Did you know that ducks like to take a swim before breakfast and that cows like to have a view? Paul Drake is the designer and construction leader of the animal housing at Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, where he is helping to pioneer a new process called animal-centered design. Paul has a Master’s of Architecture and has a passion for designing sustainable structures that can improve the lives of animals. Lenore Braford is the Founder and Animal Care Director at Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge in Pittsboro, North Carolina. Lenore has nearly a decade of experience working with and enriching the lives of animals. On this episode, we will hear all about the new process of animal-centered design and how this unusual animal refuge is innovating sanctuary life and creating unique spaces designed for each individual species of farmed animal to feel safe and thrive.

Resources:

Ryuji Chua on The Daily Show

Animal Centered Design

Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge

Compassion Consortium (monthly online spiritual vegan gathering)

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 62

Deborah Blum is the founder and Executive Director at Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary in Santa Rosa, CA. Deborah moved to Santa Rosa to fulfill her dream of living with goats and what started as a passion grew into a non profit rescue, education organization, animal therapy, goat yoga, kid’s camp, as well as vegan catering and food events, and much more. Deb and Hope discuss their mutual love of goats and how the rise in popularity of goat dairy has created the same cruelty and ethical issues we see with cow dairy. Deb talks about using goats to graze public lands for fire prevention, and how this other popular use of goats is on the rise and has created yet another host of ethical problems and even more goats needing rescue. They also discuss Goatlandia’s vegan catering and the power of delicious vegan food to change the world!

Resources:

Goatlandia Farm Animal Sanctuary

We continue our celebration of International Respect for Chickens Month with a reminder about the upcoming Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar on Saturday, May 21. Then our guest is Tara Hess who spent close to a decade working as a caregiver and in shelter management roles at Farm Sanctuary. She is now the Senior Advisor at the Open Sanctuary Project where she uses her hands-on experience to help create animal care resources that are accessible and reflect the many nuances of sanctuary work. Tara and Hope talk about combating harmful information about chickens and how the commodification of chickens demeans their worth as individuals. They discuss the Avian Flu epidemic that is devastating wild and domestic bird populations in the US and the risk to farmed animal sanctuary residents. Tara also talks about the new Rooster Resource from the Open Sanctuary Project, addressing misconceptions about roosters and rooster stigma.

Resources:

The Open Sanctuary Project

Rooster Resource

Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar– May 21, 2022- Information and Registration 

For the fifth and final installment of our Microsanctuary Series, we are joined by Quincy Markowitz. Quincy is the co-founder of Farm Bird Sanctuary, a bird-only sanctuary located in southern Wisconsin. They have been caring for chickens for over ten years and also engage in community action, including a campaign against a yearly “chicken toss” event at a local “Pioneer Days” festival where chickens are thrown from the second story roof of a building to crowds of people. Quincy tells Hope about the challenges and joys of rescuing roosters, problems with free ranging hens bred for their eggs, and their first love, a rooster named Sunny. 

Resources:

Farm Bird Sanctuary

Microsanctuary Resource Center

For the fourth installment in our summer Microsanctuary Series, Hope has a conversation with Rebecca Moore, the founder of the Institute for Animal Happiness, a non-profit chicken rescue in Hudson Valley, New York. While working at large farmed animal sanctuaries for over 10 years, Rebecca found herself repeatedly bringing home chickens who required more special, individualized care, and realized there was a critical need for greater advocacy and education on behalf of chickens. Empowered by the Microsanctuary Movement, Rebecca turned a small rented backyard into a non-stop busy advocacy hub that is fiercely dedicated to a mission of care, activism, and change. 

Rebecca shares her years of expertise caring for special needs birds and the innovative approaches she has created for their care and recovery. She also talks about the need to deconstruct the current sanctuary model that mimics a farm environment and the importance of letting the chickens themselves be seen, heard, and allowed to tell their individual stories. Rebecca explains how even someone of little means and few resources can rescue and offer care to animals in need.

