of “Aloha Vet,” a new TV series on the Nat Geo Wild network—recounts what attracted him so potently to Kauai that he closed his Marin County practice, packed up and moved to the island. He discusses how his new, Kauai-based practice took off immediately, in part because his background as an equine vet (when there wasn’t another in the area) made his services seriously sought after. Noting that he received his pilot’s license upon graduating from high school, Dr. Sims also explains how he began incorporating the flying of his plane into the practice while living in Northern California, as a way to expand, geographically, the number of animals he could treat, which has proven to be an even more defining trait of how Sims functions now. Indeed, in the initial episode of “Aloha Vet,” Dr. Sims–dubbed “The Barefoot Vet”–is shown looking after critters on Kauai, Molokai, Oahu and Maui. Not unrelated to the vast ground he covers by plane, Dr. Sims acknowledges that it’s not uncommon for him to see a wide (and wild) variety of species—on that debut episode, he treated a guinea pig, a horse, a dog, a pot-bellied pig (named Pablo Pigcasso), a goat, another dog, some rescue birds, and a deer. He also describes the steps that led to the creation of “Aloha Vet,” and what he hopes viewers take away from watching episodes of the show. (http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/wild/aloha-vet/) COMEDY CORNER: Richard Jeni’s “Fred Robster”   (www.richardjeni.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Lisa Mills’ version of Jimi Hendrix’s “Little Wing” (http://lisamills.com), Booker T.’s version of Tom Waits’ “Get Behind The Mule,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: My Morning Jacket’s cover of Jefferson Airplane’s “White Rabbit” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TAMarch18-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Don Anthony–Communications Director of the Animal Rights Foundation of Florida (ARFF), which, since 1989, has been speaking and acting on behalf of animals in a multitude of ways—traces the history of the organization, including the impetus for its founding. He discusses ARFF’s initial campaigns, and initial victories, including helping persuade the city of Hollywood, FL to pass its animal display ban in 1990. Anthony also describes, given the very broad slate of campaigns and other efforts, how ARFF apportions its time and resources amongst those campaigns, affirming my suggestion that it’s not unlike a triage scenario. Given that the organization has been particularly active in protesting circuses that use animals, seeking to educate the public about the cruelty routinely visited on elephants and other animals forced to perform under the big top, we devote a considerable slice of time to Ringling Bros’ announcement (made only the week before) that its three touring circuses would phase out elephant acts by 2018. That discussion wonders about Ringling’s rationale, including whether the current crop of elephants might be sold to other circuses or zoos, and notes that Feld Entertainment (the corporate entity that operates the Ringling Bros circus, among several other touring shows and enterprises) has made no commitment to removing any of the other animals that perform in the circus. Anthony also touches on single-elephant attractions by way of recounting—and updating–the story of Nosey, a well-known solo elephant in Florida. (www.arff.org) ALSO: We remembered Curtis, a female cat and significant member of the McGarr-Strauss family for some 15 years, who had to be euthanized—quite unexpectedly—mere days before this broadcast. We note that everything about her was special, starting with the way she entered our lives, as a feral kitten she wandered into our garage in Costa Mesa, CA. We took her to our veterinarian, who fixed Curtis and treated her, but warned us there was no chance of domesticating her, as a feral cat (note her tipped ear). We delighted in proving that vet wrong, and Curtis became a pivotal–and magical–member of the family, enjoying a happy and long life. Just not long enough…   COMEDY CORNER: Bob & Ray’s “Elephant Protest”   (www.bobandray.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TAMarch11-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Brean Cunningham and Douglas Seirup—co-directors of “Dogs On The Inside,” a feature-length documentary that examines a program whereby prison inmates at North Central Correctional Institution in Gardner, MA foster neglected & abused stray dogs—discuss what drew them to this realm and, specifically, the “Don’t Throw Us Away” program to be explored as a documentary, and how they received permission to film at the Institution. The pair (Cunningham is at left, Seirup to the right) explains the sort of ground rules that accompanied that permission, including vetting of their questions for the inmates, and being granted only a