The wolves of Alberta and British Columbia are in dire need. With numbers already being reduced by environmental factors such as habitat loss and pollution, this keystone species now faces threats from hunting. Caribou in the region are dying from oil, mineral, timber, and other resource extraction, but governments and industries have taken to scapegoating … Continue reading
Hunting. Mining. Pipelines. These are just a few of the threats that Tommy Knowles and the Wildlife Defense League are blockading in order to protect our natural world. After the launch of Operation Great Bear in September, the WDL has allied with the Klabona Keepers of the Tahltan Nation to successfully prevent trophy hunters from … Continue reading
Hunters, horses and hounds vs. a lone, terrified fox. If you think that sounds one-sided, you’re not alone: the Hunt Saboteurs Association is marking 50 years of stepping in on the side of the animals. From laying false scent trails to sounding confusing signals with hunting horns, “sabs” do whatever they can to confound the hunt. (Photo from huntsabs.org.uk) Continue reading
Bears on the B.C. coast are being killed for their heads and paws. Elephants, rhinos and tigers are being hunted to extinction for ivory and folk remedies. Douglas Neasloss from the Bears Forever project, and Anne Pick and Tristan Chytroschek from the documentary film Gambling On Extinction, join Animal Voices to talk about what can be done. Continue reading
Ireland is about to revise its animal cruelty laws for the first time in over a century. John Fitzgerald returns to Animal Voices to describe the practices animal advocates want banned — such as “hare coursing” and “terrierwork” — and to give us an inside view of the political battle shaping up between animal advocates and the powerful pro-blood sports lobby. Continue reading
The “country sport” of hare coursing is one that is rife with multiple levels of cruelty. Hares are brutally snared from the wild using nets, they are kept starving and confined for their duration in captivity, and they are eventually made to run for their lives from two bloodthirsty and hungry greyhounds. Those that outrun … Continue reading
Board games by candlelight… shadowy city skylines….Images of Earth Hour flicker across the mainstream and alternative media. As debates continue about the practical and symbolic impact of the action, the Toronto Vegetarian Association (TVA) suggests that we move “Beyond Earth Hour.” This perennial gathering promotes a long-term and everyday strategy to help decrease the effects … Continue reading
In this conversation, Dr. Mathew Brower, Curator at the University of Toronto and Lecturer in Museum Studies, gives us a fascinating historical account of wildlife photography in the United States and Britain. With an emphasis on “camera hunting” and an eye toward masculinity, Brower notes the shifts in hunting and photography practices, and the larger … Continue reading
This week we catch up with Shannon Keith, filmmaker and activist, to talk about her upcoming film Skin Trade: Fur, Fashion and Truth. After her highly successful and critically acclaimed documentary Behind the Mask, Keith is back planning and shooting her next film. This time, she sets her sights on farmers and clothing designers, to challenge the … Continue reading
We are joined by three animal advocacy groups to discuss anti-sealing activism. We want to explore why some groups focus on the hunt, and ask critical questions about rhetoric, strategy, and tactics. Centrally, we hope to promote a dialogue amongst activists: we’ll be featuring two Toronto groups (ARK II and Wild at Heart) in conversation with … Continue reading
Animal Voices 