Podcasts about Animal Welfare Institute

Our guest for this episode of The WeWhale Pod is Naomi Rose, senior scientist (marine mammal biology) for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington D.C. and marine mammal protection advocate.  Naomi talks about her path into studying marine mammals and her particular love of orcas. As a co-author of The Case Against Marine Mammals in Captivity report, Naomi explains that the body of science has grown over the years about whales and dolphins, along with other marine mammals, that are kept in captivity. She chats also about the 'Blackfish Effect', which happened following the release of the groundbreaking documentary and her memories of visiting Tokitae, the orca who was kept for 53 years at Miami Seaquarium. Find out more about WeWhale at wewhale.co and follow us on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.

This week's host Dr Chris Parsons chats to Dr Naomi Rose (Senior Scientist, Animal Welfare Institute) as spate of recent attacks on surfboards by a sea otter. They also talk about issues and problems with the public trying to interact with wild marine mammals. The Marine Mammal Science Podcast is supported by the Society of Marine Mammalogy membership. Join, renew, or become a lifetime member in October for a chance to win a lifetime Society membership ($2400 value) or a free conference registration in Perth, Australia for November 2024. Visit marinemammalscience.org to join or renew now. Interested in sponsoring this podcast? Email us at podcast@marinemammalscience.org 

Learn how the need for secure housing for victims of crime and their companion animals led to the creation of the Emergency and Transitional Pet Shelter and Housing Assistance Grant Program.Office for Victims of Crime Director Kristina Rose and Nancy Blaney, Director of Government Affairs at the Animal Welfare Institute, speak about how this program is ensuring that victims and their pets can access shelter services. 

When Bonnie's husband decided he wanted to possibly kill her, rather than, oh, we don't know, love and respect her, Bonnie knew she needed to run. But with a toddler, a three-day-old baby, two big dogs and a 30-pound tortoise in her care, finding a shelter that could help her proved nearly impossible. An estimated 70 percent of domestic violence survivors have pets, but only a fraction of domestic violence shelters have the resources available that allow pets to come with a survivor. As a result, survivors with pets stay an average of two years longer with dangerous, sometimes deadly, abusers, afraid to leave their animals behind. The nonprofit RedRover is hoping to change that, aiming to make at least 25% of shelters animal-friendly by 2025. In this episode, we hear from Bonnie (don't worry, her story has a happy-ish ending) and then from Katie Campbell, Director of Collaboration and Outreach for RedRover about their amazing efforts to make sure no pet is left behind. You might even want to consider signing up to be a volunteer (like Amanda did), support in some other way or apply for help. If you're a shelter that wants to become pet-friendly, check out DontForgetthePets.org for more info! Grassroots organizations around the country are currently helping to care for animals of survivors in danger, and your support would be amazing. Check out Praline's Backyard in Georgia, Hush Puppy Haven in Florida and Lost Our Home Pet Rescue in Arizona to start. (If you run a pet rescue org that helps DV survivors, give us a shout and we'll make sure to promote you on our socials!) Survivors in need can also check out the Animal Welfare Institute's Safe Havens mapping project which tracks all the safe havens where animals of DV victims could be fostered in times of crisis. Visit ToxicthePodcast.com for more resources, past episodes and Toxic merch, the proceeds from which go right back to organizations helping women escape violence. 

“It's almost like the Animal Welfare Act is like a safety, a security blanket, because it's like, ‘Oh, we have the Animal Welfare Act to protect the animals, they're okay.' And they don't realize that it's actually not very strong and that it's not being very aggressively enforced.” – Rachel Fobar   In February, Eric Kleinman from the Animal Welfare Institute was on the podcast. He came on to talk about the Envigo Dogs - the 4000 beagles that were rescued last summer from a breeding facility for lab animals, and trafficked monkeys, and the many many failures of the USDA to enforce the Animal Welfare Act.   Before Eric and I met, he sent me a ton of articles on much of the above, and many of them were National Geographic stories written by Rachel Fobar. Rachel is a National Geographic reporter who covers wildlife crime and exploitation, everything from the USDA's failures to roadside zoos to monkeys being forced to work in Thailand's coconut trade.   I asked Rachel to come on the show because I want to better understand why it is that we are allowing the USDA, who almost never does their job, to be in charge of the Animal Welfare Act.   LINKS:  Rachel Fobar: https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/meet-the-team-wildlife-watch?loggedin=true&rnd=1677336327384   Rachel's Articles for National Geographic: https://www.nationalgeographic.com /author/rachel-fobar

