Talking Animals

A.J. Sanjar, field biologist studying Burmese pythons and opossums

2026-05-30T01:40:13Z

A.J. Sanjar–a field biologist who’s conducted research with significant implications for reducing the Florida population of the Burmese python, often-massive snakes with few natural predators, an apex invasive species in areas like the Florida Everglades. He recalls growing up in Austin, loving to be outside amidst nature and animals. Recognizing that, over the years, Sanjar […]

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Laura Hagen, managing director of wildlife at Humane World for Animals

2026-05-23T15:02:53Z

Laura Hagen–managing director of wildlife at Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States)—explains the rationale behind the organization changing its name some 70 years after its inception. Hagen addresses the effectiveness of the re-branding, including erasing the longstanding confusion that was triggered by, for example, donations to HSUS when the […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer–17th Edition

2026-05-14T23:34:46Z

As we’ve done 16 times before—spanning five-plus years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an opportunity to consult is Glen Hatchell, the retired Behavior […]

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Ronan Donovan, visual storyteller

2026-05-09T01:09:35Z

Ronan Donovan–a wildlife biologist turned visual storyteller, whose work is featured in an exhibition, Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan, on display at the James Museum of Western & Wildlife Art, in St. Petersburg—recalls a lifelong love of animals, and exploring the wilderness, that he forged growing up in rural Vermont. Give or take a detail, […]

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Tammy Thies, founder and executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary

2026-05-01T21:12:46Z

Tammy Thies–founder and executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary, a nonprofit rescue refuge in Minnesota specializing in exploited, aging, and illegally-owned wild cats—recalls how her work in advertising (an earlier career) took her to a photo shoot featuring two Bengal tiger cubs, where she found the cats’ mistreatment concerning, spurring her to volunteer at some […]

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Mike Birkhead, producer-director

2026-04-24T15:58:45Z

Mike Birkhead–longtime producer-director of wildlife documentaries (grounded by no less than a doctorate in zoology from Oxford), who served as co-director, co-producer, and co-writer of “Legendary Tigers Of India,” an episode of Nature that premiered on Earth Day—seems disinclined to highlight the credentials populating his long résumé. Rather, he spends much of this interview enthusiastically […]

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Melanie Sue Bowles, co-founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary & Author

2026-04-11T16:23:32Z

Melanie Sue Bowles–co-founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, who alongside her husband, Jim, has shepherded the sanctuary through nearly 35 years of challenges, changes, and relocations, in service of rescuing horses and providing them refuge–recalls the unlikely beginning, when they were decidedly not horse people. Bowles explained that having bought a home on a five-acre […]

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Armando Ubeda, shark expert

2026-04-04T00:37:52Z

Armando Ubeda–primarily appearing in his guise as a shark expert, although his CV is notably long and wide, having studied marine fauna ranging from coral reefs in Nicaragua to crocodiles in Florida—recalls being first intrigued by the ocean as a young boy, corroborating my observation that being in the sea, and researching its inhabitants, seem […]

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Kevin Nealon, veteran comedian, animal advocate, YouTube hiker

2026-03-26T21:45:34Z

Kevin Nealon–the veteran comedian, longtime animal advocate, former “Saturday Night Live” star (amidst a long list of TV and film credits), and host of the YouTube series, “Hiking with Kevin”—explains why his animal advocacy and championing of certain animal welfare organizations has receded in recent years. He clarifies that his objection to the animal abuse […]

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Lenore Braford and Paul Drake, co-founders of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge

2026-03-20T21:04:10Z

Lenore Braford and Paul Drake–co-founders of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, a highly-innovative animal sanctuary in North Carolina; owing to Drake being an architectural designer, each structure is uniquely tailored to the species housed there, reflecting their behavioral inclinations and preferences—discuss “Forever Home,” the new documentary by award-winning filmmaker Allison Argo profiling the Refuge.In addressing the […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–16th Edition

2026-03-12T16:36:43Z

As we’ve done 15 times before—spanning Just shy of the five-year mark-–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an opportunity to […]

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Stan Kroh, manatee ally and expert

2026-03-07T19:04:35Z

Stan Kroh– whose broad scope of duties at Tampa Electric Company includes overseeing the company’s Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, spanning the 26 years he’s worked there—describes the history of the Viewing Center, which is approaching its 40th anniversary. Kroh charts the evolution of the Manatee Viewing Center, from the earliest days, when the […]

