Are zoos ethical?  We’ll help you find that answer for yourself in today’s interview.  As imagined, it’s not a simple yes or no. I’m joined by Rob Laidlaw, the founder of Zoocheck, a wildlife protection organization based in Canada.  He’s an author of ten children’s books, a chartered biologist, a speaker, and one of the most successful animal rights advocates of the century.  He’s down to earth, humble and kind, and does not seem to be deterred by the roadblocks we often hit as we fight for animals.  He’s a wealth of knowledge, and we’re so thankful that he shared his thoughts and perspectives with us in this interview. In today’s conversation, we address “are zoos ethical?” through the following topics: Types of Zoos How Have Zoos Changed Over Time? Design Tricks Used by Zoos Where Do Zoo Animals Come From? Negative Effects of Captivity on Animals How Can We Help Animals in Zoos? What about Conservation and Education? What Should We Do When We Visit a Zoo? Zoos of the Future SHOW NOTES (WITH VIDEO, AUDIO, & BLOG POST): https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/78 CONTACT ROB & ZOOCHECK: https://www.zoocheck.com/  CONTACT BRANDY: [email protected]

Pet evacuation and disaster relief are topics that are near and dear to my heart.  The new Pet Help and Rescue App (PHaR) is an answer to many of our prayers.  It is going to change the face of planning for animals in disasters, something that is often forgotten when these things happen. App co-founder Dave Crawford lived through the Marshall Wildfire in 2021, but his home and an estimated 1,000 neighboring pets did not.  He went door to door looking for animals and was able to save one dog, Chief.  Following the fire, Dave joined fellow animal lovers in coming up with a plan to save animals in future disasters.  Through generous funding and many many hours of hard work, they dreamed up this new neighborhood planning app for pet evacuation and disaster relief. SHOW NOTES: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/77 PET HELP & RESCUE APP: https://www.PHaR.org/ EPISODE 76 WITH DAVE: ⁠https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/76 CONTACT BRANDY: [email protected]

Wildlife emergency app, Animal Help Now, provides 24 hour wildlife rescue and advice based on your location.  The database contains only humane wildlife rehabilitators and veterinarians for wildlife emergencies and conflict. I interviewed co-founder and executive director, Dave Crawford, in episode 76.  The thing that I love most about the Animal Help Now wildlife emergency app is that it was created within the wildlife rehabilitation community.  It specifically lists people who have been trained in humane wildlife emergency and conflict treatment. They will advise solutions with the best possible outcome for the animal. This is not likely to happen if you simply search Google for help. Download the app now so that you have it quickly available if you do see an animal in need. And please share this in your neighborhood groups and with friends! Apple: http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/animalhelpnow!/id511153457 Google Play: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ahnow  Direct Website: https://AHNow.org LISTEN, WATCH OR READ INTERVIEW: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/76  CONTACT BRANDY: [email protected]

There are some big things going on in animal welfare law right now that need our help.  Like ASAP need us to reach out to our Senators and Representatives to urge them to vote on the side of animal protection. Gabriel Wildgen from The Humane League joined me in today’s episode to give us the low down.  In this conversation, you’ll learn all about what’s happening (spurred by retaliation when California’s Prop 12 was passed in 2018 to help farm animals), and how to quickly contact your Congresspeople. Please share this as widely as you can.  Like and comment so that we can reach more people quickly. The more time that passes, the more danger that we can’t stop it from happening.  Thank you SO much. 😘 LISTEN, WATCH, or READ: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/75 LOOKUP & MESSAGE YOUR CONGRESSPEOPLE: https://secure.everyaction.com/-Tsqp_2WnkOIwThSsDZqKA2

