The Animal Wellness Podcast

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.
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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/)

Ursula Goodenough and ’The Sacred Depths of Nature’ | Episode 56

In this episode, author Julie Marshall and host Joseph Grove talk with Ursula Goodenough about her new release, the second edition of "The Sacred Depths of Nature: How Life Has Emerged and Evolved." The book provides a brief but powerful commingling of science and spirituality to help readers more deeply connect with animals, plants and the earth herself.
The book is available here: https://bit.ly/3L7gSS2. More information about the book can be found here: www.sacreddepthsofnature.com. 
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.
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/)

How Far Is Too Far When It Comes to Animal Advocacy? | Episode 55

How far is too far when it comes to animal advocacy? In this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, two veteran activists with somewhat different approaches discuss the best tactics to effect change for animals.
Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, often works quietly and behind the scenes, nudging the levers of government and commerce to create improvements. The author of two New York Times bestsellers on animals believes in applying reason and the appeals of logic and decency to convert those who put or leave animals in harm’s way.
Donny Moss, however, is just as apt to use a bullhorn as a keyboard. The founder of Their Turn is known for taking the battle to the streets, using video, social media and in-person confrontation to put pressure on businesses, consumers and even corporate board members to change minds.
The two review their successful collaboration on the Kangaroos Are Not Shoes campaign, which recently has had major wins in the fight to convince Nike, Puma and Diadora to stop selling soccer cleats made from the skins of murdered kangaroos. The campaign is now targeting hold-outs Adidas and New Balance. You can sign the petition here.
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 show. 
Donations to www.animalwellnessaction.org make the show possible.
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
www.kangaroosarenotshoes.net
www.theirturn.net
 
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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/)

What’s Up with Horses? | Episode 54

In this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, the team says farewell to Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. Marty has been a guest on virtually every show and served the organizations and the podcast since their inceptions.
One of Marty’s greatest passions is improving the lives of horses—Tennessee Walkers, Thoroughbreds, wild horses and others. He and Wayne Pacelle, president of the non-profits, update several campaigns being waged on the behalf of America’s equines.
Veterans for Mustangs Act. This bill would fund the deployment of U.S. Armed Services veterans to the West to help sterilize wild stallions, reducing the perceived need of the Bureau of Land Management to conduct abusive, disruptive—and unnecessary—round-ups. Read more here: https://animalwellnessaction.org/bipartisan-veterans-for-mustangs-act-introduced
Horse Slaughter. Animal Wellness Action is hard at work to prohibit the export of U.S. horses to Canada and Mexico, where they are slaughtered for overseas human consumption and other purposes. Read more here: https://animalwellnessaction.org/landmark-investigation-into-trafficking-slaughter-of-american-horses-to-canada-mexico
Prevent All Soring Tactics Act. This legislation aims to stiffen penalties and bolster enforcement of existing ones against the use of caustic chemicals and sharp implements to create the infamous “big lick” exaggerated gait with Tennessee Walking horses.
Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act. After some changes to language in the law, this milestone advance against doping appears set to clear legal challenges and safeguard thousands of racing horses. Read more at our dedicated website: hisawatchdog.org.
Irby also discusses his appearance in the award-winning “Wild Beauty: Mustang Spirit of the American West,” a powerful documentary about wild horses set for national release next month. You can watch the trailer here: https://vimeo.com/746037325
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
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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/)

Will Cockfighting Lead to a Bird Flu Pandemic? | Episode 53

While the Corona virus has largely receded from the daily consciousness of most folks, it's not gone away completely. Just the other day, someone told reported that some hospitals are beginning to enact new masking policies. Regional and national hotspots remain across the globe. Countless people are grieving the almost 6.8 million people the virus has killed so far. The question remains, What have we learned?
 
Most people, it seems, are operating under an unspoken belief that what we have learned or haven't learned won't matter. That the odds of something like this happening again in our lifetimes is slim. If you'll forgive a horribly bad pun, they may be counting their chickens for before they hatch.
 
The looming culprit is bird flu, a devastating virus responsible directly and indirectly for the death of millions of birds, most notably chickens, who are being slaughter in countless numbers as a prophylactic against further spread of the disease. Why are eggs so expensive these days? Fewer chickens. Fewer eggs. Supply and demand.
 
But the real threat to humans is so far merely potential, albeit increasingly likely. On the show to talk about bird flu and its potential harms to people are Wayne Pacelle, president, and Drs. Jim Keen and Tom Pool. Dr. Keen is the Director of Veterinary Sciences for the Center for a Humane Economy, our sister organization. Dr. Pool is the Senior Veterinarian, Animal Wellness Action. And what's made this timely for us is our recent reporting on cockfighting in OK, Miss., Alabama and Tennessee.
 