total of three days of shooting at the prison. Cunningham and Seirup address what I describe as the 360-degree view of   “Don’t Throw Us Away” their doc provides, noting how many folks contribute to this kind of program (rescuers, transporters, trainers, the inmates, prison officials, adoption people, and others) and the ripple effect that transforms them all. (It also makes for some unlikely comrades: A prison guard, Sergeant Lutz, emerges as an enormously kind and philosophical figure, describing the inmates in generous terms and offering hands-on help with the dogs.) The directing duo each identify their picks for which of the dogs and inmate dog handlers constitute the emotional center of the film, and why. (Let’s just say Sadie the dog and Candido the inmate came out on top.) Cunningham and Seirup speak to what sort of impression or message they wanted viewers of the film to leave with. (www.dogsontheinside.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Karen Hubby, of the Animal Coalition of Tampa, or ACT, about a new challenge facing this organization that provides low-cost spay/neuter surgeries and other medical services to dogs and cats. About a year ago, an arsonist set their building on fire, causing significant damage and claiming the lives of three cats who lived there. They relocated to a new building, but the owner of that building has now informed ACT they need to move out by April 1. So they’re seeking help in finding a new space, or any suggested solution. (http://actampa.org) COMEDY CORNER: Dana Gould’s “Animal Aftercare (Part Two)”   (www.danagould.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Royal Guardsmen’s “Snoopy Vs. The Red Baron” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/TAMarch4.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

We continue here with the second half of the interview I conducted Feb. 7 with Temple Grandin onstage at the 1200-seat Paramount Theatre in Austin, also including the audience question-and-answer segment that followed our conversation that night. gAs with the first portion, in this second half of the conversation, Dr. Grandin and I cover a wide array of topics, although this time there’s a greater emphasis on animal-oriented subjects. These include addressing some specifics of her designs for more humane handling of livestock at slaughter plants, and additional measures she’s introduced to prevent careless—much less abusive—treatment of the cattle in those facilities…the kinship she feels with other animals…some techniques she employed to improve the day-to-day life of some zoo antelopes. Other topics touched on include fear and other drives in animal brains and anxiety for people on the spectrum, and different ways to mitigate it, the horrors of over selecting for certain traits in animal breeding (dog breeding, in particular). The queries raised in the audience Q&A range from questions about graduate programs in psychology and autism, the individual characteristics among certain dog breeds, public education standards and testing, what to do about a 10-year-old autistic boy who still has no speech, and more. As a measure of Grandin’s tireless efforts amidst a grueling travel schedule of lectures and other appearances, she had a pre-show meet-and-greet with an Austin-based autistic organization, chatting with everyone who wanted to, and posing for countless photos. Before and after the show, she signed books and spoke one-on-one with a long line of folks. (Photography: Mandy/Birdsong Imaging)  (www.templegrandin.com, http://www.grandin.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Don Goldstein, of Greyhound Rescue Adoptions of Tampa Bay, Inc. (GREAT), about a report recently-released by GREY2KUSA and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, documenting nearly 12,000 injuries to racing greyhounds and 900+ deaths, from 2008 to 2014, across the states that still allow greyhound racing. More than half of the nation’s 21 remaining tracks; Florida is also one of two states (the other is Alabama) that don’t require reporting of greyhound injuries, so that 12,000 figure falls well below the actual tally. We also discussed the implications of this report for new legislative efforts. (www.great-greyhound.org) COMEDY CORNER: Joe Zimmerman’s “Pet Snakes (Part Two)”   (www.zimmermancomedy.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Elton John’s “Grey Seal” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TAFeb25-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