Resources:

Institute for Animal Happiness

Facebook: Institute for Animal Happiness

Microsanctuary Resource Center

Continuing our Microsanctuary Series, we are joined on the podcast by Gwendolyn Church, founder of Friends of Philip Fish Rescue. Friends of Philip is an aquatic animal rescue and sanctuary in Sonoma County, California. Their goal is to expand the animal rescue conversation to include fishes and all aquatic animals, and to foster the connection between people and aquatic lives through sharing the stories and vibrant personalities of their rescued fishes. Gwendolyn shares sweet stories of rescue and recovery. She also talks about the wide range of emotional and social behaviors she has observed, the environmental impacts of wild caught tropical fishes for the “pet” fish and aquarium trade, and how anyone who is interested could rescue fishes!  

Resources:

Friends of Philip Fish Rescue

Creating Sanctuary for Aquatic Animals

Vegans with Fishes Facebook Group

The Dark Hobby (film)

Microsanctuaries reshape the traditional, large farm sanctuary model and challenge us to rethink how we can provide care for farmed animals. Microsanctuaries demonstrate that almost anyone can offer sanctuary and be a caregiver to animals in need. Our Microsanctuary Series will feature a different small sanctuary each month through the summer of 2021.

This episode we are joined by Justin Van Kleeck, co-founder of the Microsanctuary Movement. This grassroots movement broadens the definition of sanctuary to encompass more regions, different properties, a smaller number of animals, and also other species than we might typically find in a sanctuary. Smaller scale rescue gives people access to caregiving who might have smaller spaces, fewer resources, less money, or otherwise can’t or don’t want to mimic the current farm sanctuary model. Justin takes us deep into this exciting new trend in farmed animal rescue and caregiving. 

Resources:

2^nd Annual Humane Hoax Chicken Webinar

The Microsanctuary Resource Center

Triangle Chicken Advocates

Episode 10: Rooster Rescuer Justin Van Kleeck

Hope begins with a review of the popular documentary Seaspiracy. This new film on Netflix exposes human impacts on our oceans and all marine lives. Then, we have the first interview in our new series called the Microsanctuary Series. On these podcasts we will explore how animal rescuers are having a large impact in small spaces. Our first featured Microsanctuary is Sweet Peeps Sanctuary in Alabama. Founder Tracy Glover shares how each of the chickens in her care have individual personalities and how she has learned that chickens are incredibly social, gentle, curious, and smart. The Microsanctuary Series will feature a different small sanctuary once a month through the summer of 2021.

Resources:

Seaspiracy the Movie

Reason for Vegan Series 9: The Fishing Industry Exposed

Sweet Peeps Sanctuary (Facebook)

Chicken Farming in America: A Webinar Series (ARC) 

Until All Are Free (Film)

TRANSCRIPT- EPISODE 26

The latest episode of the Hope for the Animals Podcast is all about birds! We begin with an exploration of the wealth of scientific research revealing avian intelligence, emotional complexity, and sentience. Then we have an inspiring interview with Elizabeth Young, founder and director of Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions. Elizabeth shares the fascinating history of pigeons and inspiring stories about Palomacy’s rescue and adoption program.

Elizabeth Young loved all animals but had no particular interest in pigeons. That is, until years ago, when she started volunteering at the San Francisco Animal Care & Control shelter, where she learned it was common for pigeons to come into shelters but never leave. The other animals—dogs and cats, rabbits and rats, parrots and snakes, farmed animals and wildlife—all had at least one rescue group to help them, but pigeons had none. Now with Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions, Elizabeth has saved the lives of more than 1,000 birds directly and helped countless others across the U.S. and beyond. She has come to know these charming birds and is mesmerized by their sweet nature. Listen to her moving story in this episode of the Hope for the Animals Podcast.

Palomacy Pigeon and Dove Adoptions

Palomacy FaceBook Help Group

TRANSCRIPT: EPISODE 6