“There is this long history, and what's important about history is history informs the present. History shows this is how we got here. Fred Colston was like a villain out of central casting. I mean… it's almost like he was twirling his mustache… And he blamed me. He blamed me for bankrupting his lab. I mean, that's in documents from the federal government, not me by name, but In Defense of Animals. The thing is, at least he was honest about his viewpoints. At least he was honest to say, ‘these chimpanzees, I want to raise them like cattle.' Whereas today you've got these slick PR people like Inotiv or Envigo, ‘Oh, animal welfare is our highest priority.' It's the same mindset. At least he was honest about it. They're not honest anymore.” – Eric Kleiman   You've probably heard of Envigo. They were the ones who owned the 4000 beagles that were rescued in Virginia last summer. The Beagles were living at a breeding facility, a breeding facility for research animals, and their conditions were so abusive and horrific that they got rescued. That doesn't happen very often. It was a big deal.   And more recently, federal prosecutors charged eight members of an international monkey smuggling ring that allegedly supplied trafficked and endangered monkeys to Envigo, Orient and Worldwide Primates.    The USDA are the people who are supposed to be at least somewhat on the side of animals in all of this. They are supposed to be doing inspections and shutting places like these down. But they're not. They're not the people who shut down Envigo and rescued all those dogs, because they're not doing their job. They've rarely done their job. And this job needs to go to someone else because animals need someone who's actually on their team.   Today's episode is about the people who are doing the work.   This conversation is with Eric Kleinman. Eric is a researcher at the Animal Welfare Institute and he knows more about this stuff than I think anyone. I'm going to warn you in advance, it's complicated and there are a lot of acronyms (one that you need to know is APHIS – Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, a part of the USDA). It's also extremely important.   Links:  AWI: https://awionline.org/   To learn more: https://www.nationalgeographic.co.uk/animals/2022/06/what-do-we-owe-former-lab-chimps https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/toothless-and-paltry-critics-slam-usda-fines-for-animal-welfare-violations https://www.science.org/content/article/indictment-monkey-importers-could-disrupt-u-s-drug-and-vaccine-research https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/what-do-we-owe-former-lab-chimps https://www.science.org/content/article/research-animals-mistreated-leading-supplier-animal-welfare-group-alleges https://www.science.org/content/article/leading-breeder-beagles-research-slammed-animal-welfare-inspectors https://www.science.org/content/article/beleaguered-beagle-facility-closes-under-government-pressure-fate-3000-dogs-unclear https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/hundreds-of-beagles-have-died-at-a-major-research-animal-breeding-facility https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/usda-accused-of-ignoring-animal-welfare-for-business-interests

Avital Ash (Antisocialdistance.com) and Amir Blumenfeld (Headgum) face off in four rounds of pub style trivia. Avital is playing for Animal Welfare Institute and Amir is playing for Grace @ Cedars Sinai. Listen, learn, rate and review. Follow us @youshouldknowbetter pod

On this episode I will be talking, once again, to Kelsey Eberly, who is now with Harvard Law School's Animals, Law and Policy Program, as well as with Dena Jones of the Animal Welfare Institute about the deeply troubling topic of chicken slaughter. Specifically, we will be discussing Animal Welfare Institute v Vilsack, a case involving the rather confusing landscape of… The post Animal Law Podcast #83: The Case of the Slaughtered Chickens appeared first on Our Hen House.

A new report details how Mystic Aquarium handled the death of one of the Beluga Whales. Of the 5 transported from Marine Land in Canada, only 3 are still alive in Mystic. Dr. Naomi Rose, Animal Welfare Institute, joined Gene  Friday morning to react to the report.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

A second of five Beluga Whales has died at Mystic Aquarium. The whale was reported to have pre-existing conditions. What is the next step. Dr Naomi Rose shares her thoughts on the latest whale death at Mystic.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

From grassroots to policy, we want to follow up on last week's popular podcast by introducing listeners to another amazing ambassador for the oceans – Sue Fisher, of Portland, Oregon. Sue is interim marine policy director (international) for the Animal Welfare Institute. She's been advocating for greater protections for cetaceans through the International Whaling Commission (IWC) for the past 30 years, and she is one of the main authors of a brand new 50-year vision for the IWC. As the organization turns 75, dozens of international animal welfare groups are urging its 88 member governments to adopt the vision and accompanying recommendations for saving whales and dolphins from extinction.
 Sue says there's no better time for the IWC to exert its influence and expertise to clean up the mess we humans have made in the world's oceans with plastics, pollution and over-fishing. Calls to Action https://iwc50yearvision.org/ (Download the 50 Year Vision for the IWC) and watch the launch event. Support the Animal Welfare Institute's incredible work by easily https://awionline.org/compassion-index#/ (taking action here) on dozens of campaigns for sentient, more-than-human animals. Reduce or eliminate your seafood and plastic consumption. Sentient Planet is an independent production created on the traditional land of the Nisqually Tribe in the Pacific Northwest, USA. Please consider https://www.patreon.com/sentientplanet (supporting our work on Patreon.) Thank you! Intro music: "The Spaces Between" by Scott Buckley. Interstitial music: "Gravitation (Remix)" by https://stellardrone.bandcamp.com/ (Stellardrone).