In a truly unusual edition of “Talking Animals,” I presented an interview with Temple Grandin. Actually, that in itself isn’t all that unusual.Indeed, over the years, Dr. Grandin—probably the best known and most accomplished autistic person in the world, professor of animal science at Colorado State University, prolific author and speaker—has been a guest four times on “Talking Animals.” But this is different: On Feb. 7, I interviewed Grandin onstage at the 1200-seat Paramount Theatre in Austin, representing my first in-person, extended conversation with her. That conversation was recorded, and I aired the first half of it in this show. This part of the talk touches on a host of topics, including how to help kids who are autistic and elsewhere on the spectrum, some of the intricacies (and seeming paradoxes) of the way Dr. Grandin “thinks in pictures,” the importance of mentors and how to identify/recruit them, and, “Temple Grandin,” the Emmy-winning HBO movie about her life, starring Claire Danes. The conversation is lightly laced with questions for Dr. Grandin I had invited audience members to submit prior to Feb. 7, through the Paramount Theatre website. (Photography: Mandy/Birdsong Imaging)    (www.templegrandin.com, www.grandin.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Lynda Shehan about not one but two events taking place in Gulfport, FL on Feb. 28—“Get Rescued” and “Tails At Twilight”—designed to raise funds for participating animal rescue groups. (http://gulfportsgetrescued.com) COMEDY CORNER: Jim Gaffigan’s “Whales” (portion) (www.jimgaffigan.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Peter Gabriel’s “Shock The Monkey” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TAFeb18.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Eric Ristau—co-director with his wife, Geneva, of “Sit Stay Ride: The Story of America’s Sidecar Dogs,” a documentary about motorcyclists with sidecars, and the dogs who ride in ‘em—discusses the genesis of the film, which came about by happenstance, how at first they were thinking the topic probably constituted a short, but in conducting more interviews with sidecar dog devotees, realized they had a feature length doc on their hands. Ristau acknowledges that while the 18 people onscreen clearly have a shared passion, they otherwise have no discernible connection, noting he found most of them through online forums. And agreeing that there’s a strong adoption/rescue theme coursing through the film, Ristau explains that this wasn’t by design, and they were a bit surprised by the preponderance of rescue dogs present onscreen, even though they personally have always had rescue dogs. He also responds to the observation that what might be expected to merely be an entertaining tour of a colorful subculture blossoms into a surprisingly poignant film, propelled by themes of freedom, joy, friendship, love, rescue, companionship and redemption. As just one example of how affecting “Sit Stay Ride” can be, Ristau describes how one of the riders, JD Whittaker, bturned his motorcycle’s trunk lid into a painted dedication to the late Lance Corporal Colton Rusk, an explosive detection dog handler who was so effective at his job, he was assassinated by the enemy. Whittaker and his dog, Hercules, have logged thousands of miles, telling Rusk’s story, and urging people to take pictures of the trunk as much as of Hercules and the sidecar, and post those photos on Facebook and other social media. Whittaker is, Ristau observes, “Riding with his dog for a higher purpose.“ (www.sidecardogs.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Dr. Steven Tauber, Chair of the Department of Government and International Affairs at the University of South Florida, who that night was to deliver a lecture in Tampa, entitled “Law, Politics And Animal Rights.” (http://gia.usf.edu/faculty/stauber/) COMEDY CORNER: Nick DiPaolo’s “Animal Activists” (www.nickdipaolo.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Stolen Idol’s “Monkey Mayhem,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Prince’s “When Doves Cry” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TAFeb11.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Jennifer Chatfield—an animal safety monitor with Movie Animals Protected—traces her history of loving and caring for animals, extending back to her childhood and into young adulthood, when she worked as a racehorse groom. She recounts how, after deciding to leave the horse racing world behind, she began her career as an animal keeper at the Los Angeles Zoo: it began with a gorilla named Caesar, with whom she forged a long, singular relationship—her tenure at the Zoo spanned 30 years, much of which was devoted to caring for gorillas, though she ultimately worked with a wide array of species. After retiring from the Zoo, Chatfield explains, she put in a three-year stint with the American Humane Association’s L.A.-based Film & TV Unit, the controversial and often-criticized enterprise known for conferring the “no animals were harmed” phrase in the end credits of movies or TV shows. Responding in part to a summary of the 2014 Hollywood Reporter expose—calling attention not just to lapses in reporting onset animal injuries by AHA employees, but also noting they systematically hid animal deaths to preserve relationships with powerful Hollywood producers—Chatfield describes how Movie Animals Protected, a new entity and AHA competitor, seeks to employ a different approach to monitoring the safety and humane treatment of on-set animals (www.movieanimalsprotected.