Hope for the Animals

Happy Earth Day! This is an important time of year where we focus our attention on the perils facing the planet and get inspired to help her. So today our guest is Dr. Richard Twine, author of, The Climate Crisis and Other Animals (Sydney University Press, 2024). He is a professor in Sociology and Co-Director of the Centre for Human- Animal Studies (CfHAS) at Edge Hill University, UK. He also co-editor of The Rise of Critical Animal Studies – From the Margins to the Centre (Routledge, 2014) and author of Animals as Biotechnology – Ethics, Sustainability and Critical Animal Studies (Routledge, 2010).  Richard has also published articles on ecofeminism, vegan transition, the food system, and the animal-industrial complex. Richard tells us about Critical Animal Studies and how it is inspiring many areas of academic study to consider human-animal relations. We then discuss Richard’s new book and how climate disruption is affecting wild animals, marine animals, birds and even insects and microorganisms. He talks about the impact on farmed animals who now face events like frequent flooding, fires, and heatwaves due to a changing climate. We also get into the weeds of the confusing, controversial, and politicized animal agriculture emissions numbers and why there is a wide range of percentages from different sources and how to decipher what is most accurate. We also cover climate justice, food justice, the importance of a social science viewpoint of the climate crisis and much more. Resources:Richard’s website:  http://www.richardtwine.comHumane Hoax Chicken Webinar details and free registration Support this Podcast:Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

National Animal Rights Day is a unique event coming up on June 2, 2024 and today we have the creator of this day of action, Aylam Orian. Aylam is a Hollywood actor, filmmaker and animal rights activist. With his non-profit "Our Planet. Theirs Too." he has established The National Animal Rights Day (N.A.R.D.) – a day of moving events dedicated to animals and their rights, which are held simultaneously in major cities every June. NARD events are now held in 50 countries around the world. He is also the creator of The Declaration of Animal Rights – a vegan, animal liberation document that details the rights all animals have as living beings on planet Earth – which has been translated to 23 languages. As an actor, he has appeared in numerous known films and TV shows (30 Rock, Code Black, NCIS: LA, The Informer, Strargate Origins), and he wll be seen next in the new TV show about The Holocaust, “We Were the Lucky Ones.” Aylam tells the story of how he started The National Animal Rights Day in 2011 and how the day of action has grown every year and spread across the globe. He also tells us about the inspiration behind the creation of The Declaration of Animal Rights, how it reflects the UN declaration of human rights, and how it’s a roadmap for a future of compassionate human-animal relations. Hope and Aylam also get into a discussion on best strategies for animal advocates and how the trajectory of the movement, in our opinion, is out of balance. Aylam also gives us some insight into just how vegan-friendly Hollywood really is and some hopeful signs of veganism on a soap! Join us for this inspiring discussion. Resources:National Animal Rights Day (NARD) June 2, 2024Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar Hope speaking in Portland, OR. on April 21Support us:Compassionate LivingHope for the Animals Podcast

Today on the podcast we are joined by Faik Bourik, founder of Vegius, a provider of vegan services to support farmed animal sanctuaries worldwide.  Faik is a mathematics, physics, and astronomy college instructor who combines his academic background with his roles as a professional writer and entrepreneur. Passionate about animal rights and gender equality, he founded Vegius to provide much needed financial support to farmed animal sanctuaries. Faik talks about how he fell for the humane hoax and bought humanely labeled products when he was first thinking about farmed animal issues. He shares how little meat he ate growing up in Algeria and how the traditional diets of so many cultures around the world are predominately plant-based. He talks about the importance of farmed animal sanctuaries to open people’s hearts and to make emotional connections to animals. We also discuss karma theory and how this is an important concept to bring to western culture, which brought us to some interesting history lessons from Faik. Resources:VegiusSupport this podcast:Hope for the Animals PodcastCompassionate Living