Wayne Pacelle from Animal Wellness Action joins host Joseph Grove to discuss the topic. Also on the show are Dr. Jim Keen, D.V.M., Ph.D., Director of Veterinary Sciences, Center for a Humane Economy, and Dr. Tom Pool, D.V.M, MPH, Dipl. ACVPM, Senior Veterinarian, Animal Wellness Action.
 
Here's a link to our exclusive investigation into cockfighting:
http://bit.ly/3xQSEFi
 
 
Music from https://filmmusic.io: "Fearless First" by Kevin MacLeod (https://incompetech.com); License: CC BY (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
 
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
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Horse Slaughter: The Endurance and Cruelty of ‘America’s Dirty Secret’ | Episode 52

Australia has its kangaroos. China, its beloved pandas. In the United States, we have horses. We love them. We revere them. Children delight in seeing them. We cheer them on when they race around tracks from sea to shining sea.
But there’s a rancid underbelly to our treatment of horses, and a new investigative report, “U.S. Live Exports Fade as Foreign Demand Abates | An Investigative Report on Horses and Other Equines Sent to Slaughter in Canada and Mexico,” looks into it. It was published by Animal Wellness Action, the Center for a Humane Economy and Animals’ Angels. The results are by turns stomach-churning and heart-breaking.
The dark side is this: While it is illegal to slaughter horses in the U.S., it remains legal–and profitable–to sell horses for transport into Canada and Mexico for that purpose. Yes, as foreign demand dries up, fewer horses are so destined. But with about 20,000 horses a year still sent to the kill plants, we have a long way to go.
Retired race horses. Spent carriage horses. Unwanted companion horses. Any one of them may end up thrust into an overcrowded and often uncovered holding pen, shoved into an overcrowded and sweltering truck, and finally corralled through a maze of gates until the end finally comes.
“We documented that cruelty goes hand-in-hand with horse slaughter. Every step along the way,” said report co-author Sonja Meadows of Animals’ Angels. “It's really like somebody flips a switch. The minute a horse is unloaded at the loading dock of an auction and labeled a kill horse, the minute that determination is made, everything that horse experiences from then on will be dramatically different and completely inhumane.”
Meadows is joined in this podcast by Wayne Pacelle, president of Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy, and Scott Beckstead, director of campaigns for the organizations. They review the findings of the report with host Joseph Grove. Shown are some images from it as well as some video that was captured along the way. Notice: they are not pleasant to view.
Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, provides a legislative update at the conclusion of the interview.
You can watch the episode here: https://youtu.be/QsQhaMMlmMA
 
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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/)
 

From Lethal to Compassionate Conservation: The North American Model and How We Can Do Better | Episode 51

The North American Model of Wildlife Conservation is less a structured paradigm of how Americans and their neighbor animals can co-exist than a set of tenets that benefits "sportsmen," who take advantage of the model to hunt, trap and poison their way through much of our wildlife population, and ranchers, who hope to acquire and maintain land for private profit. There is little about it that considers conserving, and much more about it that ensures hunters and trappers have access to animals to kill.
 
In this episode, Anja Heister, Ph.D., an independent researcher, writer and life-long animal rights activist, talks about her new book, "Beyond the North American Model of Wildlife Conservation: From Lethal to Compassionate Conservation." She discusses the history of the North American model, the problems associated with Western anthropocentrism and alternatives with the potential to soften our impact on the world of animals around us.
 
Julie Marshall, national communications director for Animal Wellness Action and the author of “Making Burros Fly: Cleveland Amory, Animal Rescue Pioneer," joins the discussion following her review of Heister's book in The Denver Post.
 
Marty Irby, executive director of Animal Wellness Action, joins host Joseph Grove.
 
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
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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/)

2023: The year ahead in animal welfare | Episode 50

2022 was extraordinarily successful for Animal Wellness Action and the Center for a Humane Economy. But Wayne Pacelle , president, and Marty Irby, executive director, tell host Joseph Grove they have even bigger plans for 2023.
 
In this episode of the Animal Wellness Podcast, the animal-welfare leaders recap some of their successes in the now-concluded 117th Congress, including:
Passing the Big Cat Public Safety Act
Passing the Shark Fin Sales Elimination Act
Passing the FDA Modernization Act
Passing the Reducing Animal Testing Act
Helping craft and pass a fix to the Horseracing Integrity and Safety Act, so it could survive a court challenge.
They also talk about work they plan as the Farm Bill comes up for its five-year congressional renewal, what’s ahead for horses, and plans to push the work of Animal Wellness Action deeper into state politics with ballot initiatives and a growing team of state directors and volunteers.
 
The discussion came as the group entered the zenith of its fundraising activities for the close of 2022.
 
www.animalwellnessaction.org
www.centerforahumaneeconomy.org
 
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AnimalWellnessAction
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Twitter: https://twitter.com/AWAction_News
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Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/animalwellnessaction/
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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/)