The Animal Wellness Podcast

One Teen’s Heroic Fight against Dairy | Episode 64

Last May, Marielle Williamson was an anonymous teenager doing anonymous teenager things. Like her classmates at Eagle Rock High School in Los Angeles, California, she was busy preparing to graduate and to leap across the threshold into adulthood. The last thing on her mind was becoming the subject of countless news stories and being thrust into a debate about nutrition, animal welfare and the First Amendment. But that's what happened to her, and that's the topic of today's show.
We were interested in Marielle's journey because it intersects with efforts to have Congress pass the ADD SOY Act.
The bill would require the USDA to reimburse schools when they provide soy milk as an alternative to dairy milk in the breakfast and lunch lines. Right now, not only does it require notes and special permission even to receive soy milk instead of dairy, but schools aren’t paid back for the cost of it, the way they are when they serve cow's milk.
That's why, whether a kid wants it or not—even if dairy makes the kid sick— her or she gets two cartons of milk with each school-provided meal. Oftentimes, maybe even most times, those cartons end up straight in the garbage, unopened, because their would-be consumers either don't like milk or have a physical aversion to it, usually in the form of lactose intolerance.
Not only is the practice harmful to children who don't know they are lactose intolerant and drink the dairy, or who drink it despite the many health concerns surrounding diary, it represents a remarkable waste of tax-payer dollars.
But tax-payer dollars aren’t the only waste. Also in vain, too, is the suffering of the thousands of dairy cows required to provide all that wasted milk. When we take for animals, we oftentimes help people, too. Helping animals helps us all.
To learn more about the need for the ADD SOY Act, watch our special webinar featuring Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy; Dotsie Baush, executive director, Switch4Good; Dr. Lakshman (Lucky) Mulpuri, chief executive, PlantsNourish; and Rep. Troy Carter, who introduced the legislation. You can view it here: https://bit.ly/ADDSOYwebinar.
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
 
OTHER LINKS
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
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LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/animal-wellness-action/
 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_6FxM4hD6oS5VSUwsCnNQ
 
 
 
 
 

Don’t be a DICK’S | Episode 63

Don’t be a Dick’s.
That’s the message of a new campaign initiative by Animal Wellness Action and its sister organization, the Center for a Humane Economy. It’s targeted at Dick’s Sporting Goods, the largest sporting-goods retailer in the United States, and intends to call attention to the chain’s role in the largest commercial slaughter of land-based wildlife in the world.
Dick’s Sporting Goods remains a significant reseller of shoes sourced from killed kangaroos. Several models from Adidas, New Balance and other brands are marketed in their more than 750 physical locations and on its website, patronized by millions of shoppers across the globe.
The hunting of kangaroos is barbaric and, given the availability and superiority of synthetic shoe material, needless. What’s worse, in addition to the approximately 1.7 million kangaroos shot in the dead of night each year, about a half a million joeys are killed as collateral damage. The infants are pulled from the pouches of their dead mothers and killed immediately, usually by being bludgeoned to death against the bumper of the assassins’ trucks.
The two groups have been successful, after years of online and instore protests, in persuading Puma and Nike to stop manufacturing shoes from kangaroo parts. Now, with the Don’t Be a Dick’s campaign, they hope to apply pressure against the hold-out brands by expressing their revulsion against this major reseller.
Joining host Joseph Grove are Jennifer Skiff and Kate Schultz Barton. Skiff is the director of international programs for the organizations. A dual citizen of Australia, she shares firsthand knowledge of kangaroos, their nature and their role in Australian culture. Barton is senior attorney for the organization and led several suits brought against retailers in California who sold kangaroo-sourced shoes, where such sales are illegal. Barton also discusses the newly filed Kangaroo Protection Act (H.R. 4995), introduced by U.S. Representatives Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Jan Schakowsky, D-Ill.
People can sign the petition at this link: https://animalwellnessaction.org/dont-be-a-dicks
 
LINKS FROM THE SHOW
Support the Kangaroo Protection Act: https://secure.everyaction.com/W7p8uQb3_k-aKWb-tyAyLg2
The Don’t Be a Dick’s video: https://youtu.be/z8rzNn63JEw?si=P5MQeIzlf1e2mToi
The recent store protest at an Adidas store in New York City: https://www.facebook.com/reel/321400827126640
Our video from Gavin Pallone, producer of The Gilmore Girls: https://www.youtube.com/watch?app=desktop&v=aM1HXFmLPhU
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. It is available on all major podcast distribution platforms.
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/animal-wellness-action/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_6FxM4hD6oS5VSUwsCnNQ
 
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Debunking the Myths Against Soy | Episode 62

Animal Wellness Action is one of many organizations pushing for Congress to pass the ADD SOY Act, a bill that would require the USDA to make soy milk available as a beverage alternative to the 30 million children who are part of the National School Lunch Program.
 