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Dr. Bonita Bergin, inventor of concept of the service dog

2026-02-27T22:26:24Z

Dr. Bonita Bergin, who, in 1975, invented the concept of the service dog to assist people with mobility limitations—then launched Canine Companions for Independence, later founded the Assistance Dog Institute, now called the Bergin College of Canine Studies–recalls the scenes of disabled people improvising she’d observed while traveling in Pakistan, India, Turkey, and other countries […]

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Paula Poundstone, comedian and cat devotee

2026-02-15T00:38:29Z

NOTE ABOUT THIS SHOW: I’ve had better mornings. As many know, each Wednesday, around dawn, I drive from my home on the east coast of Florida to the west coast, landing at WMNF in Tampa, where I broadcast “Talking Animals.” The trek is long (later, I reverse course, and drive home), but usually uneventful. Today, […]

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Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary

2026-02-07T17:00:05Z

Gene Baur–president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, considered the world’s first farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization, now marking its 40th anniversary—is nice enough, at my request, to recount the Sanctuary’s origin story for the umpteenth time, incorporating (also at my request!) where the Grateful Dead figures into the narrative, partly in a nod to […]

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Michael San Juan, veteran Animal Control Officer

2026-01-31T17:05:37Z

Michael San Juan, a veteran Animal Control Officer with Hillsborough County Animal Control—his career spans 22 years, including initiating it in New Jersey—recalls that animals played a huge role in his life starting when he was a kid, when he regularly tended to sick and injured wildlife and other critters. San Juan continued traveling on […]

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Max Chesnes, environment reporter for the Tampa Bay Times

2026-01-23T20:13:34Z

Max Chesnes–the award-winning environment reporter for the Tampa Bay Times—a lifelong Floridian, recalls growing up in Jupiter, where he developed an almost religious fervor for nature, spending endless days in (and on) the water, hiking across the terrific parks, and otherwise unwittingly building the foundation of becoming a masterly environment-minded writer. Indeed, in this conversation—I’m […]

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Amy Munns, 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year

2026-01-17T03:23:23Z

Amy Munns–named the 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year by Pet Sitters International, (PSI), considered the world’s leading educational association for professional pet sitters and dog walkers—recalls that animals were always around while she was growing up in San Antonio, yet reflecting a cultural and generational propensity, their dog wasn’t allowed inside the house. That […]

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Allison Argo, award-winning documentary filmmaker

2026-01-11T01:10:44Z

Allison Argo–, and writer-producer of “Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants,” a new episode of the PBS series Nature—recounts how her background in the family business of theater (on Cape Cod) may have made her uniquely equipped to launch a filmmaking career. Her first film, “The Urban Gorilla,” made quite a splash—it was narrated by Glenn Close, […]

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Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special–2025

2025-12-18T23:25:12Z

‘Tis the season: This morning, I yet again set aside the customary show format to deliver the “Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special.” I noted the title is intentionally unwieldy, which I enjoy in an odd way, mostly because it reflects the tongue-in-cheek, nutty nature of the show. On the other hand, this year, […]

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Dawn Barbone, founder of Samadhi Wildlife

2025-12-12T23:35:36Z

Dawn Barbone–founder of Samadhi Wildlife, a nonprofit refuge in Ormond Beach that rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife native to Florida—explains that she hasn’t merely loved animals since she was a child, but has also loved healing them since then. It’s not uncommon in the animal welfare world to encounter someone who was that kid […]

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Claire Rosen, acclaimed artist-photographer

2025-12-06T02:22:42Z

Artist-photographer-writer Claire Rosen—who’s cultivated a long, lauded career, with much of her work reflecting a longstanding passion for animals, and celebrated for its sense of whimsy—traces the shaping of this sensibility back to her childhood, reading Beatrix Potter, regularly visiting the American Museum of Natural History, and going to the zoo and the circus whenever […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–15th Edition

2025-11-28T01:02:56Z

As we’ve done 14 times before—spanning the better part of five years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an […]

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Dr. Holly Dutton, about Holiday-related emergency vet visits

