Dr. Barbara Smuts, professor of Biopsychology at the University of Michigan, knows she isn’t a rock, which is actually very useful information when studying animals. Similarly, for example, baboons are also aware that the scientist sitting nearby is not an inanimate lump. As Smuts discovered, once this mutual acknowledgement has happened, a whole world of … Continue reading
Yearly Archives: 2009
No Easy Answers: McWilliams Takes on Locavore Logic
Food movements have been gaining serious momentum lately. The meanings of “just”, “ethical,” and “sustainable” food are all contentious. Biotechnology, organics, “free range” meat, vegetarianism and localism are but a handful of issues currently marinating in the proverbial stew. Historian James E. McWilliams, author of Just Food: Where Locavores Get it Wrong and How We … Continue reading
Filling the Ark: Dr. Leslie Irvine discusses animals in disasters
When disaster strikes, news reports come fast and furious with constant updates and around the clock coverage. However, the coverage of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods is almost always human-focused; where animals are concerned, the media often has little to say, especially if those animals were to become food or be used as research subjects. … Continue reading
The Haunted Scalpel: Jan Oakley Investigates Dissection
For some, the image of a mangled pig fetus or an cut up frog on the Biology room table remains a painful and disturbing memory. While the number of animals involved in dissection might seem relatively small compared to other uses, Jan Oakley argues that not only are staggering numbers killed every year, but also … Continue reading
Animal Person: An Interview with Mary Martin
Mary Martin knows that if you want to get to the heart of human-animal relationships, you have to think critically about the language that’s used to describe those relationships. Through her stellar Animal Person blog, she gives readers a daily dose of news and analysis, as well as regular explorations of common words used in … Continue reading
Friends or Dinner?: A Toronto Subway System Campaign Stops the Public in Its Tracks
“Why love one but eat the other?” is the provocative slogan of the recent campaign launched by concerned citizens of Toronto and the U.S.-based animal advocacy organization, Mercy for Animals. This ambitious initiative, running June 9th to August 15th, involves a series of visually-striking subway posters that centrally juxtapose images of animals typically considered pets … Continue reading
Vegan Brunch, aka Your New Guide to Popularity
Isa Chandra Moskowitz’ new book, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For— from Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes, makes getting up in the morning a whole lot easier (especially if you’re a not a morning person, like yours truly). It also makes spoiling your friends easier, and Sunday mornings (or heck, any morning) a … Continue reading
Matters of Life and Death: The Toronto Humane Society Under Investigation
Toronto listeners will likely be aware of the recent Globe and Mail’s shocking investigation of the Toronto Humane Society (THS), Canada’s largest animal shelter. The allegations are serious and damning, including claims that animals languish in filthy conditions, as others are left to slowly die without proper veterinary care, while still others are adopted out … Continue reading
Why Cockfighting Must End: Views from the United States and Puerto Rico
The ubiquity of cockfighting is shocking. Even in places such as the United States where the practice is illegal, underground fighting continues to be a lucrative (and inherently cruel) industry. Before a fight, roosters (or gamecocks) have their spurs cut off without anaesthetic, and metal or plastic razor-sharp blades (known as gaffs) are attached to … Continue reading
More than Meets the Eye: NYC’s Horse-Drawn Carriage Industry
At first glance, for many, New York City’s horse-drawn carriage industry might seem pretty benign, even romantic and quaint. However, like most animal industries, there is much that is disguised, distorted, and hidden from public view. In the documentary Blinders: The Truth Behind the Tradition, filmmaker Donny Moss gives the viewer an intimate — and frequently … Continue reading
Animal Voices 