Every year, about $300 million in cow milk is tossed into the garbage—much of it still in unopened containers—by children who don’t like the taste of it or, owing to lactose intolerance, cannot drink without suffering cramps, bloating, diarrhea, vomiting and more. But unless a school puts two cartons of milk on the tray, the school will not be reimbursed for the cost of the meal.
 
It's bad for kids. It’s bad for taxpayers. And it makes a mockery of the suffering of dairy cows, who lead truncated lives characterized by exploitation only to have their milk end up in the trash.
 
One would expect Big Dairy to be opposed to the ADD SOY Act, but another foe is making progress a challenge: the widespread misinformation about soy and the false beliefs about its safety.
 
In this episode, Dr. Lakshman “Lucky” Mulpuri, a medical advisor for Animal Wellness Action, visits the show to debunk the common myths impeding broader adoption of soy milk as an alternative to cow milk. He is chief executive of PlantsNourish and former president of the Plant-Based Nutrition Group (PBNG). He also developed and implemented the first-ever mandatory plant-based medical curriculum for first-year medical students at Wayne State. His work has been featured in VegNews, Forks Over Knives, and numerous newspapers and television stations.
 
Dr. Lucky produced a fact sheet for Animal Wellness Action on the truth about soy milk. You can view it here: https://bit.ly/Soy_Truth.
 
 
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
 
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
 
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/animal-wellness-action/
 
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCI_6FxM4hD6oS5VSUwsCnNQ
 
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Save the Salmon for Orcas | Episode 61

For decades, a wide range of man-made and environmental threats have endangered Southern Resident Orca—thinning the population in the Pacific Northwest to only 73. Today, they’re looking directly at extinction.
 
The urgency of the orcas’ plight cannot be overstated. While many agencies and organizations are working to save our orca through scientific research, mitigation programs, public policy initiatives, and political action, these efforts have fallen short and the orca simply can’t wait. The show is about how each of us can help make a difference simply by NOT ordering a particular item off the menu.
 
In this 61st episode of the Animal Wellness podcast, host Joseph Grove talks with Emma Helverson and Joseph Gaydo. Helverson, executive director of Wild Fish Conservancy, in Washington, shares her organization’s efforts to protect the Southern Resident orca from one of the many threats facing them—starvation. Gaydo, science director for the SeaDoc Society, talks about the complex personalities, culture and thinking exhibited by all orcas, including the Southern Resident, and how humans’ nonchalance about their well-being is having a catastrophic impact.
 
 The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.

Waging War for Wolves | Episode 60

After the horse, no animal better represents the frontier heritage and pastoral expanse of the United States than does the wolf. Revered by some, demonized by others, enthralling to all—it’s also the case that no other wild animal brings such strong emotions to Americans.
 
No wonder, then, they are the subject of such complex legal and political battles. A byzantine web of state and federal regulations and protections seems to be in perpetual flux, making it difficult for supporters of wolves—or their opponents—to know where the law stands at any one time.
 
On this episode of the Animal Wellness podcast, Samantha Bruegger, Paul Collins and Jennifer McCausland give their perspectives from two states where the wolf issue could not be more relevant.
 
Bruegger is the executive director of Washington Wildlife First, a 501(c)(3) dedicated to transforming Washington’s management of its fish, wildlife, and natural spaces from a model of consumptive use to an ethic that values science, respects nature, and prioritizes the preservation of natural ecosystems. McCausland, a resident of Washington and an activist for state issues concerning animals, is the senior vice president of corporate policy for the Center for a Humane Economy. Collins is the Wisconsin state director for Animal Wellness Action and has been focused on protecting wolves in what he calls “ground zero” for efforts to hunt them out of existence.
 
Bruegger calls on people in the state of Washington to comment on new regulations impacting wolves by visiting this link. She also refers to the Washington Wildlife First Resource Library and a New Yorker article that talks about the politicization of wolves. Finally, McCausland describes her efforts to combat overfishing of King salmon off the Pacific coast and the catastrophic impact overfishing is having on the local population of orcas.
 