2025-11-22T18:13:26Z

Dr. Holly Dutton–Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets, a national operation specializing in around-the-clock emergency care for pets—reviews some of the VEG ER distinguishing traits we covered in her June 2025 appearance on “Talking Animals,” as a prelude to today’s discussion focusing on Holiday-related emergency vet visits, and […]

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Dr. Jennifer Conrad, veterinarian & founder of The Paw Project

2025-11-15T19:42:12Z

Dr. Jennifer Conrad—veterinarian, founder of The Paw Project, tireless crusader against declawing cats for a quarter century—recalls the initial impetus for her anti-declaw advocacy: her work, as a newly-minted veterinarian, with declawed big cats at a wildlife sanctuary. Conrad’s own history ended up dovetailing with answering my question about the history of feline declaw itself, […]

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Steve Hindi, founder of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK)

2025-11-09T18:48:09Z

Steve Hindi–founder of SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), a national animal welfare organization concerned with halting and/or educating the public about pigeon shoots, rodeos, bullfighting, and canned hunts, among other issues—recounts the extended process by which he transformed from avid fisherman and hunter to passionate animal advocate. In his telling, this metamorphosis was lengthy, […]

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Joshua Lisbon, researcher/educator/storyteller central to “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion”

2025-11-01T19:49:31Z

Joshua Lisbon–a researcher/educator/storyteller at the center of a new PBS/Nature documentary, “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion”—describes his background and experience (and academic training) before working on the 10-year study that formed the core content of this doc.Tongue partly in cheek, Lisbon tried to dismiss his education-heavy history as “wrong” for this project. But given […]

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Andria Gibbon, founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life

2025-10-25T18:48:36Z

Andria Gibbon–founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life, a nonprofit Florida organization dedicated to helping more domestic violence shelters become pet-friendly–recalls, as a young woman in New Jersey, her transformative first foray into animal rescue, never imagining she’d still be doing it 27 years later. In a conversation pegged to October being Domestic Violence […]

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Dr. Crystal Heath, veterinarian and activist

2025-10-17T23:28:01Z

Dr. Crystal Heath–a veterinarian who’s bristled at inhumane treatment of animals throughout her career, and before, dating back to her childhood as a 4-H kid discovering the goats she’d raised would be slaughtered—recalls growing up in a rural part of Northern California, adoring animals and riding horses. Dr. Heath, a speaker at the Tampa Bay […]

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Kirk Johnson, onscreen narrator of “Walrus: Life on Thin Ice”

2025-10-04T00:57:41Z

Kirk Johnson—paleontologist, Sant Director of the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History, and onscreen narrator of “Walrus: Life on Thin Ice,” a documentary that airs Oct. 22 in the season premiere of the PBS series “Nature”—recalls a research opportunity as a grad student some 40 years ago, involving walruses. It was, he says in the […]

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Stephanie Boydston, founder and director of Love Life Animal Rescue & Sanctuary

2025-09-27T14:17:14Z

Stephanie Boydston–founder and director of Love Life Animal Rescue & Sanctuary, a refuge in Myakka City, FL devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating and re-homing farmed animals—recalls a childhood in Long Island, NY amidst a string of foster animals, reflecting her father’s belief that family members should become accustomed to saying goodbye to animals. These were mostly […]

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Father Andrew Heyes, Rector of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Tampa

2025-09-20T19:30:00Z

Father Andrew Heyes, Rector of St. Clement’s Episcopal Church in Tampa—a uniquely canine-centric man of the cloth, rarely going anywhere without his Doberman, Humphrey, at his side, sometimes including the altar—recalls growing up in Northwest England with the first of a lifelong string of dogs. He remembers a decidedly pro-animal ethos amidst his family (he […]

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Dr. Melissa Miller, lead investigator on University of Florida project using AI trap to halt the Argentine Black and White Tegu

2025-09-13T23:47:13Z

Dr. Melissa Miller–a wearer of multiple University of Florida hats: research scientist, wildlife ecologist with the school’s Institute of Food and Agricultural Sciences, lead investigator on a project that employs Artificial Intelligence technology seeking to halt the growing population of yet another invasive species, the Argentine Black and White Tegu—describes some of the tasks associated […]

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Patrick Hardy, founder of Bee Platoon

