Freedom of Species

Our guest is Mae Lee Sun, editor of the comprehensive " Wild Horse Journal ". We'll be talking about  many issues surrounding wild horses in Australia including the Snowy brumby management plan designed to reduce the brumby population from 6000 to 600. It's not too late to voice your support for the Snowy brumbies! Please, PLEASE follow the link on how to: http://australianbrumbyalliance.org.au/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/How-to...

The introduction of the Australian brushtail possum to New Zealand for the fur industry has resulted in a highly successful population of approximately 30 million.  We speak with Hans Kriek of SAFE New Zealand about the broad context of the issue, including the possum's entrenched demonisation in NZ society.  We also hear from Nicholas Holm of Massey University about how the possum takes the blame for the ongoing degradation of the NZ environment by the #1 predator and pest species  -  the human.  SAFE New Zealand:  http://safe.org.nz

Today's Freedom Of Species show features Alexandra Sedgwick, animal activist, former science student at Deakin University and founder of Cruelty Free Labs Australia. Alexandra discusses what led her to start the organisation, and where to next for her and CFLA. If you would like to contact Alexandra, go to the Facebook page Cruelty Free labs Australia Inc.

This week, the FOS team will be joined in the studio by our friend Justine Curatolo who has recently returned from volunteering in Zimbabwe with the International Anti-Poaching Foundation (IAPF).International Anti-Poaching Foundation: http://www.iapf.org Justine's fundraising page: https://www.gofundme.com/2nn97q2s

Last April, we recorded the fantastic talk given by Dr Michael Klaper at Melbourne's Astor Theatre, an event hosted by Animal Liberation Victoria. Dr Klaper is an acclaimed doctor, dedicated environmentalist, and passionate educator. He has been a champion of the vegan diet since the early 1980s, recognising the devastating impacts that animal agriculture has on human and planetary health and, of course, on animals. Dr Klaper had a brief but memorable appearance in the documentaryCowspiracy where he uttered the now oft-quoted line “The purpose of cow’s milk is to turn a 65-pound calf into a 700-pound cow as rapidly as possible. Cow’s milk is baby calf growth fluid.”  We'll share the first part of this warm and wonderful presentation.Dr Klaper's website:  www.doctorklaper.com

We chat with many illuminating minds about dairy cows, including Elise Desaulniers, the author of "Cash Cow - Ten Myths about the Dairy Industry".Why is China encouraging the consumption of dairy whilst at the same time discouraging meat consumption in the latest dietary guidelines?   We also chat with Mia Macdonald from Brighter Green, a public policy action tank that works to raise awareness of issues that span the environment, animals & sustainability, and with Wanqing Zhou from the Worldwatch Institute about dairy in China. For more information about dairy cows in Australia:Cow Truth- Animal Liberation Victoria:http://www.alv.org.au/cow-truth/Voiceless Animal Protection:https://www.voiceless.org.au/the-issues/dairy-cowsAnimals Australia:http://www.animalsaustralia.org/factsheets/dairy_cows.php

We chat in the studio with Adam Cardilini, an ecologist at Deakin University.  Adam tells us about his journey to becoming an animal rights activist, educator, and scientist.  He also speaks about his animal advocacy training project that's been short-listed for a funding grant by Voiceless, his VeganSci initiative, and his recent attendance at the Institute for Critical Animal Studies (ICAS) Oceania conference in Canberra.VeganSci:  https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUxfvYan_YcsU6QpjirMGGg

Catherine CaddenCatherine Cadden has been an educator since 1987 finding alternatives to teaching, learning, and conflict resolution that work with the principles of nonviolence. She is a certified trainer with the Center for Nonviolent Communication bringing over 14 years of experience practicing, living and teaching Nonviolent Communication (NVC) internationally to participants of all ages. In 1997, she founded the TEMBA School, a visionary K – 8 academic program rooted in nonviolent philosophy, NVC, sustainable living, and artistic expression. She is the co-founder of Play in the Wild! Wilderness Initiations into Nonviolence for Youth & Families. Catherine also served with her German shepherd dog, Marley, on WOOF Wilderness Finders working Search and Rescue missions in California and Wyoming. Through her years in Search and Rescue she gained knowledge about wilderness survival and became a wilderness first aid responder. Her work with her indigenous roots, elders, and teachers taught her to live interdependently with the earth and wants to share that with all who are willing to learn. Her passion is to advance a consciousness of interdependence among all peoples, for generations to come, through cultivating the physical, intellectual, emotional, and spiritual maturity of the 7th generation. Her work has reached 6 continents and thousands of people supporting and inspiring the practice in being nonviolence. Catherine is also the author of Peaceable Revolution Through Education.Kate RaffinKate Raffin grew up in rural Australia and is a visual artist who enjoys many forms of communicating. She has made and sold about 8,000 one-of-a-kind Hand bound, Hand painted books. Kate has a passion for supporting herself and others to open up to who we really are, to our true and beautiful essence and picture. Music is also a huge part of Kate’s life. Having spent 18 months in Tanzania (East Africa) studying traditional music with master musician Hukwe Zawose and learning Ki swahili, she has been part of performing groups, including an 18-member vocal group for 10 years, singing songs from all over the globe. Kate loves yoga and sitting in circle with groups of people and creatures of all ages and numbers of legs. For the last 7 years, Kate has studied with and assisted various local and international Nonviolent Communication (NVC) trainers. This includes training with the founder of NVC, Dr. Marshall Rosenberg. Kate offers foundation trainings in NVC and runs practice groups that aim to support the integration of these skills. She is a trained facilitator and mediator and works with specialist groups, including Aged care workers, Juvenile Justice, parents, teachers and children. Find out more about Kate at www.kateraffin.com.https://playinthewild.org/

This week's show will feature an interview with Dr Peter John Chen. Ahead of his upcoming talk at October's Animal Activists Forum we chat with Peter about lessons that can be learned form the history of the animal rights movement in Australia.Peter John Chen DipMR, BComm(Hons), PhD is a lecturer in Australian politics, media and policy at the University of Sydney. He is the author of Electronic Engagement: A Guide for Public Managers (ANU E Press, 2007), Australian Politics in a Digital Age (ANU Press, 2013), and the forthcoming Animal Welfare in Australia: Politics and Policy (Sydney University Press, 2016).For more information on "Animal Welfare in Australia - Politics and policy", see:http://purl.library.usyd.edu.au/sup/animalwelfareinaus

Has the use of the word 'feral' been a great weapon of distraction from the institutionalised violence & environmental destruction caused by the livestock industry?We play a thought-provoking presentation by Fiona Probyn-Rapsey from the School of Humanities & Social Inquiry, University of Wollongong.Fiona is also the Chair of the Australasian Animal Studies Association.To send your submissions in regarding the planning changes for greyhound breeding establishments in Victoria: planning.systems@delwp.vic.gov.auFor more information regarding the Australian Brumby Alliance Press Release on brumbies used as scapegoats: http://australianbrumbyalliance.org.au/alpine-brumbies-used-as-scapegoats/