Freedom of Species

FoS presenters recently gave a talk at the Students of Sustainability Conference 2018 called 'Environmental Liberation Through Animal LIberation'. We highlight some of the key points from that talk by covering the connections between animal and environmental movements, including exploring the environmental impact of animal agriculture. You can see the associated PowerPoint presentation for some references and visuals on the topic.

We’re joined by Jess Ison from the Institute for Critical Animal Studies (Oceania) who discusses the upcoming workshop-based discussion forum in Melbourne: ‘Community as Activism: Building Community within the Animal Liberation Movement and Beyond’. Event Details:Saturday 4 August, 1-5pm at Library at the Dock (107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands). The event is free but registration through the following link is essential to ensure your spot:  http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/community-as-activism/ For more information about this event, see the Facebook event page: https://www.facebook.com/events/163203474552122/

We have Dr Judi & Bryce Inglis in the studio, describing their work advocating for the much-misunderstood house rabbit whose welfare is largely ignored in Australia.  Their organisation, Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage, is dedicated to bringing education to all levels of government as well as the public, leading to improved welfare and legal change. Rabbit Run-Away Orphanage  www.rabbitrunaway.org.au

We speak with Dr John McEvoy about his work tracking Asian elephants in Myanmar. We discuss the threat that that elephants are facing from poachers and how elephant-human relationships in local areas are key to keeping the elephants safe.

Speak to a vet & they will tell you thousands of healthy cats & kittens in our urban /peri-urban areas are euthanaised by the "bucket load" throughout Australia & this is NOT bringing cat populations down or improving conditions for our wildlife. What it is doing is making the job for animal health workers & rescue groups intolerable at times and creating a lot of dead cats. There is a much better way to manage these populations through TNR programmes & cat diversion. Jacquie Rand from the Australian Pet Welfare Foundation is going to tell us all about it!https://www.petwelfare.org.au

We’re joined by Mark Allen who discusses his holistic approach that he has developed through many years of activism. According to his zine on holistic activism, this approach provides ‘some ideas about how we can reduce conflict among activists, create campaigns that are long lasting, reach out and connect with people who have different values to that of our own and work towards a meaningful shift in paradigm.’ You can read this zine at: https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2018/06/28/mark/ You can also contact Mark at themindfulactivist@gmail.com and join the Facebook group ‘Holistic Activism and Behaviour Change’ to learn more and contribute to discussions on the topic: https://www.facebook.com/groups/211194752603900/ Mark will be running a workshop on holistic activism at the Students of Sustainability conference in Melbourne on Saturday the 7th of July at midday. The conference runs from the 6th – 12th of July and will also feature the workshop ‘Achieving environmental liberation through animal liberation’ by Freedom of Species hosts Nick and Adam on Sunday the 8th of July, from 3.30-5pm. For more information about this conference, visit: http://www.studentsofsustainability.org/

We have Narelle, coordinator of the Melbourne chapter of Sea Shepherd Marine Debris Campaign, and Nicko, founder of Scab Duty, live in the studio.  They're talking about the devastating impacts of rubbish, particularly plastic, on the ocean's inhabitants. Sea Shepherd Marine Debris Campaign  https://www.facebook.com/SSAUBeachCleanUps/Scab Duty  https://www.facebook.com/scabduty/Albatross documentary  https://www.albatrossthefilm.com/

Being a highly respected psychologist and animal activist, Clare knows all there is to know about the  pitfalls of how & why we get in a pickle communicating our message on behalf of animals. She also has answers to see our way through these tricky rabbit warrens of anguish in her new book called, "Vystopia". Clare joins us for our fundraising radiothon show and appears at  @ the 1.15 mark if you want to scroll through us asking for donations!  Fancy a free app to help you tak about veganism? Check out all the resources Clare has for the vegan community here: https://www.veganpsychologist.comWe still need the cash to stay on air for another year so please make a tax deductible donation if you can!. Call (03) 9419 8377 during business hours & state it is Freedom of Species you are supporting. You may also donate via the Give Now link here: https://www.givenow.com.au/crowdraiser/public/FreedomofSpecies  In appreciation, the FOS team.

We talk about dingos and the fact that these important apex predators are killed under wild dog 'management' plans.Guests: Fiona Probyn-Rapsey, Arian Wallach, Joshua Said & Mark Pearson.Photo courtesy of the Dingo Den.

We’re joined by activist and academic Jess Ison who discusses her research challenging the use of prisons and other punitive measures as a way to counter animal abuse. If you’d like to look further into the issues of prisons and prison abolition, Jess recommends the book Are Prisons Obsolete? by Angela Davis: https://www.sevenstories.com/books/2907-are-prisons-obsolete Jess Ison is a part of The Institute for Critical Animal Studies (Oceania) collective who are organising a discussion forum for animal activists and academics in Melbourne in August. Connect with ICAS Oceania on Facebook or sign up for email updates to be notified of the details of this forum once they are announced: http://www.criticalanimalstudies.org/icas-oceania/