Connecting veganism to other justice causes is critical to our success and our guest today recognized this at a very young age. Zane McNeill is a scholar-activist, chair of the National Lawyers Guild’s Animal Liberation Committee, and was the co-manager of the collective Right for Animal Rights Activists. They have worked closely with the Institute of Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) and have published chapters in ICAS collections, including Vegans on Speciesism and Ableism: Ecoability Voices for Disability and Animal Justice and Expanding the Critical Animal Studies Imagination: Essays on Solidarity and Total Liberation. They have also edited Queer and Trans Voices: Achieving Liberation Through Consistent Anti-Oppression, Vegan Entanglements: Dismantling Racial and Carceral Capitalism, and Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontlines of Labor and Animal Rights (forthcoming, Peter Lang Publishing).Zane will help us to unpack new terms like “consistent anti-oppression” and “total liberation” as well as “carceral veganism” where animal activists align with agencies to criminalize and deport people in marginalized communities of color when we should be targeting the system of oppression itself. They discuss the parallels of body autonomy issues for humans and non-humans. Zane addresses everything from micro aggressions experienced by animal activists within the movement to larger, structural issues of oppression. Join us for this important discussion.Resources:Zane’s Book Vegan Entanglements Hope for the Animals PodcastCompassionate LivingCompassionate Living’s YouTube Page 

Do you want to know the truth about grass-fed beef? Regenerative grazing? Free-range eggs? This episode is jam packed with the jaw-dropping reality of greenwashing. Vasile Stanescu is an Associate Professor and Chair of Communication at Mercer University. He received his Ph.D. in the program of Modern Thought and Literature (MTL) at Stanford University. Vasile’s research focuses on greenwashing in animal agribusiness, critiques of humane meat, in vitro meat, and consumerist options for social change. He is the author of numerous publications on the study of animals and the environment including in the Journal of American Culture, Rhetoric of Health & Medicine, the American Behavioral Scientist, and Animal Studies Journal. Vasile is also the co-founder of the North American Association for Critical Animal Studies (NAACAS).Vas talks about what is really behind regenerative grazing and the false messaging around supposedly “new” methods of animal farming. We also talk about the detriment of chicken farming, how beef is so often cited as the worst culprit for the environment, and the myth that if you just switch to chicken, it’s so much better. Vas dives deep into how interconnected all animal farming industries are and how the supposed “green” meat movement is just another marketing tool for industrial agribusiness. He also shares how he feels that it is critical to reverse the stigma on veganism and have Vegan Pride.  Resources:Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registrationLearn more and support this podcast:Hope for the Animals PodcastCompassionate Living Studies cited in this episode:Joseph Poore, University of OxfordTara Garnett, Food Climate Research Network at Oxford University

News media that is sympathetic to animals is critical in creating a compassionate world. A 2023 von Liebig Award Winner, Nina Jackel is a journalist and activist known for effecting change for animals around the world through her non-profit media organization that she founded called Lady Freethinker. Nina leads numerous divisions at the organization that expose cruel and illegal activities through undercover operations and galvanizing ordinary citizens to make a difference. Hope and Nina discuss the importance of news media for animals and Nina offers advice about what makes good media that has the potential to reach wider audiences. She also talks about Lady Freethinker’s important campaign targeting social media posts that abuse animals, such as fake “rescue” videos where abusers put animals in distressful situations just for clicks. They also discuss how to reach people who care about animals, but haven’t made the connection to compassion for farmed animals and veganism. Resources: Lady Freethinker: WebsiteFaceBookInstagramTwitterWilliam von Leibig Foundation Award Winner Humane Hoax Online Conference details and free registration Learn More and Support this Podcast: Compassionate Living Hope for the Animals Podcast