2025-09-01T18:28:35Z

Please Note: Owing to a major accident that closed down Highway 60—a central route I take in commuting to WMNF each Wednesday—I was unable to make it to the radio station to broadcast ‘Talking Animals,” having to deliver an improvised version of this show from my car, with enormous (& much-appreciated!) production assistance from Jessica […]

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Joshua Zeman, director of “Checkpoint Zoo”

2025-08-23T12:51:01Z

Joshua Zeman–award-winning filmmaker whose new documentary, “Checkpoint Zoo,” arrives in timely fashion, providing a distinctive window into the Russian-Ukraine war, chronicling efforts to care for, then evacuate, some 5000 animals at a Ukrainian zoo called Feldman Ecopark, while bombing was underway—recounts the path from his previous doc, “The Loneliest Whale” to his new film. Zeman […]

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Elaine West, founder of Rooterville Animal Sanctuary

2025-08-15T21:54:22Z

Elaine West–the founder of Rooterville Animal Sanctuary, a refuge housing rescued farm animals she launched in Melrose, Florida, more than two decades ago—explains the origin of her lifelong love of pigs. West pinpoints a particular pig that a local Humane Society was about to send home with “adopters” she felt certain were planning to eat […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–14th Edition

2025-08-10T00:28:09Z

As we’ve done 13 times prior—spanning more than four years now!-–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats. The Trainer these listeners have an opportunity […]

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Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice, entomologist and author of “The Deadliest Series”

2025-07-25T22:29:25Z

Dr. Eleanor Spicer Rice–an entomologist by training, and author whose books have tackled topics ranging from spiders to microbes—responds to my observation that her new set of books, “The Deadliest Series,” appears to represent a redoubling of her commitment to writing for young readers. It felt worth exploring, in part because Spicer Rice holds a […]

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Marsha Panuce, founder of Donte’s Den

2025-07-18T15:14:51Z

Marsha Panuce—founder of Donte’s Den, a distinctive sanctuary in multiple ways, including that it extends across 50 acres (in Myakka City, FL), and primarily houses dogs—recalls growing up loving dogs, including pilgrimages with her Dad every Father’s Day to the local shelter, to adopt a dog. This passion for pooches traversed her formative years and […]

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Nicci Wright, co-founder of the African Pangolin Working Group

2025-07-11T15:34:16Z

Nicci Wright–co-founder and co-chairperson of the African Pangolin Working Group (APWG), dedicated to the protection and the conservation of the pangolin, the world’s most trafficked animal—recalls her first encounter with a pangolin more than two decades ago. Echoing a response commonly experienced after individuals are introduced to these striking-looking animals, Wright felt compelled to help […]

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Adam Sugalski, veteran advocate opposing bear hunt

2025-07-05T15:50:23Z

Adam Sugalski–who leads the efforts of Bear Defenders, a coalition dedicated to ending bear hunting across the United States; their singular focus currently is opposing the bear hunt that the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) has proposed for 2025—recalls how information imparted in high school prompted some unexpected contemplation, and a life change, […]

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C. Annie Peters, president and CEO of Pet Partners

2025-07-10T02:28:42Z

C. Annie Peters, president and CEO of Pet Partners—a Bellevue, Wash.-based national therapy animal organization focusing on improving human health and well-being through the human-animal bond—traces her path from once-aspiring engineer (who realized she didn’t really like engineering), venturing into an extended stint in the non-profit world, working at Special Olympics International before landing at […]

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Dr. Holly Dutton, Medical Director VEG ER for Pets

2025-06-20T23:28:49Z

Dr. Holly Dutton, Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets–a national enterprise that specializes in providing around-the-clock emergency and critical care services for pets—flips the script on my mention of the countless guests who work with animals in some capacity, grew up wanting to be a veterinarian, but for […]

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Tanya Smith, founder & president of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge

2025-06-20T21:56:47Z

Tanya Smith–Founder and President of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a 459-acre sanctuary in Eureka Springs, Arkansas, chiefly housing abused, abandoned, and neglected big cats—recalls a precocious first foray into big cat rescue…at age 11. She explains that this was the outgrowth of her parents—inveterate animal lovers—intervening in an odd, colorful situation where a lion cub […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–13th Edition