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Dr. Will Tuttle, educator, speaker, author of “The World Peace Diet: Eating For Spiritual Health And Social Harmony”—and past guest on “Talking Animals”—about the lectures he was slated to deliver in the coming days in Tampa, Sarasota and Clearwater. It.” (www.worldpeacediet.com) COMEDY CORNER: Andy Ritchie “Balthazar” (http://andyritchiecomedy.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Dandelion Collective’s “The Bear Who Wanted To Fly,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Heart’s “Barracuda” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/02/TAJan28-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

Vegan Black Metal Chef— the YouTube culinary sensation who offers instructional cooking videos, specializing in vegan dishes, delivering the lessons over a soundtrack of black metal while wearing body armor and KISS-like make-up, and laced with no shortage of humor (“Hail Seitan!” and so on)—provides an update on his career since he appeared on “Talking Animals” in 2011.As part of that update, he addresses the status of the professional possibilities and opportunities that were looming then, in the wake of his first cooking YouTube video quickly generating two million hits and media interest from the likes of The Washington Post and “Nightline,” including his own cooking television show, which had a few false starts and is still pending, and a cookbook which has an imminent publishing date. Vegan Black Metal Chef also describes “Do-Able Veganism,” a series of vlog episodes that eschews the intricate production of his cooking videos while demonstrating how simple, delicious, and inexpensive preparing vegan dishes can be. (He includes a cost analysis with each entry.) He also discusses his new Patreon campaign by which fans of Vegan Black Metal Chef am elect to pay a monthly fee in exchange for videos and other content ok made available only to his Patreon subscribers. He mentions particularly excellent restaurants and meals he’s enjoyed everywhere from Orlando to Australia. (http://veganblackmetalchef.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Robert Cheeke, a vegan bodybuilder and author who was gearing up for the then-imminent lecture, book signing and workout he was holding the following Sunday, tied to his new book, “Shred It.” (http://www.veganbodybuilding.com/?page=robert_cheeke) COMEDY CORNER: Shane Mauss’ “Mushroom, Vegan” (www.shanemauss.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Antibalas’ “Elephant,” (excerpt), instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Rolling Stones’ “Monkey Man” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/TAJan21-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

John W. James— founder of the Grief Recovery Institute and co-author of newly-published “The Grief Recovery Handbook for Pet Loss—recalls the personal circumstances that led him into this field more than 35 years ago. Noting he wrote his first book dealing with grief recovery in 1984, he addresses some of the so-called Grieving Myths most germane to pet loss, including “Give It Time” and “Replace The Loss.” Particularly in expounding on the latter, he notes that each griever—say, in a family—has a unique relationship with the animal that has died, so each of them will grieve differently, and be ready (or not ready) to welcome a new animal into the family at different times. Whatever the rate, the fundamental tenet of recovering from grief, James notes, is becoming complete with the relationship of the animal that one has lost, referring to Grief Recovery Method measures—creating the Pet Loss History Graph, Reviewing Your Relationship, writing the Completion Letter—to help accomplish that completion. (www.griefrecoverymethod.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Matt Ellerbeck, a salamander advocate who discussed a deadly salamander fungus that is rapidly spreading across Europe, and the petition created to halt the import of salamanders into the U.S., unless screened for the fungus. The petition is available on the Save The Salamander Facebook page. (www.facebook.com/SaveTheSalamanders) COMEDY CORNER: Maria Bamford’s “Vegetarian Oscar Schindler” (www.mariabamford.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Andrew Bird’s “Frogs Singing,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Al Stewart’s “Year Of The Cat” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/TAJan14-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