Dr. Naomi Rose from the Animal Welfare Institute joined Gene to discuss the treatment of whales at Mystic Aquarium, and things that might've gone wrong with them being transported to Mystic from Canada. See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Naomi Rose of the Animal Welfare Institute joined Gene to discuss a whale dying while being kept in captivity.  See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Vivian's passion in life is helping people make real, compassionate connections with the animals in their lives so that both of you are living your best life with one another.Today she's sharing lots of great tips about living happily and positively with your animal(s) and how to better understand and develop the relationship you and your pet have through observing, decoding, and guiding their behavior and yours.She has been a dog behavior consultant for 18 years. In 2003 she earned her master's degree in conflict resolution from the Institute for Conflict Analysis and Resolution at George Mason University, Fairfax, VA. Since then she has worked in the field of animal welfare policy and research at the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C. and she has also volunteered with the rehabilitation of dogs with problem behaviors in the canine rescue community.In 2010 she took on a full-time position to develop and manage the training department at Fur-Get Me Not in Arlington, VA, creating all the behavior specialty classes, she held this position for 8 years.In 2018 she co-founded "Positive Dog Solutions" -- a company created to help build strong and healthy relationships between people, their dogs, and the community in which they live, using scientifically proven, practical, and humane methods.  Vivian also mediates custody cases at the Multi-Door dispute resolution division at DC Courts and is a volunteer mediator with Community Mediation DC.You can learn more about the marvelous work Vivan does at:https://www.positivedogsolutions.com/And, you can connect with Vivian here:https://www.facebook.com/positivedogsolutionshttps://www.instagram.com/positivedogsolutions/ 

Dr. Joanna Grossman leads the equine program and is a lobbyist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC. She was previously the organization's federal policy advisor, advocating for a wide range of animal protection issues on Capitol Hill. Her writings and work have been featured in or covered by numerous media outlets including The Hill, Roll Call, Politico, NBC News, Newsweek, the Daily Caller, and the Washington Examiner. Her chapter on political advocacy for animal protection causes was published in the Routledge Handbook of Animal Ethics. Joanna has an A.B. from Princeton University and studied as a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Oxford before earning her doctorate from Harvard University. Joanna serves on the advisory boards for Predator Defense and Sinergia Animal, as well as on the steering committee for the Homes for Horses Coalition. Originally from rural Texas, Joanna lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband, two daughters, and two rescue dogs.Links:https://awionline.org/press-releases/lawmakers-blm-stop-barbaric-surgical-sterilizations-wild-horses-utahhttps://m.lasvegassun.com/news/2020/aug/07/blms-wild-horse-management-must-be-fixed/https://www.sltrib.com/opinion/commentary/2020/02/12/joanna-grossman-failed/https://awionline.org/cases/protection-wild-horseshttps://awionline.org/press-releases/veterinarians-call-blm-abandon-barbaric-surgical-sterilization-experiments-wildPresented by Attorney King Studios with Coe Lewis on IQ Podcast. nsefu.org iqpodcasts.com

"Only A Punk Would Hurt A Cat Or A Dog." So honored to have Caroline Griffin on this episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" with you!Caroline was a practicing attorney for 20 years. For the past 10 years, she has been working in the animal protection arena supporting animal welfare and co-founding an anti-cruelty campaign that has become a movement - "Share Your Soft Side."Show Your Soft Side is a public service campaign that was created to change the mindset of young people who all-too-often view the maiming and torturing of defenseless cats and dogs as a sign of “toughness” or “manhood.”The campaign’s message that compassion towards animals is a sign of strength, not weakness, is one that, overnight, struck a nerve with old and young alike. Today, Show Your Soft Side, Inc. uses its reach and resources to build a better world for animals and, in doing so, build better adults.  More About Caroline GriffinCaroline Griffin graduated from Loyola University of Maryland in 1984 and the University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law in 1987.Ms. Griffin practiced law for 20 years until she was appointed Chair of the Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Task Force in Baltimore, following the brutal burning death of a dog named Phoenix. For the past decade, she has devoted all her time to animal protection work.She is a co-founder of the anti-cruelty campaign Show Your Soft Side, serves on the Board of Directors of the Animal Welfare Institute and Days End Farm Horse Rescue, and is the Chair of the Maryland Spay Neuter Advisory Board.Connect With Caroline:Website: ShowYourSoftSide.orgFacebook: ShowYourSoftSideTwitter: SoftSide1Instagram: @showyoursoftside

