Defender Radio and The Switch

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NEWS BRIEF: Co-existing With Coyotes In Suburban Burlington (521) Apr 04, 2018

Show notes

LaSalle Park in Burlington, Ontario, is a beautiful area, right on the shore of Lake Ontario. It's a diverse area, full of wildlife, walking trails, and natural history. But it's also where some individuals have complained coyotes are spending time, and not reacting how residents believe the wild canids should. I spent a few hours with Lesley Sampson, cofounder and president of Coyote Watch Canada, walking the trails, discussing what factors could lead to behaviour in coyotes that is received as troubling, and what we can do about it. Following our walk, we recorded a conversation in the parking lot of LaSalle Park to review our thoughts.

This episode is a news brief edit of our interview. A full version will be available later this week at TheFurBearers.com, the iTunes store, or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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The Science That Shows Government Wildlife Management Is Unscientific (520) Mar 28, 2018

Show notes

We've all heard the phrase Wildlife management should be science-based. It's spoken loudly by advocates who are opposed to all hunting and trapping, those who think hunting and trapping is all that stands between humanity and bedlam, and everyone in between.

But is wildlife management in North America actually science-based? That's the question posed by a team of scientists from Raincoast Conservation Foundation, Simon Fraser University, University of Victoria, and the University of Wisconsin – Madison. Their study, Hallmarks of science missing from North American wildlife management", published by Science Advances earlier this month, asked this question: and came up with some disturbing results.

Defender Radio connected with Dr. Kyle Artelle, one of the authors of the study to get a deeper understanding of what the team found.

A five-minute edit of this interview is also available at TheFurBearers.com, in the iTunes store, or where ever you listen to podcasts.

Read the study: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/3/eaao0167.full

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

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NEWS BRIEF: 520 - The Science That Shows Government Wildlife Management Is Unscientific Mar 26, 2018

Show notes

I connected with Dr. Kyle Artelle, one of the authors of the study to get a deeper understanding of what the team found.

Read the study: http://advances.sciencemag.org/content/4/3/eaao0167.full

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio eMail UpdateS: www.TheFurBearers.com/updates

Fostering Compassion Thru Storytelling with The Gryphon Press (519) Mar 21, 2018

Show notes

The Gryphon Press is a wonderful publishing company The Fur-Bearers met through the Humane Education Coalition. Their children's books on subjects from adopting dogs, rescuing rabbits, and of course, why the animals need their fur, all reflect the publisher's tagline: a voice for the voiceless.

Emilie Buchwald, publisher of The Gryphon Press, joined Defender Radio last week to discuss why she came out of retirement to start up a new business that's published several award-winning books, how truthful stories can create compassion in children, and what Gryphon Press looks for in a story about animals.

A five-minute news brief version of this interview is available at TheFurBearers.com or in your podcast feed.

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio eMails: www.TheFurBearers.com/updates

NEWS BRIEF: 519 - Fostering Compassion Thru Storytelling Mar 19, 2018

Show notes

This is the five-minute radio edit of our interview. The full interview will be available this week at TheFurBearers.com or in your podcast feed.

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio eMail Updates: www.TheFurBearers.com/Updates

Bryce Casavant and 100 years of Wildlife Records (518) Mar 15, 2018

Show notes

You've probably heard the name Bryce Casavant: he's the former Conservation Officer in British Columbia who made headlines when he refused an order to kill two healthy bear cubs. He also ran as an NDP candidate in the last provincial election in BC and continues to work for the government in the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. But it is his efforts as a student that has Bryce back into the news.

Bryce is working toward a doctoral degree in social sciences with Royal Roads University, and his area of study should come as no surprise: wildlife, law enforcement, and social change. Recently, Bryce was given the go-ahead to pursue a review of 100 years of wildlife enforcement records, described as a critical discourse analysis. Bryce joined Defender Radio to get into what his research will look at, why it matters, and how understanding the history of wildlife enforcement could lead to a better world for people – and the animals.

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

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NEWS BRIEF: 518 - Bryce Casavant and 100 Years of Wildlife Records Mar 13, 2018

Show notes

You've probably heard the name Bryce Casavant: he's the former Conservation Officer in British Columbia who made headlines when he refused an order to kill two healthy bear cubs. He also ran as an NDP candidate in the last provincial election in BC, and continues to work for the government in the Ministry of Forests, Lands, and Natural Resource Operations and Rural Development. But it is his efforts as a student that has Bryce back into the news.

Bryce is working toward a doctoral degree in social sciences with Royal Rhodes University, and his area of study should come as no surprise: wildlife, law enforcement, and social change. Recently, Bryce was given the go-ahead to pursue a review of 100 years of wildlife enforcement records, described as a critical discourse analysis.

Hear more in this News Brief - the full interview will be available later this week on your podcast feed!

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio eMail Updates: www.TheFurBearers.com/updates

The BC SPCA Is Helping People Be AnimalKind (517) Mar 07, 2018

Show notes

While we all love wildlife and want to co-exist with the animals, sharing our bedrooms and walls with them isn't exactly ideal; many species can cause significant electrical or structural damage to homes or businesses, putting everyone at risk. Some species do carry diseases that are harmful, particularly in locations like hospitals or restaurants. And, if you're like me, having a squirrel scrabbling around in the vents causes the dogs to go absolutely insane.

Safely and removing wildlife is an important job that should often be left to experts – but who exactly are the experts, and what makes them humane operators are long standing questions. And now, the BC SPCA wants to help answer them.

The BC SPCA launched AnimalKind last week, a program that will help residents and business owners find accredited wildlife removal or pest control companies who put humane treatment of animals first. Dr. Sara Dubois, Chief Scientific Officer for the BC SPCA joined Defender Radio to explain the need for AnimalKind, how it was developed, and why it will benefit people, businesses, and the animals.

You can hear a five-minute edit of this interview in the News Brief released earlier this week in your podcast feed.

Defender Radio Patreon - www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

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NEWS BRIEF: 517 - The BC SPCA Is Helping People Be AnimalKind Mar 05, 2018

Show notes

The BC SPCA launched AnimalKind last week, a program that will help residents and business owners find accredited wildlife removal or control companies who put humane treatment of animals first. I connected with Dr. Sara Dubois, Chief Scientific Officer for the BC SPCA to talk more about this program.

The full interview will be available on Wednesday, March 7!

Defender Radio Patreon: www.Patreon.com/DefenderRadio

Defender Radio Email Updates: www.TheFurBearers.com/Updates

The Time Of The Raccoons (516) Mar 01, 2018

Show notes

I love raccoons. They're smart little problem-solvers, who have learned to adapt into a landscape that's difficult to navigate for a non-human animal and taken up an essential role in many ecosystems. But the furry bandits' cuteness isn't enough to prevent media from maligning them, social media posts blaming them for human-centric problems, and keeping them safe when conflict does occur. That said, their cuteness can be too much: some advocates and animal lovers may go too far in trying to help raccoons, which creates new issues, from generating future conflict to disease transmission.

To sort it all out, and understand what raccoons are up to this time of year – as well as address a few issues that have come up in the news, like rabies – I connected with Cara Contardi of Urban Wildlife Care in Grimsby, Ontario.

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