2025-06-05T20:04:37Z

As we’ve done 12 times prior—spanning just over four years now!–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each session of ATT, listeners are invited to call or email (or text) questions about their dogs or cats, particularly . The Trainer these listeners have […]

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Jamie Katz, pet detective, creator of Rosie app

2025-05-22T21:17:23Z

Jamie Katz–who’s worked as a Fort Lauderdale-based real-life pet detective for a decade—recalls growing up amidst a family that always lived with cats and dogs, as well as her initial efforts helping animals while regularly driving along a prescribed route. Katz notes that around this time, she thought to herself that an ideal professorial path […]

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Katrina Shadix, founder of Bear Warriors United, advocate extraordinaire

2025-06-20T22:12:19Z

Katrina Shadix–founder and executive director of Bear Warriors United (BWU), whose stated mission is to preserve and protect bears, and all of Florida’s natural resources and wildlife—recalls, as a second generation Floridian, the formative joys of growing up in rural Seminole County.Shadix explains how that experience forged a profound connection with Florida wildlife—very much including […]

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Callers & Emailers Are The Guests

2025-05-09T12:33:00Z

Occasionally, I jettison the chief component of the “Talking Animals” format–a long form interview with a single guest–to give voice to a broader array of animal organizations and leaders, concerned animal advocates, and others who simply care about animals. That’s what happened today, when I invited listeners to call in (or email) and briefly serve as the […]

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Stephen S. Hall, author of “Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World”

2025-05-02T22:04:49Z

Veteran science journalist Stephen S. Hall–the author of several books, most recently, Slither: How Nature’s Most Maligned Creatures Illuminate Our World—recounts how he approached writing Slither, a strategy seeking to beckon even those amidst the sizable contingent of people who are creeped out by snakes, hate snakes, or are afraid of snakes. And while only […]

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Kate MacFall & Katherine McGill, discuss FWC’s possible rule changes for trapping

2025-04-25T12:29:45Z

Kate MacFall and Katherine McGill—longtime wildlife experts joining me for a discussion devoted to the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), specifically, the FWC’s current effort to evaluate existing rules for wildlife trapping—address what for many may be the surprising prevalence of trapping in Florida. McGill and MacFall go on to speak to the […]

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Kari Bagnall, founder of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary

2025-04-11T23:29:27Z

Kari Bagnall–founder and executive director of Jungle Friends Primate Sanctuary, which offers permanent care to nearly 200 monkeys retired from laboratory research, who are former pets, or have been confiscated by the authorities—recalls the first monkey that entered her world, and forever altered her life. As part of this account, Bagnall describes creating the earliest […]

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Kelly McCormick and Glenn Maresca, co-founders of Florida Rescue Farm

2025-04-10T15:07:38Z

Kelly McCormick and Glenn Maresca–co-founders of Florida Rescue Farm, a sanctuary in Duette, FL, devoted to rescuing, rehabilitating, and housing pigs, goats, geese, chickens, ducks, cattle, other critters, and no less devoted to cultivating a strong educational presence—described the remote community of Duette, and what prompted them to settle there. They make clear their original […]

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Jocelyn Stokes and Katie Schuler, co-creators of “In Her Nature”

2025-06-20T22:50:59Z

Jocelyn Stokes and Katie Schuler—co-creators of “In Her Nature,” a new digital series carried on the YouTube channel for the longstanding PBS program, “Nature”—retrace the path that led each of them toward their present filmmaking careers, specializing in natural history documentaries. Over the course of sharing their histories, they each recount a pivotal project early […]

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Michael Schneider, founder of Pilots To The Rescue

2025-03-14T00:24:18Z

Michael Schneider, a pilot and founder of Pilots To The Rescue—which flies animals from shelters plagued by low rates of adoption (and, often, high rates of euthanasia), to rescues where foster or forever homes have been arranged—describes the career reinvention that preceded his taking flying lessons. Schneider remembers that, back then, like most new pilots, […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–12th Edition

2025-03-07T21:56:01Z

As we’ve done 11 times prior—spanning nearly four years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each instance, listeners are invited to call or email questions about their dogs or cats, particularly involving behavioral issues or training concerns. The Trainer these listeners have an […]

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Dr. Alex Travis, director of Cornell Public Health and chair of the Department of Public & Ecosystem Health in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine

