Freedom of Species

We're in the studio with local representatives Monique Luci & Tania Milton of the global campaign to stop the dog & cat meat trade, who explain the extent of dog & cat consumption around the world including here in Australia, and why this is one of the very cruellest trades.   Monique & Tania are also organisers of a march scheduled for Melbourne on Saturday 2nd June, which is the campaign's Worldwide Awareness Day.Stop the dog and cat meat trade worldwide https://www.stopthedogandcatmeattradeworldwide.com Event page for Melbourne's Worldwide Awareness Day march  https://www.facebook.com/events/172844960019526/CORRECTION:  The guests wish to correct two figures provided in the interview.  The number of cats and dogs slaughtered annually worldwide for consumption is approximately 30 million.  And the number of dogs slaughtered for consumption annually in South Korea is approximately 2.5 million.

We speak with Megan Moon, the founder and president of the Humane Education Coalition. Megan describes what humane education is, why the world needs it and what the Humane Education Coalition is doing to make humane education a prominent part of our education landscape.Humane Education Coalition  https://www.hecoalition.org/

The Animal Justice Party's Andy Meddick chats about the community of Lara campaign against a cruel 4500 head intensive goat factory and processing plant, in what has truly been a David and Goliath struggle, battling not just the international dairy giant, but City Hall as well!

On 28th April 2018, over 2000 activists took to the streets of Melbourne for what was to become Australia's largest animal rights march. We play an edited recording of the speeches from that historic evening.Photo courtesy of Love Bree PhotographyAussie Farms  https://www.aussiefarms.org.auDominion the film  www.dominionmovement.com

We RW joined by a founder of the orgnisation Young Voices for Animals (Yva), along with some participants from the first round of Yva's Catalyst program. Catalyst is a free leadership program that offers passionate young people aged 16 ‑ 18 the opportunity to develop the skills and knowledge to take their love of animals to the next level and build a more compassionate future.We chat about the Catalyst program and find out what the participants have gained from the experience.

We’re joined by historian and animal advocate Gonzalo Villanueva who discusses his book A Transnational History of the Australian Animal Movement, 1970-2015. The discussion covers academia and activism, the importance of history, the campaign against live animal export, and vegetarianism and veganism in the animal movement.Beyond his academic work, Gonzalo is also an activist with the Coalition Against Duck Shooting.

Do you think threatened & highly stressed animals should be used for fun & entertainment value ? Animal Liberation Qld are calling for a ban on rodeos after two bull deaths last weekend. At the very least, ALQ want a ban on the calf roping event which is banned in Victoria and SA. We speak with Gayle D'Arcy, ALQ Campaign Director for Rethink Rodeos.Take action & sign please: http://rethinkrodeos.com Photo courtesy of Animal Liberation Qld.

We talk with Revekka Eli (pictured), lead organiser with Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) Melbourne, and Rochelle Van, of Animal Activists Australia.  They explain why the recent surge of slaughterhouse actions and restaurant disruptions, both locally and internationally, is getting the attention of mainstream media.Direct Action Everywhere (DxE) Melbourne:  https://www.facebook.com/dxemelbourne/Animal Activists Australia:  https://www.facebook.com/animalactivistsaustralia/

We share two talks one about vegan companion animals and the other discusses human population and why it's important to think about in relation to animals.Professor Andrew Knight – Vegan Companion AnimalsFor more on Professor Andrew Knight’s research on vegan companion animals, visit his website: http://vegepets.info/Biography: Andrew Knight is Professor of Animal Welfare and Ethics, and Director of the Centre for Animal Welfare, at the University of Winchester; a European and RCVS Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare Science, Ethics and Law; an American Veterinary Specialist in Animal Welfare; and a Senior Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy. Andrew has over 65 academic publications and a series of youtube videos on animal issues.This talk was recorded at the 2017 Animal Activists Forum.This show also features Katie Batty’s talk ‘How human overpopulation impacts other animals and what you can do about it’ from the 2017 Institute for Critical Animal Studies (Oceania) conference. You can view the PowerPoint presentation for this talk here.Biography: Katie Batty is a social justice lawyer and long-time animal right activist. In her spare time she volunteers as a lawyer for refugees and co-hosts a political podcast, Progressive Podcast Australia.

Lucy’s Project is busy raising awareness that "we fail to save human domestic violence victims lives when we fail to address the whole family - paws and all." We chat with Lucy's Project founder, Anna Ludvik. https://lucysproject.comMy Saving Grace: http://www.mysavinggrace.org.au/