Renee King-Sonnen is the Founder and Executive Director of Rowdy Girl Sanctuary that transformed from a cattle ranch to a sanctuary for more than 120 animals—the first documented beef cattle ranch converted to a 100% vegan sanctuary in history. Rowdy Girl sanctuary is changing the world for farmed animals with programs like the Rancher Advocacy Program (RAP), an educational program that inspires cattle ranchers and animal farms to consider alternatives to animal farming, and Families Choosing Compassion that offers a compassionate alternative to Future Farmers of America and 4-H programs. Most recently, Renee has been the subject of a documentary, Rowdy Girl, that had its World Premiere in Toronto at Hot Docs, and the U.S. Premiere at the Hampton Film Festival. She has just completed a memoir with the working title of Secret Diary of a Cattle Rancher’s Wife, slated to be published in 2024. Renee tells her fascinating story of transformation from cattle rancher’s wife to vegan animal activist.   We would like to thank A Well-Fed World (AWFW) for their generous support of this podcast! A Well-Fed World is an international hunger relief and food security organization advancing plant-based foods and farming to create a sustainable, nourished, and climate-friendly future. Learn more at awfw.org. Resources:Hope’s Book: The Humane Hoax: Essays Exposing Happy Meat, Humane Dairy and Ethical EggsDonate to Compassionate LivingRowdy Girl Sanctuary and Film: https://www.rowdygirlfilm.comhttps://rowdygirlsanctuary.orghttps://www.facebook.com/rowdygirlsanctuaryhttps://www.instagram.com/rowdygirlsanctuary/https://twitter.com/RowdyGirlRanchhttps://www.youtube.com/rowdygirlsanctuaryhttps://www.tiktok.com/@rowdygirlsanctuaryhttps://rancheradvocacy.orghttps://www.facebook.com/rancheradvocacyprogram/https://www.instagram.com/rancheradvocacyprogram/https://twitter.com/RancherAdvocacyLearn More and Support this Podcast:Compassionate LivingHope for the Animals Podcast

This is a special short episode just for dedicated listeners. In this time of giving, I hope you will consider supporting grassroots vegan education.  Please donate to Compassionate Living to support the continuation of this podcast. Thank you! 

This episode is dedicated to the legendary Karen Davis, PhD, founder and president of United Poultry Concerns (UPC). Karen died on Nov. 4th 2023 of cancer. Vegan since 1983, Karen was an activist, author, outspoken animal advocate, and had a sanctuary for rescued birds on the Eastern Shore of Virginia. United Poultry Concerns was the first sponsor of this podcast and our host, Hope Bohanec, worked with Karen at UPC for close to a decade from 2012 - 2021. Karen started United Poultry Concerns, the first ever organization focused on chickens, in 1990. She wrote numerous books on chickens and turkeys and advocated for an end to not only the farming of these birds, but also cock fighting, down, foie gras, Kapporos, birds used in experimentation, and many other exploitive practices involving chickens and other birds. This episode is a compilation of highlights from the four times Karen was on the podcast. Karen tells the story of how she was inspired by the animal rights movement in the 1980s and how she started United Poultry Concerns. Karen shares some of her philosophies and unique thoughts about chickens and animal advocacy. She also talks about the plight and delight of turkeys. She discusses the importance of language and reveals how she believed chickens, and all animals, have Earth Rights. Rest in Power Karen, we will carry on in your honor. Resources: United Poultry ConcernsLearn More and Support this Podcast:Compassionate LivingHope for the Animals Podcast

Many compassionate people and vegans are drawn to the concept of ahimsa, the Sanskrit word for non-harming or non-violence. Today we explore this concept with Dr. Jonathan Dickstein, Assistant Professor of Jain Studies at Arihanta Institute. Johnathan received a PhD in Religious Studies from the University of California, Santa Barbara and his areas of research include Jain Studies, religion and ecology, comparative ethics, and South Asian religions. Jonathan and Hope discuss the spiritual reasons for living vegan through the Jain lens. He offers some history and context for the Jain religion and how their highest concept, ahimsa, or non-harming, is core to their belief. He also discusses karma theory and how that relates to ahimsa and defines Transnational Veganism.Resources:Ahimsa Vegan Conference VideosLearn More and Support this Podcast:Compassionate LivingHope for the Animals Podcast