2025-03-01T17:10:47Z

Dr. Alex Travis–director of Cornell Public Health and chair of the Department of Public & Ecosystem Health in the Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine—explains exactly what his extended job title involves, noting that he brings being both a veterinarian and PhD scientist to discharging his duties. Joining me on “Talking Animals” to discuss bird […]

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Howard Baskin, financial guiding light of Big Cat Rescue

2025-04-03T10:02:16Z

Howard Baskin—often identified as Advisory Board Chairman of Big Cat Rescue, and spouse of Carole Baskin, the founder of the sanctuary that operated in Tampa for more than three decades—recalls, as a savvy businessman wielding a Harvard MBA, his reaction upon first getting a close look at the details of Big Cat’s financial operation: He […]

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Jessica Farrer, marine biologist featured in NATURE’s “Expedition Killer Whale”

2025-02-07T22:58:07Z

Jessica Farrer–a marine biologist who serves as Research Director at The Whale Museum, and part of the team of scientists working temporarily in Antarctica Peninsula, profiled in “Expedition Killer Whale,” a new installment of the PBS series “Nature”—recalls growing up landlocked in Colorado, moving as soon as possible to Washington state. Speaking in a “Talking […]

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Hannah Shaw, “Kitten Lady,” new book: “Cats Of The World”

2025-01-30T23:21:57Z

Hannah Shaw–recognized as an influential humane educator, her specialty is providing instruction in caring for neonatal kittens; she’s also a NYT bestselling author whose latest book “Cats Of The World,” is a collaboration with her husband, photographer Andrew Marttila—recounts how she developed the expertise in caring for neonatal kittens and, along the way, built a humongous […]

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Steve Nesbitt, retired FWC wildlife biologist

2025-01-24T13:27:21Z

Steve Nesbitt–a retired Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission wildlife biologist, who over a FWC stint of some 35 years, developed a reputation for extensive knowledge about a slew of species—recalls his interest in birds was cultivated as a kid by his grandfather, a passionate birder. Nesbitt elaborates, noting that his childhood was marked by […]

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Dr. Marcie Fallek, veterinarian and author of “Little Miracles Everywhere: My Unorthodox Path to Holistic Veterinary Medicine”

2025-06-20T23:12:16Z

Dr. Marcie Fallek–a veteran veterinarian and author of the memoir, “Little Miracles Everywhere: My Unorthodox Path to Holistic Veterinary Medicine”—recalls what prompted her to attend veterinary school in Italy. Fallek enumerates the significant challenges of being a vet student there, most notably that she didn’t speak any Italian when she started—meaning that studying her notes […]

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The Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special

2024-12-20T00:35:35Z

This morning, I once again set aside the customary show format to deliver the “Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special.” I noted the title is intentionally unwieldy, which I enjoy in an odd way, in the same way I enjoy over-explaining the premise on-aIr: a show entirely devoted to Holiday-oriented animal tunes. Elaborating, I […]

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Bobbi Brink, founder and director of Lions, Tigers & Bears

2024-12-14T21:38:31Z

Bobbi Brink–founder and director of Lions, Tigers & Bears (LT&B), a 140-acre animal sanctuary in east San Diego she launched in 2002—recalls living in Texas, planning to open a restaurant (she’s from San Diego), and seeing her first advertisement offering the sale of big cats. She responded to the ad, she explained, not to make […]

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Michael Hingson, author of “Live Like A Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs about Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith”

2024-12-06T17:50:08Z

Michael Hingson–blind since birth, acclaimed speaker, and best-selling author whose new book is “Live Like A Guide Dog: True Stories from a Blind Man and His Dogs about Being Brave, Overcoming Adversity, and Moving Forward in Faith”—recounts how the pandemic precluded his then-regular routine of traveling and lecturing, spurring the idea for writing the new […]

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Justin Barker, anti-captivity activist, author

2024-12-06T17:53:36Z

Justin Barker–an anti-captivity activist with a compelling narrative, starting with launching his first organization, Citizens Lobbying for Animals in Zoos, at age 13—recalls the family culture his parents cultivated that yielded a teen activist particularly empathetic to zoo animals and other captive wildlife. Barker further notes that a key step in his journey toward becoming […]

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Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–11th Edition