I can't wait for you to listen to this special "Lollapalooza" episode of "Why Do Pets Matter?" You'll get to meet and learn more about the incredible work of four very passionate animal and people lovers who are making an impact around the world.Learn More About:Spencer B. HodgettsSpencer helps Pet Advocacy & Therapy Professionals connect globally to create the social-impact they desire through his work and website ReboundDog.comhttps://rebounddog.comhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/spencerbhodgetts/ Christina BurkiChristina is a psychotherapist and animal communicator who believes that animals are a wonderful source of comfort to humans. Animals are highly sensitive and instinctively know when someone needs a cuddle, a nudge or a game of ‘fetch’ – they’re great stress relievers. She says that her 2 dogs and 2 cats, who often participate in counseling sessions, are her co-therapists.https://www.christinaburki.com.au/animals-within-our-sessions.htmlhttps://www.linkedin.com/in/christinaburki/ Teresa WagnerTeresa is the founder of The Animal Loss & Grief Support Institute. Her mission and life's work is to help us deepen our spiritual intimacy with animals, resolve problems with and honor animals, assuage the suffering of animals, heal from the pain of losing animal companions and from being witness to the suffering and loss of animals in the environment, and to celebrate with like-minded people the joy of our miraculous, spiritual connection with all animals.https://animalsinourhearts.com/https://pet-loss-grief-counseling-certification.com/https://www.linkedin.com/in/teresa-wagner-28096430/ Caroline GriffinCaroline is an attorney working in the field of animal protection. She was appointed chair of the Baltimore Mayor’s Anti-Animal Abuse Advisory Commission, after the burning death of a dog that made national news. She is the co-founder of Show Your Soft Side, an anti-cruelty campaign, and serves on the Board of Directors of the Animal Welfare Institute."Only A Punk Would Hurt A Cat Or Dog."https://showyoursoftside.org/https://www.linkedin.com/in/caroline-griffin-42aa658/

On this episode, Peter Ravella and Tyler Buckingham welcome Dr. Naomi Rose to the show to discuss the science and ethical considerations of cetacean (that's whales and dolphins, folks!) live capture, trade and captivity. Dr. Rose is the marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC. She has been a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee since 2000, where she participates in the subcommittees on environmental concerns, small cetaceans, and whale watching. She has authored or co-authored over 45 scientific papers and articles for animal protection publications, as well as chapters in several books.

Orca Captivity Featuring Dr. Naomi Rose! Naomi A. Rose,Ph.D. Marine Mammal Scientist Animal Welfare Institute Naomi Rose is the marine mammal scientist for the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, DC. She campaigns against cetacean live capture, trade, and captivity and has been a member of the International Whaling Commission (IWC) Scientific Committee since 2000, where she participates in the subcommittees on environmental concerns, small cetaceans, and whale watching. She has authored or co-authored over 45 scientific papers and articles for animal protection publications, as well as chapters in several books. She has participated in various conferences, workshops, meetings, and task forces at the international, national and state level. She has testified before the U.S. Congress four times, at the Canadian Parliament, and at several state legislative and regulatory hearings. Her work was featured in the 2012 non-fiction book Death at SeaWorld: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity, by David Kirby, and she gave a TedX Talk in Bend, Oregon in April 2015 on captive orca welfare. She received a Ph.D. in biology from the University of California at Santa Cruz in 1992, where her dissertation examined the social dynamics of free-ranging orcas. She has worked in the marine mammal advocacy field for over 25 years Animal Welfare Institution-http://www.awionline.org/ Dolphin Point of View Facebook-http://www.facebook.com/frdolphinPOV Support Orca Nerd by donating to their Tip Jar: https://tips.pinecast.com/jar/orca-nerd Find out more at https://orca-nerd.pinecast.co This podcast is powered by Pinecast.

