Episodes

Nov. 11, 2016

Animals Today Election Report: The hunting activities of Donald Trump’s sons.

Originally broadcast 2/13/16. In February, as Republican candidate Donald Trump was on his way to winning the nomination, I learned about the prior hunting activities of his sons and discussed it on the air. Now that their father will soon be President, Donald Jr. and Eric’s history of trophy hunting wild animals in Africa will […]
Nov. 6, 2016

Animals Today Nov 6, 2016: Who should be permitted to have Emotional Support Animals? Swim with dolphin programs losing popularity. Helping youth grieve the loss of pets. Backyard ingestion hazards for dogs and cats.

The show begins with Dr. Jeffrey Younggren, Clinical and Forensic Psychologist at University of Missouri. Lori and Jeffrey discuss the current legal and regulatory status of service animals (usually dogs) and Emotional Support Animals (ESAs). There is a lot of misinformation and confusion regarding where the animals are allowed to go. Dr. Younggren also provides […]
Oct. 23, 2016

Animals Today October 22, 2016: Wild and exotic animals as pets. Zika spraying kills millions of bees. All about back disease in dogs.

The show begins with Lori sharing her recollections about her relationship with a privately owned bobcat, continuing with the problems of private ownership of wild and exotic animals. Then Dr. Eric Mussen joins Lori in a wide-ranging talk about Zika and other mosquito borne diseases, and methods to control mosquitos. Recently, mass deaths of honeybees […]
Oct. 16, 2016

Animals Today – October 15, 2016: Planes and birds in conflict: Making the skies safer for us all. Petition to end horse slaughter. Will California protect good Samaritans who break into hot vehicles to rescue animals?

With the release of Ron Howard’s new film, Sully, our interest in the risks posed to planes by wildlife has certainly been rekindled! Lori begins the show with Dr. Richard Dolbeer, who enjoyed a long career studying ways to make the skies safer for planes as well as for the wild animals who live near […]
Oct. 8, 2016

Animals Today October 8, 2016: Disaster preparedness for pets. Sloths! Canine heartworm disease. Ending horse slaughter. Appreciating bats.

The show’s first guest is Jeff Dorson, Executive Director of the Humane Society of Louisiana, who speaks with Lori about preparing for disasters, especially hurricanes. Jeff offers many practical tips to keep all our critters safe during these emergencies. Then, Oct 20 is International Sloth Day and Lori shares some fun facts about these arboreal […]
Sept. 19, 2016

Animals Today September 17, 2016: The film, The Champions. What breed is that dog? Looks are often deceiving! Problems abound with breed specific legislation. Iguanas, red pandas, xylitol, and explosive-sniffing dogs.

We begin by featuring the award winning film, The Champions. The first segment features Director and Producer, Darcy Dennett, who has created this beautiful and inspirational movie depicting the journey of some of the more challenging dogs rescued form the Michael Vick fighting operation. Darcy is no newcomer to dogs, having been the series producer for […]
Sept. 10, 2016

Animals Today September 10, 2016: Helping Koalas. Expanded legal rights for animals in Oregon. Worst enclosures for cetaceans. Too many stray dogs in Dallas.

This show begins with Lori and Peter chatting about koalas, in recognition of Save the Koala Month. Koala populations are shrinking due to habitat loss, predation by dogs, fires, accidents and disease. Peter also has three new California animal news items. Then, Peter welcomes legal expert Bob Ferber, who discusses the significance of a recent […]
Aug. 21, 2016

Animals Today August 20, 2016: Mosquito alert and the threat of Zika: World Mosquito Day. Recalling Lori’s childhood trip to Africa. America’s newest juvenile hunting celebrity. Mental health risks to those who work in the animal welfare fi

August 20th is World Mosquito Day, which recognizes the discovery of the connection between mosquitos and Malaria. Lori reviews some of this fascinating history, including the very controversial story about DDT. Will there be any role for DDT in the US if disease from the Zika virus becomes more widespread? Lori then continues by recollecting […]
July 30, 2016

Animals Today July 30, 2016. Humane animal idioms. Rays slaughtered for sport. Criticizing the functions of contemporary zoos. International Society for Animal Rights.

Inspired by Anthony Weiner’s recent use of the phrase, “beat him like a rented mule,” we discuss a variety of idioms concerning animals, hoping to find interesting, humane alternatives to ones like “killing two birds with one stone.” Then Lori speaks with Mary Finelli founder and President of Fish Feel. Chesapeake Bay cownose rays are […]
July 17, 2016

Animals Today July 16, 2016: Spanish Bullfighter killed on live TV. Coral Reef Awareness Week. What a Fish Knows, by Jonathan Balcombe. The first US animal shelter.

Last week, a Spanish Matador was killed by the bull he was tormenting. So, Lori decided to ask her facebook contacts what they thought about this death and bullfighting more generally. A spirited thread resulted and the first segment of the show begins with Lori and Peter discussing the opinions and comments posted. The show continues […]
July 10, 2016

Animals Today July 9, 2016. Critiquing Captain Paul Watson’s statements about the shooting of the Cincinnati Zoo’s Gorilla, Harambe. Innocent jaguar killed at Olympic ceremony in Brazil. Respecting and loving cows – and not because they ar

With the world still abuzz following the killing of the silverback gorilla, Harambe, at the Cincinnati zoo, many prominent animal advocates have offered their opinions and analysis on the events, and whether the situation could have been avoided or managed differently. Lori and Peter review a few of the assertions made by one of their […]
June 27, 2016

Animals Today June 25, 2016: Will the film, Finding Dory, harm fishes and reefs? US government is killing cormorants. Veganism’s rise in Israel. Developing whale sanctuaries.

