There has been so much animal news this week. In this alert I am going to cover a groundbreaking weeklong series on animal issues on NPR's Fresh Air. Then in another alert, going out this afternoon, I will look at a New York Times editorial against the first wolf hunt in decades, and at a surprising front page San Diego story on the rehabilitation of two abused elephants by the San Diego Zoo, and at the beautiful news that in light of The Cove, the annual Japanese dolphin slaughter, slated to start this week, is on hold.
First: Animal Week on National Public Radio's "Fresh Air."
If you go http://tinyurl.com/npf9ul (thanks to Brian Lowe for this information) you'll find audio, transcripts, and summaries of Monday's show. Then if you click on "Next Show," on the same line as the date, you can get to each consecutive show for the week. A few of the segment's are brand new, but most are earlier pieces. The website tells us:
"It's Animal Week on Fresh Air; during these last days of summer, we're featuring rebroadcasts of our best conversations about animals and how we live with them."
Please, please, send NPR a huge thank you for their attention to their animal loving audience (in your own words please) by leaving a comment at
http://tinyurl.com/c2x4r8
You'll be asked if NPR can share your information with your local station. Yes! It is vital that local stations learn that their audience wants to hear animal stories.
Here is a brief summary of the show line up:
Monday: A fascinating piece in which veterinarian Nancy Kay helps people to determine when treatment, for example chemotherapy, is and isn't the right thing for your dog or cat.
Then an interview with Irene Pepperberg about her relationship with the famous parrot Alex, who was taught human language and taught humans about animal intelligence.
Tuesday: An interview with Temple Grandin, author of "Animals Make Us Human: Creating the Best Life for Animals." Grandin is actually best known for devoting her life to creating the "best death" for animals, redesigning slaughterhouses to be less terrifying. She feels her autism gives her better insight into what animals go through. While there is obviously a disconnect between caring for animals and designing slaughterhouses, Grandin's work has alleviated much suffering, and the interview is interesting.
Then, an interview with Michael Schaffer, author of "One Nation Under Dog." People who have read "Thanking the Monkey" know what I think of leaving a dog, a pack animal, alone all day, and then when he becomes depressed giving him anti-depressants instead of an adopted canine brother or sister. And there is lots of other stuff I didn't like in this interview, but see what you think.
(Tuesday wasn't my favorite day.)
Wednesday: An interview with Gloria Gilbert, the founder of Puppies Behind Bars, an organization that places dogs with prisoners who train them to be service dogs.
Then an interview with Melinda Merck, whose book, "Veterinary Forensics: Animal Cruelty Investigations" is a guide for vets and police on analyzing and addressing cases of violence against animals.
Finally, an interview with Margaret McLaughlin, one of the Hurricane Katrina animal rescuers.
Thursday: An interview with film directors Alastair Fothergill and Mark Linfied who follow the movement of polar bears, elephants and humpback whales in their new film, Earth, which they say is more "character based" than their series of the same name, which was more habitat based.
Then, a segment with Robert Sullivan, author of "In the Alleys with Rats" -- not a particularly animal friendly segment but not really antagonistic either.
Finally, an interview with Douglas Emlen, a professor of biology who studies Dung Beetles. He is cool. When Terry Gross says that the horns on the dung beetles are "creepy looking," he responds, "That's a matter of opinion. I disagree. I think they're fantastic." The interview has fascinating information about insect behavior -- battles for food and females, and information on parental care, for example.
Friday: Today's show, for which there will be audio and transcripts on line shortly, has:
Bill Berloni, a trainer who rescues dogs from pounds and trains them for show business.
Then wildlife biologist Toni Frohoff and journalist Charles Siebert talk about their experiences with grey whales.
And finally, ending the series, there is a fun piece with Robert Smigel, whose most infamous creation is Triumph, The Insult Comic Dog, who made a name for himself "pooping" on guests of Late Night With Conan O'Brian.
Listen to what you are interested in -- some of the segments are fabulous. Or don't listen, just take a quick look, but most importantly, please send a note to NPR. You may be moved to make various comments, but be sure to thank Fresh Air for its week long devotion to animal issues. Positive feedback for animal stories encourages more of them. Leave your comments at http://tinyurl.com/c2x4r8
Just a minute or two of your time can do so much for the animals.
Yours and the animals',
Karen Dawn
(DawnWatch is an animal advocacy media watch that looks at animal issues in the media and facilitates one-click responses to the relevant media outlets. You can learn more about it, and sign up for alerts at http://www.DawnWatch.com. You may forward or reprint DawnWatch alerts if you do so unedited -- leave DawnWatch in the title and include this parenthesized tag line. If somebody forwards DawnWatch alerts to you, which you enjoy, please help the list grow by signing up. It is free.)
Please go to www.ThankingtheMonkey.com for a fun celeb-studded promo video and information on Karen Dawn's book, "Thanking the Monkey: Rethinking the Way we Treat Animals," which was chosen by the Washington Post as one of the "Best Books of 2008." And check out Karen's new blog at www.ThankingtheMonkey.com/blog !
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Date: Fri Sep 4 13:35:30 2009