Kate Dylewsky, Senior Policy Advisor for the Animal Welfare Institute, discusses pending federal legislation that could be the nail in the coffin for roadside zoos in the United States, recent legislative victories, and the important role that localities and states play in bringing an end to America’s tiger crisis. --- This episode is sponsored by · Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Working animals. There are currently 200 million horses, donkeys, mules, camels and elephants serving us as trucks, tractors and taxis all over the world. Some are "owned" and some are "rented" by people who derive an income from their animals. The human depend on the animals for their livelihood and vice versa. While many of us are thinking about whether our next car runs on petrol or electricity, hundreds of millions of people are still taking the "organic" option when it comes to their transport. Taking good care of working equines is the subject of this episode. In this episode we speak with Melissa Liszewski. Melissa has spent her entire career helping to improve the living conditions of working animals across several continents. While we were recording this episode, I must admit that I was quite emotional. The reason behind that was realising just how many animals are still working hard for us today, since it's not something I see often in my neck of the woods. I was also struck at the high number that are being helped by organisations like Brooke, IFAW and SPANA, which we discuss in the episode. As they say, every cloud has a silver lining. During our conversation I found out how professionals are breaking down the issues into actionable steps that improve the conditions for working animals. Millions of them. For instance, Melissa tells us about a shelter for working equines at a market in Ethiopia, which started out as a place where animals could rest while their human families shopped. It now runs as a round the clock equine care centre, complete with an educational programme. This was the first time I have heard about something like this! I think you'll agree by the time you finish the episode that Melissa is someone who embodies what this podcast is designed to convey - that the human species depends so much on what other animals have done for us. In many ways, we would not have thrived without the help of working equines. Further, I hope what you hear in this episode will help you to see the next working horse, donkey or mule that you pass in a little bit of a different light. Perhaps you might take on the advice that Melissa shares and do your part in making sure that animal is getting good care. As you know, all domesticated animals depend completely on humans, and so we are wholly responsible for their treatment. Episode cover photo credit: Mae Tortajada-Suils   About Melissa LiszewskiMelissa is a Senior Program Manager in Stakeholder & Community Engagement. Her passion is delivering animal welfare, sustainability and social impact in the communities she works with. Melissa is currently working at IFAW as a Senior Program Manager, Community Engagement. She is also a Board Trustee at SPANA. Before now, Melissa has worked at the Brooke and the Animal Welfare Institute, among other animal welfare organisations. It's a career that has seen Melissa help thousands of animals gain improved living conditions all over the world. In turn, Melissa's work has helped the humans working with those animals prosper. This article by Melissa on donkey welfare in Kenya is an eye opener into her work and what she has learned during her studies and career, it's very much a worthwhile read.   Photos to accompany this episode Melissa very kindly sent us photos from several trips around the world to illustrate what we discuss during the episode.  Melissa Liszewski working in Pakistan, 2014. Credit: Mae Tortajada-Suils.   Market shelter for working equines in Ethiopia. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.   Animal having a drink at the market shelter for working equines in Ethiopia. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.   A Gharry taxi horse in Ethiopia. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.   A donkey in Jordan. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.   Working at a brick kiln in India. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.    Working at a brick kiln in India. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.      A boy and horse taking a break at a brick kiln in India. Credit: Melissa Liszewski.   More r --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/other5billion/message

We continue airing Craken's interviews from Capital Hill's Ocean Week (CHOW 2019) from a couple of weeks ago to bring you new information on policy and Marine Conservation. This week, Ryan Ososki (policy analyst for Animal Welfare Institute), joins Craken in discussing policies related to Marine Mammals, especially Northern Right Whales. Take a listen to the episode and share your thoughts on it in the Speak Up For Blue Facebook Group: http://www.speakupforblue.com/group.

Listen as Dr. Naomi Rose, marine mammal scientist at the Animal Welfare Institute and member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, outlines the impact of captivity on cetaceans and how conservationists around the world are fighting to find alternatives to traditional zoo practices.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Naomi Rose has been a leader of domestic and international efforts to publicize and address the many problems associated with the capture and captivity of marine mammals for public display. In this episode we discuss the current status of marine mammals in captivity in the U.S. She shares how she worked with industry and government to create laws that ended the entertainment and breeding of orcas that are already living in captivity. We also discuss the Russian Whale Jail - where orca and beluga were illegally taken to be sold to the Chinese entertainment market. She is leads an international effort to stop captivity in China, Russian, and other countries around the world as the marine mammal scientists for the Animal Welfare Institute. 

Alicia Prygoski is the Farm Animal Policy Associate for the Animal Welfare Institute. Her areas of focus include farm animal welfare legislation, barn fire prevention, food policy, and generally improving the living conditions of farm animals. Alicia has worked on farm animal welfare issues for the past four years and previously worked as an environmental lobbyist in Michigan. She holds a law degree from Western Michigan University Cooley Law School and a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Michigan.