Washington Wildlife First Resource Library: https://wawildlifefirst.org/resources-2/
 
State wolf planning materials: www.wolfplanning.org
 
New Yorker article: https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2022/04/04/killing-wolves-to-own-the-libs-idaho
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
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Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
 

Animals, Prop 12 and the Supreme Court: How Pigs Won the Day | Episode 59

After numerous battles in lower courts, the National Pork Producers Council and others finally convinced the Supreme Court to hear their challenge to California’s Proposition 12. That state initiative, passed by a powerful majority of California voters, mandates that no producer may sell products sourced from pigs or chickens into the state unless the producers ensure certain humane standards are maintained for the animals.
 
No fair, said the plaintiffs—time and again, up and down judicial ladders across the country. And time and again, courts rebuked the challenges and upheld the right of Californians to dictate what kinds of products may be sold within the state’s borders.
 
Fortunately for animals—and for citizens in the several other states where such requirements exist—the Supreme Court dealt the ultimate lethal blow to their arguments, and Prop 12 stands. The victory for animals and for the people who care about them cannot be understated.
 
In this episode of the Animal Wellness podcast, host Joseph Grove talks to Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action, and Kate Schultz Barton, the group’s senior attorney. Pacelle was key in developing Prop 12, its predecessors in the state, and similar ballot initiatives across the country. Shultz Barton, along with colleague Scott Edwards, submitted amicus briefs to the Court, making legal arguments some of which were adopted by the Court in the winning opinion.
 
Pacelle and Barton Schultz find little time to celebrate, however, explaining that the Pork Producers Council can be expected to turn to Congress for relief.
 
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
 
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
 
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/

’Wild Beauty’: A Film About the Tragic Fate of Our Wild Horses | Episode 58

Our special guest is filmmaker Ashley Avis, whose new WILD BEAUTY: MUSTANG SPIRIT OF THE WEST is available for pre-order on iTunes after earning multiple awards from film festivals across the country. The release date is May 12, 2023. You can watch the trailer here.
The Winterstone Pictures production has been called "a sweeping, immersive journey into the world of wild horses that illuminates both the profound beauty and desperate plight they currently face in the Western United States.”
Avis and her crew went on a multi-year expedition to uncover the truth before wild horses disappear forever. What she found is a tragic conspiracy to displace the horses so private-sector ranchers can co-opt public lands for cheap grazing for animals for commerce. The horses, once rounded up, often end up in the slaughter pipeline.
It’s capitalism and government collaboration against public interest at their worst, executed with maniacal chases, weapons, black helicopters and a far-reaching campaign of disinformation with little journalistic scrutiny to keep any of it in check.
The documentary features two great friends of the Animal Wellness podcast: Scott Beckstead,  director of campaigns for Animal Wellness Action and perhaps the leading national authority on wild horses, and our former executive director, Marty Irby, who was personally recognized by Queen Elizabeth for his work on behalf of horses.
The Animal Wellness podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and by influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove. Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
Visit the website for Winterstone Pictures here. Learn more about the nonprofit set up by Avis to champion wild horses here.
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

The Emotional Lives of Fighting Roosters | Episode 57

Jewel Johnson joins our podcast to talk about the emotional lives of fighting roosters, whom she rescues from seizures at busted cockfights and other surrenders. She does this through her 30-acre sanctuary in Colorado called Danzig's Roost.
Contrary to expectations, the animals are incredibly docile with people and even exhibit bonding behaviors with humans more typically associated with dogs and cats. Johnson talks about the merciless culling of "undesirable" fighters, and how a fully trained rooster—while being gentle with other birds and even hens—loses the ability to be socialized with other roosters.
Johnson also takes listeners inside the culture of cockfights, finding among the people who fight the animals a devotion to God and family that is perniciously at odds with the concomitant belief that a divine grant of dominion over animals gives them the right to sentence the animals to death for the purpose of entertainment.
You don't know fighting roosters or cockfighting until you listen to Johnson's story of love, sacrifice and hope for these misunderstood, exploited animals.
Rooster Sanctuary at Danzig's Roost on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/rooster.sanctuary
Rooster Sanctuary at Danzig's Roost's website: http://www.roostersanctuary.org
You can read about the FIGHT Act and its critical improvements to anti-cockfighting law here: https://bit.ly/3oJKrBx
Read our story about Johnson's work here: https://bit.ly/3ZEyFVR
The Animal Wellness Podcast is produced by Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. It focuses on improving the lives of animals in the United States and abroad through legislation and influencing businesses to create a more humane economy. The show is hosted by veteran journalist and animal-advocate Joseph Grove.
Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, Spotify and Podbean offer subscriptions to the free show.
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
Twitter: https://twitter.com/TheHumaneCenter
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/centerforahumaneeconomy/
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)