William Nimmo— founder of Tigers In America, a New York City-based nonprofit that seeks to help mitigate the captive-bred tiger crisis in the U.S.—explains how a guy in the midst of career in banking and brokerage got started rescuing tigers in 2011. He recalls how, having stepped into that world, by way of intervening at a tiger facility in San Antonio, TX, he and his wife quickly became steeped in the scope of the problem: Although one routinely hears there are 5000 tigers in captivity (more than exist in the wild in the rest of the world), Nimmo places that figure closer to 7000. Nimmo also traces the history of this situation—and the now-rampant tiger breeding—back to 1963, and lays out a timeline that acknowledges the supreme influence of Siegfried & Roy’s Las Vegas performances, seen by an estimated 10 million people over their 40-year run. He also outlines the economics behind the business enterprises that have primarily fueled the explosive growth in the captive tiger population, notably the businesses offering opportunities to pet tiger cubs and/or have their pictures taken with them. Nimmo describes the process by which Tigers in America evaluated the tiger sanctuaries in this country, and the criteria employed, to arrive at the 13 facilities they recommend on their website. (www.tigersinamerica.org, www.facebook.com/TigersInAmerica)   ALSO: We spoke briefly with Gracie Grieshop, of Pet Pal Animal Shelter, about the Shelter’s initiative, The Pit Project, intended to educate people about pit bulls—with the ultimate aim of generating more adoptions of the dogs. (www.petpalanimalshelter.com) COMEDY CORNER: Erin Foley’s “Dogs” (http://erinkfoley.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” Stephen Malkmus & The Jicks’ “Tigers,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: Jefferson Starship’s “Ride The Tiger” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/TAJan7-.mp3 | Open Player in New Window

I presented my Sorta Annual Christmas Animal Song special—that is, a show entirely devoted to Christmas-oriented animal songs. Sure, as in the past, to pull off this conceit, I sprinkled the program with a liberal sprinkling of various versions of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and variations thereof, including Keith Richards’ classic fiery take on “Run Rudolph Run.” Thanks to guidance from WMNF Music Director Lee Courtney—Flee, though this time of year, he’s known as Flee Navidad–I also played some far less obvious nuggets and possible future classics. My favorites in that category this year include Jessica Hernandez & the Deltas’ bouncy “I Want A Hippopotamus For Christmas” and Launch Control’s punk-ish “The RSPCA Took My Reindeer Away.” Extending an annual tradition, I also took a brief break from the animal songs to read what I refer to as the Dorothy Strauss Christmas Message. AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/TADec24.mp3 | Open Player in New Window  

Mark Feldstein— author of “Last Stop Before Rainbow Bridge: True Animal Rescue Stories,” a compendium of tales about a wide array of animals that have been rescued at facilities across the country—discusses how the book was inspired by his stepfather, the late Al Feldstein. Al was a key editor and leading creative force at MAD Magazine from 1956-1985, who after his retirement from the pioneering publication, operated a 270-acre animal rescue ranch in Montana for more than two decades. Mark Feldstein recounts how, following his most recent visit to his dad’s place, Deer Haven Ranch, he felt compelled to do what he could to advance the cause of animal rescue, navigating around the time constraints of a very demanding day job and raising a family. Still, he explains, he began contacting rescue facilities, they responded with tidbits and anecdotes, which Feldstein fashioned into the stories that appear in “Last Stop Before Rainbow Bridge.” Feldstein describes the story that affected him the most profoundly (the horse who became the friend and confidante of sorts for a sexually abused girl who otherwise wasn’t talking with anyone), outlines how proceeds from the sale of the “Last Stop Before Rainbow Bridge” are earmarked to be donated to the rescues that participated in the book, and notes that work is already underway on a follow-up book. (www.laststopbeforerainbowbridge.com) ALSO: We spoke briefly with Jackie Beiro, of Saving Shelter Dogs, Inc., about the “Empty The Shelter” event that was to be held the following weekend at what used to be called the Hillsborough County Animal Services—the adoption fees were to be waived, so as to galvanize massive end-of-the-year adoptions. COMEDY CORNER: Jeremy Hotz’s “Bronx Zoo” (www.jeremyhotz.com) MUSIC: Rebekah Pulley’s “Talking Animals Theme,” The Sun Society’s version of “Octopus’s Garden,” instrumentals NAME THAT ANIMAL TUNE: The Chipmunk’s version of “Rudolph The Red-Nosed Reindeer” AUDIO ARCHIVE: Listen Online Now: http://www.talkinganimals.net/wp-content/uploads/2014/12/TAdec17.mp3 | Open Player in New Window