This show begins with Lori counting down the bite power of the ten strongest nonhuman biters, with many facts about the included animals. Featured are lions, grizzly bears, gorillas, and crocodiles. Then Peter welcomes Dr. Naomi Rose, Marine Mammal Biologist, Animal Welfare Institute, to discuss swim with dolphin programs. A new Mexican owned facility has […]

We have our most popular guest on the podcast today, Dr. Naomi Rose. She is a Marine Conservation Advocate who works for the Animal Welfare Institute where she specializes in Whales in Captivity.  Naomi came on the podcast to discuss the plight of wild Orcas of the Southern Resident Population; however, we first got on the topic of Marine Conservation Advocacy and discussed it for a while. It was such great advice and content that I thought I would divide the interview into 2 parts: Today's interview focusing on marine advocacy when it comes to Orcas; and, tomorrow's interview focusing on what is causing the depletion of the Southern Resident Orca population. If you ever wanted to know what it was like to be a good marine advocate, or an environmental advocate in genera, then this is the episode for you. Check out the episode and let me know what you think about advocacy in our Facebook Group. Want more of Naomi? Check out her thoughts on why she hopes that SeaWorld does well under a new business model in our new episode of the Deep Dive.

The conflict over red wolves escalated in 2013 and 2014 based on coyotes. Why Coyotes? In this episode we begin to explore the relationship between red wolves, coyote hunting, private property and the State of North Carolina. How did the red wolf recovery program go from a divisive issue to a more heated conflict? Learn how coyotes, shootings of red wolves and coyote hunting led to a lawsuit pitting conservation groups (Red Wolf Coalition, Defenders of Wildlife and Animal Welfare Institute), represented by Southern Environmental Law Center, against the North Carolina Wildlife Resources Commission. You can find out more and see photos at www.wildsides.org. Check out the homepage and the Red Wolf page. Music Attribution, Creative Commons 3.0 - Sweetwaveaudio https://soundcloud.com/sweetwaveaudio/free-ambient-loop Special Thanks to this episode's Editor and Co-Producer: Gabriel Maisonnave.

Marine Conservation saw a couple of great government moves at the end of last week.  Orca Captive Breeding and Shows Banned in California The state of California passed a law banning captive breeding of orcas as well as orca shows. This essentially puts a nail in the coffin to orca shows and breeding at Marine Mammal Parks such as SeaWorld in California and could pave the way for other states such as Florida and Texas to pass similar laws, which would completely get rid of shows and breeding programs for each of SeaWorld's location.  The ban forces SeaWorld to change the way it displays orcas from an entertainment attraction to more of an education attraction and it could start the process in releasing orcas to Sea Side Marine Mammal Sanctuaries. However, SeaWorld continues to state that releasing captive bred orcas into the sea where they would be exposed to potential oil spills and other types of pollution would harm the orcas. Dr. Naomi Rose from the Animal Welfare Institute stated on The Speak Up For Blue Episode 190 that SeaWorld's position is not scientifically correct and has been disproven by the release of the orca Keiko (Take a listen to the episode for more information on Keiko). SeaWorld announced in March 2016 that it would halt the breeding program and in January earlier that year said it would stop its orca shows. The California law ensures that SeaWorld will not go back on its word.  President Obama Announces 1st Atlantic Marine Monument The President was in the news a couple of weeks ago as he announced the expansion of the Hawaii National Marine Monument and last week he announced the establishment of the 1st Marine Monument in the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of New England. The Monument with protect a series of Deep Sea Seamounts and Canyons that provide great biodiversity for the area.  The Monument will ensure the protection of biodiversity of the area and protect fisheries sustainability; however, the fishing industry does not believe the Monument takes into account the loss of income it will have on the fishing industry.  The declaration of this Monument continues to show that this President values the Ocean and its resources as well as the need for its protection.   Are you ready to pivot to a more meaningful career?  Do you want to talk about how you can pursue a career in Marine Conservation? Send me an email and let's chat. andrew@speakupforblue.com Because I want to talk to you! Join the Arbonne Blue Team http://www.speakupforblue.com/teamblue Instagram: @speakupforblue Snapchat: @speakupforblue SUFB Podcast: http://www.speakupforblue.com/podcast SUFB Website: http://www.speakupforblue.com 10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