2024-11-21T23:04:34Z

As we’ve done 10 times prior—spanning three-plus years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present the show-length feature, “Ask The Trainer.” In each instance, listeners are invited to call or email questions about their dogs or cats, particularly involving behavioral issues or training concerns. The Trainer these listeners have an […]

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Peter Singer, philosopher, professor, author: “Consider The Turkey”

2024-11-09T02:28:14Z

Peter Singer–the philosopher, professor emeritus of bioethics at Princeton University, and author (including his landmark 1975 work, “Animal Liberation” and the just-published “Consider The Turkey”—explains that his slate of pursuits post-retirement from Princeton includes a stint as visiting professor at the National University of Singapore. He goes on to clarify that while, yes, he did […]

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Jodie Wiederkehr, Founder-Executive Director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals

2024-10-31T23:55:30Z

Jodie Wiederkehr–veteran animal advocate and Founder-Executive Director of the Chicago Alliance for Animals (CAA)—recounts details of how CAA was formed, in 2015. (She has recalled in a previous “Talking Animals” conversation how her earliest professional animal advocacy work began in 1997.) Wiederkehr explained that she and her initial CAA cohort decided that aiming to ban […]

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Mara Hvistendahl, New York Times reporter: “The Panda Factories”

2024-10-26T00:45:58Z

Mara Hvistendahl, a The New York Times reporter who wrote “The Panda Factories”–an extraordinary piece of investigative journalism probing the impact of China’s gambit nearly 30 years ago to send pandas to zoos in other countries, hoping the visiting animals would breed, ultimately resulting in pandas that could be returned to the wild–recounts the genesis […]

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Nancy Murrah, President of The Raptor Center of Tampa Bay

2024-10-19T00:25:58Z

Nancy Murrah—President of The Raptor Center of Tampa Bay (RCTB), which rescues, rehabilitates, and releases hundreds of native birds of prey annually—describes the preparations required at RCTB before something like Hurricane Milton, and how the facility fared through the storm. This led to a discussion of why tending to a veritable battalion of squirrels constituted […]

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Melissa Zepeda, attorney, animal rights advocate, Amendment 2 foe

2024-10-04T18:18:45Z

Melissa Zepeda–an attorney and accomplished animal rights advocate, with a notable breadth of interests and topics that have animated her activism—recalls growing up in family that revered animals, then being stopped in her tracks when a fellow high school debate-club member asked her how Zepeda could love her dog yet eat a hamburger. Zepeda not […]

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Marion Gwizdala, CEO of Advocates for Service Animal Partners Inc. (ASAP)

2024-09-20T00:57:03Z

Marion Gwizdala, CEO of Advocates for Service Animal Partners Inc. (ASAP)—a Tampa-based national nonprofit dedicated to securing, protecting, and advancing the rights and responsibilities of service animal handlers and the businesses they patronize—recalls receiving his first service dog in 1987, and just days later, encountering discrimination when a restaurant he frequented prevented Gwizdala from entering […]

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Cathryn Michon, author of “I’m Still Here: A Dog’s Purpose Forever”

2024-09-14T14:32:59Z

Cathryn Michon–the showbiz hyphenate who co-wrote with husband W. Bruce Cameron “A Dog’s Purpose,” the film adaptation of Cameron’s New York Times bestselling novel, considered the most popular live-action dog movie of all time—reflects on the dizzying number of dog books (including children’s books) and films that constitute the collective Michon/Cameron juggernaut. She goes on to […]

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Dr. Gregory Berns, neuroscientist, professor, author of “Cowpuppy”

2024-08-31T19:27:18Z

Dr. Gregory Berns—author, neuroscientist, professor of psychology at Emory University (and an M.D.)—addresses the change he was seeking when he and his wife decided to buy a farm outside of Atlanta, a saga that’s among the experiences chronicled in Berns’ new book, “Cowpuppy: An Unexpected Friendship and A Scientist’s Journey into The Secret World of […]

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Will Braden, curator of CatVideoFest

2024-08-22T23:14:56Z

Will Braden, filmmaker—and curator of CatVideoFest 2024, a 75-minute compilation of short cat videos, edited into a briskly-paced reel, screening at theaters across the country, including the Tampa Theatre Aug. 23 & 25-27—recalls what first drew him to film. Studying film, at first informally, then later in film school, he realized that he was particularly […]

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