Oluwakemi Oluwasegun (“Kemi”) is changing the face of sustainability in her Nigerian community with cassava and kindness, and she's looking for support. She lives in the quiet and peaceful community of Ila Orangun, Nigeria.  She happens to be one of the most genuine and kind people that I have met.  She has not had an easy life, yet grounded in God, she’s constantly thinking about how she can help other people.   She discussed three projects with us in this episode: her cassava factory and potential cassava farm (Winners Food Processing), reusable pads for the girls in her community, and donations of physical goods to help local orphanages with the Oluwadabira Foundation. Investing in or supporting Kemi’s projects is simple.  She’s looking for people who can donate money, clothing, shoes, bags, books, etc. that will keep her projects afloat.   If we can’t support her directly, we can share her work with those around us.  We never know who may be able to help.  Thank you for listening. Listen, Watch or Read Details: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/74 Reach out to Kemi: [email protected]

Dr. Vicky Bond, president of The Humane League, walks us through the truth about eggs.  We discuss everything from what life looks like for egg-laying hens in our industrialized food system to which eggs to buy at the store if we’re not vegan. The Humane League is a global non-profit organization focused on helping animals who are raised for food.  The group educates and influences the public, and decision-makers within brands such as McDonald’s and Jollibee, to pledge and work to use only cage-free eggs by 2025. They started this project in 2015 when only 6-7% of hens were cage-free in the US.  Now the U.S. is at 40% and big brands such as Nestle have proven that it’s possible to go 100% cage-free. Vicky believes that it is possible that we can end caged hens in our lifetime, but it takes the work of many animal lovers coming together to make that happen.  The Humane League provides the framework, and we simply need to sign up for the Fast Action Network and contribute a couple of minutes per day to be a part of this movement. FAST ACTION NETWORK: https://thehumaneleague.org/fast-action-network SHOW NOTES: https://foranimalsforearth.com/show/73

So remember when I said that I was bringing the show back and we were off of the hiatus a year ago?  I did TRULY believe that the show was back.  But, we weren't!  My move to Orlando turned out to be way more consuming than I had hoped.  That being said, the show is now officially starting back up.  And I cannot wait to learn more and help animals with you. Reach out or comment below if you're ready and excited.  I can't wait to hear from you.  Thank you for your never-ending support.  You're amazing.

How to avoid burnout… this is the million-dollar question for so many of us, right?  We want to help animals and the earth but it’s exhausting.  And when other people don’t seem to be on board it gets even harder. I’ve been struggling with burnout this year.  Our move to Florida was announced a year ago, and the saga of deciding whether to go, and then executing on it has been… intense!  I found myself with very little momentum to do anything. I did however feel inspired to bounce back after watching my earth-loving friends slay their businesses and decided to ask them how they avoid burnout.  It turned into this panel discussion.  The overarching theme was: SIMPLIFY.  Begin by REALLY knowing ourselves.  Choose our priorities by NARROWING DOWN and ONLY CHOOSING those that align with WHO WE ARE, and WHAT ACTUALLY WORKS in our life.  And then STAY IN OUR LANE and keep delivering on those few priorities.  Simple right? ;-) CONTACT INFO: Annemarie Sampson on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/sustainablelife.live/ Siham Omer on Instagram at https://www.instagram.com/wildlyblack/ Lindsey Biondo on the web at https://www.violetrevolt.com/ SHOW NOTES: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/71

I have had so much fun getting to know Captain Amado Watson these past six months and learning more about Belize ecotourism.  His tour company, Caye Caulker Reef Friendly Tours, is very different from the average company you’ll find in Belize.  He specifically focuses on providing animal friendly and reef friendly tours to guests. People from everywhere in the world come to see the Belize reef that is thriving.  But how do we as humans keep Belize ecotourism thriving while inevitably leaving our footprint on this magnificent place? We get into that in this episode! BOOK A TOUR WITH AMADO: Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ccreeffriendlytours/ What’s App: Amado at +501 633 2275 Trip Advisor: https://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowUserReviews-g291963-d6225089-r250844679-Reef_Friendly_Tours-Caye_Caulker_Belize_Cayes.html SHOW NOTES: https://ForAnimalsForEarth.com/show/70

Hi guys!  So sorry for the unexpected 5-month hiatus!  I'm back and can't wait to begin doing interviews with you again.  ..xx