The Marine Conservation community is large and represented from all parts of the Earth. More and more people are entering this wonderful community every day, but they aren’t sure how they can help protect the Ocean to the point that they might give up because the problems are too big and they don’t think they can bring about change. Well, I can’t have that! So I decided to list these 7 ways that you can help conserve the Ocean to prevent you from being too overwhelmed. There are many other ways that you can help conserve the Ocean, but I feel that these are good beginner steps to getting what you want and feeling good about what you are doing. Don’t Panic, take a breath I get many messages from the Speak Up For Blue Podcast audience members after they listen to a show where I describe an issue and send me an email saying that they can’t believe we, as humans, can be so stupid to treat our Oceans the way they do. They are angry and shocked and want to yell at the world! I promptly reply for then to not panic and take a breath. They don’t want to approach people who are doing something to contribute to an Ocean issue aggressively and make that person angry for being called out. This attitude will not change the way people act in their lives or towards the ocean. Marine Conservation should be conducted in a positive way and provide the chance for people to change their habits. People contribute to Ocean issues without realizing they are doing anything wrong. You and I may be doing something that contributes to the problem every day, but we are unaware. For example, I did an interview with Stu Landesberg, CEO of the Grove Collaborative (formerly epantry), who sold certified eco-friendly cleaning supplies online. He described to me the way products on a store shelf differ from products sent via online purchases. The former has to compete on a shelf with other similar products and they have to last a certain time period on the shelf. The products are often sold in large, bright plastic containers that are not easily recyclable. They also contain chemicals that act as preservatives to ensure the product doesn’t spoil on the shelf. Those chemicals may not be as good for you as you thought (you would be surprised). The point is we live in a world where we waste and consume products that are not good for us or the environment, including the Oceans. It’s good to understand the issues, but don’t get too caught up in the anger and use that anger to change behaviour for conservation. Think Globally, act locally Think Globally, act locally is a term you probably heard bused by many environmentalists around the world. It’s such a cat phrase that often people use it in jokes, but the statement is so very true especially in Ocean Conservation. After you finish panicking, it’s good to take note of the major Ocean issues that we are facing: Plastic Pollution, Climate Change, Overfishing, Water Quality and Coastal Development are just a few of the major issues we not only face, but cause. Each issue is widespread enough that the consequences extend across the Ocean having a Global impact. Breakdown the problem by thinking how you can act locally that will remedy this problem. For example, decreasing overfishing will require you to eat seafood more sustainably and responsibly to avoid fish that are overfished. The Seafood Watch program will allow you to eat seafood with a conscious as the program is updated frequently to allow you to create informed decisions on your meals. I use my Seafood Watch App for my iPhone to ask the waiter or retailer whether the seafood was caught sustainably. If they don’t know, then I tell them that I don’t want the seafood because they don’t know how it was caught. Start at home It’s always good to start conservation at home as there are so many things that we can conserve including energy, water, plastic, and cleaning supplies covering four of the major issues I mention above. Each conservation action requires a change in behaviour by you and your family, but they don’t require a ton of changes. You can even start slowly by reducing the amount of plastic bags used in your home or eliminate plastic utensils from your house. You can buy a digital thermostat to control your heat/air conditioning by setting it at different temps throughout the day to save on energy. Starting your conservation efforts are small but significant changes that can really reduce your Ocean Issue footprint. It just takes a little time to get used to some of the changes, but once you are in the full swing of things you feel better about yourself. Become a leader in your community Your leadership at home can transfer into your community through actions. It is easy to show others that you care about the state of the environment in your community whether you live by the coast or inland. Debris and plastic pollution is quite hi in the spring after the snow melts. This past spring, my wife and two daughters went out to clean a portion of our neighborhood (after the suggestion by my 6 year old daughter). A neighbor or ours loved the plan and her family joined us as well. We spent half an hour cleaning up and the results were spectacular (8 garbage bags!)! Another neighbor, who we didn’t know, was driving by and asked us what we were doing. He thanked us for cleaning up as he saw the value of our efforts. We never expect people to follow after we clean something up, but we know we are leading by example when we do clean ups like these. It doesn’t take a lot of time to show your neighbors that you care about your neighborhood, but the reactions are priceless. Understand that change takes time Rome wasn’t built in a day nor did the ocean change for the worse in a day, so why do we all think that our efforts will change all of the destruction (or stop the destruction) that we have done to the Ocean in one day. Marine Conservation takes time. Sometimes it takes time to see positive results in the Ocean from changes such as implementing Marine Protected Area and/or it could take time to change people’s behaviour that can cause a specific Ocean Issue to get out of hand. Marine Conservation requires you to become persistent and patient when trying to change the way people behave (after all, behaviour is usually the problem). Dr. Naomi Rose is a great example of someone who has worked and continues to work hard at Marine Conservation. She works for the Animal Welfare Institute to get captive Orcas and Dolphins released into the wild. We have seen some great strides with captive animals and their road to release over the past year, but people like Naomi are the people who laid the ground work for all of this to happen and she continues to work to get the animals released into Whale Sea-Side Sanctuaries.   You need to have patience but still be persistent in your quest to change things for the better in the Ocean realm. Conservation is more than just science You don’t need to be a scientist to be in Marine Conservation. There are many scientists out there who do some great work, but they would like to do work rather than take most of their time searching for funding. People with a background in finance, business, marketing, law and other non-science backgrounds can really help secure funding for scientific and conservation projects. Tradespeople can also play a crucial role in Marine Conservation. Science and Conservation require equipment to complete their projects so being an electrician, carpenter, plumber and being good with your hands with a creative mind can really come in handy. Conservation is a discipline that requires all professions and backgrounds to become successful. Never count yourself out and be creative as to how you can help. Never give up! Ask Dr. Naomi Rose if she ever found it difficult to do what she does. Conservation is like an emotional roller coaster. It can be very difficult to reach your end goal. There are numerous challenges on the way to overcome to see small rewards. However, they goals can be reached through teamwork and support from other conservationists. The war to release Orcas is not over, but many battles are being won. Passion for the Ocean is what drives us forward and allows us to rise during the tough times.   Join the Arbonne Blue Team http://www.speakupforblue.com/teamblue Instagram: @speakupforblue SUFB Podcast: http://www.speakupforblue.com/podcast SUFB Website: http://www.speakupforblue.com 10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

Whale captivity has been a debated issue since the first orca was captured off the coast of Washington State; however, efforts to free wild caught and captive-bred orcas, belugas and dolphins have not been discussed in great detail...until this year. Blackfish, a documentary film describing the multitude of problems Orcas face in captivity and the dangers it poses to humans, was a key catalyst in firing up the concept of releasing captive whales into Sea side Sanctuaries, but as of September 2015, the thought of Whale Sanctuaries was way in the distance. It wasn't until March of 2016 when the Conservation community truly thought that Whale Sanctuaries could be real. That was the time when Sea World stunned both the conservation community and the captive community when it said it would halt the breeding program in all of its facilities! The announcement meant that there would not be another new orca added to Sea World systems again. YAY!!! So what will happen to the orcas currently living in Sea World? According to Sea World, nothing... The public has another idea and want to see orcas and other marine mammals retired to the sea. In fact, a company called Munchkin, had an owner who was against whale captivity. So much so, that he decided to provide the seed funding for a Whale Sea-Side Sanctuary for captive orcas.  Naomi Rose, who is a marine mammal biologist expert at the Animal Welfare Institute, returned to the podcast to give us the details on the propose Whale Sea-Side Sanctuary. If you want to know how the sanctuary will work, Listent.To.This.Episode!   Join the Arbonne Blue Team http://www.speakupforblue.com/teamblue Instagram: @speakupforblue SUFB Podcast: http://www.speakupforblue.com/podcast SUFB Website: http://www.speakupforblue.com 10 Ocean Tips to Conserve the Ocean: http://www.speakupforblue.com/wordpress/sufb_optinpdf

This week we’re celebrating victories across North America. We’ll hear from Sheryl Fink of the International Fund for Animal Welfare who will explain why the World Trade Organization upheld a European Union ban on the importation of Canadian seal products – and what that means for Canada and our seals. Then we’ll be talking with Tara Zuardo of the Animal Welfare Institute in Washington, D.C., who will share her experiences protecting North Carolina’s red wolves from coyote hunters. We're also thanking sponsors from two recent events - one in Calgary (Celebration of Wildlife:photographers Jason Bantle, John Marriott and Kerri Martin, along with Alberta Skydivers and White Lotus Jewellery) and one in Vancouver (Discover Dogs presents a Fur-Bearer Mingler: artists Adelle Airey, Vicki Lynn Rae, Tracey Tomtene, Jesse Toso and Rod Preston as well as thank Discover Dogs, the Vancouver Canadians, Just Beef and Nothing But, The Honest Kitchen and Zimt Artisan Chocolates).  

In July, the Bureau of Land Management announced it was considering euthanizing thousands of wild horses being kept in holding pens throughout the West. Not surprisingly, horse lovers are up in arms about this development. Audrey talks to Chris Heyde, deputy director, Government and Legal Affairs, of the Animal Welfare Institute, about the situation and what horse lovers can do to help. More details on this episode MP3 Podcast - Saving the Wild Horse with Audrey Pavia