This week’s show begins with Peter interviewing attorney Nicholas Whipps, from the Center for Biological Diversity. Nicholas voices the widespread concern that the blue tang will become the next sought after species for home aquariums, similar to what happened to the clownfish depicted in Finding Nemo. The methods used to harvest blue tangs are devastating […]
June 11, 2016

Animals Today June 11, 2016: Who’s to blame for the death of Harambe? California desert bighorn sheep need better protection. New animal cruelty legal unit in San Bernardino.

This week’s show begins with Lori offering her views on the killing of the 450 pound Silverback Gorilla Harambe, who was captive in the Cincinnati Zoo. Authorities shot him to protect a boy who made his way into the gorilla exhibit. But who really bears responsibility for the death of this innocent creature? Legal analyst […]
May 22, 2016

Animals Today May 21, 2016: Moving away from animal testing in drug development. Trained rats detecting TB. All about heartworm disease. What we do for our cats! Wildlife now thrives in Chernobyl radiation zone.

We begin with attorney Elizabeth Baker, Senior Science Policy Specialist at Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, PCRM, who joins Peter to discuss the problems and limitations of using nonhuman animals in testing for drugs being developed for use in humans. PCRM is working on many fronts to move the government, industry, and academia toward more […]
May 10, 2016

Animals Today May 7, 2016: Progress and challenges at SeaWorld. No, a vegetarian diet will not hurt you. Stiff penalty given for killing a police dog. Animals thriving after Chernobyl.

The show begins with Dr. Toni Frohoff from In Defense of Animals speaking with Lori about ongoing issues at SeaWorld. The captive whale breeding program will be halted but what will become of those individuals still in captivity who could live decades longer? And will other animals be recruited to provide “entertainment?” The show continues with […]
April 26, 2016

Animals Today – April 23, 2016: Zookeeper killed by Malayan tiger: This should never happen. Giant rats at work detecting land mines. All you need to know about kitten season.

The show begins with Lori’s impassioned discussion about the fatal mauling of zookeeper Stacey Konwiser at the Palm Beach Zoo, by a Malayan tiger. This tiger was part of a breeding program purported to help prevent the extinction of the species, and the woman who tragically perished was known as a tiger whisperer. Lori explains […]
April 11, 2016

Animals Today April 9, 2016: The insanity of the Canadian seal hunt. Can a drug extend dogs’ lives? Amazing penguin adventure. Is your neighbor’s dog soiling your lawn? Mass killings of native snakes are not needed. Illegal Ivory trade thro

We begin with a discussion with Dr. Diana Marmorstein, CEO of Harpseals.org. Another season of the Canadian seal hunt is upon us, with the cruel and unnecessary killing huge numbers of juvenile seals. This practice needs to be ended for good. We continue with surveys about cute animals and SeaWorld, a story about prolonging dogs’ […]
April 2, 2016

Animals Today April 2, 2016: Stealing Elephants from Africa. Avoiding brain disease with diet. Pet product industry update. Fake service animals under scrutiny.

This show begins with the unbelievable news that 18 elephants have been ripped from their homes and families in Swaziland and flown to a life of captivity at three US zoos. Toni Frohoff, PhD. from In Defense of Animals (IDA), explains the tragic situation, how it can possibly happen in 2016 and what we all […]
March 27, 2016

Animals Today – March 26, 2016: Mink liberator receives long prison sentence. Origins of the Audubon Society. Suing the Cricket Hollow Zoo. Too many dog and cat photos? Cesar Chavez, animal advocate.

The show begins with guest Chris DeRose, Founder of Last Chance for Animals who offers his opinions on breaking the law in order to help animals. Chris and Lori discuss the Animal Enterprise Terrorism Act and the recent sentencing of Kevin Johnson, who released 2000 minks from a farm and was charged under that law. DeRose […]
March 20, 2016

Animals Today – March 19, 2016: Ending the killing from the illegal animal trade. Debating feral cat management. From cattle ranch to vegan farm animal sanctuary.

This episode begins with a discussion about the international trade in illegal wildlife and wildlife products featuring the President and CEO of International Fund for Animal Welfare, Azzedine Downes. Worldwide crime syndicates are reaping huge profits through this illegal and dangerous commerce, and IFAW is leading the way to end the killing of elephants, rhinos, […]
March 12, 2016

Animals Today March 12, 2016: SeaWorld admits spying on PETA. Aardvark week. PawPAC. More on disease prevention through diet. What mountain lions eat. Suing for the elephant, Lucky.

We begin with Peter and legal expert Bob Ferber discussing the admission by SeaWorld that its employee had infiltrated PETA to gather intelligence. Is it legal and does PETA have any recourse? Then, how much do you know about aardvarks? We are celebrating National Aardvark Week. Next on with Lori is Eric Mills, board member […]
March 5, 2016

Animals Today: March 5, 2016: Exposing and opposing slaughter of horses in the US. International Polar Bear Day. Scalia the hunter. Plant based eating for kids.

This show begins with Attorney Bruce Wagman, who represents Front Range Equine Rescue in legal efforts to oppose horse slaughter for consumption. He has been working on horse slaughter litigation for almost 10 years, and tragic fate of many horses in the US is hidden from public view. Front Range Equine Rescue is working had […]
Feb. 24, 2016

Animals Today – February 20, 2016: Protecting pangolins. Animal abuse at Riverside County fair. Shark fin ban legal battles. Eating to prevent disease. Helping the animals of the homeless people.

This show begins with Lori recognizing the Fifth Annual World Pangolin Day by broadcasting her 2015 interview with Jeffrey Flocken of International Fund for Animal Welfare. The cute but vulnerable pangolin holds the unfortunate distinction of being the most heavily trafficked wild mammal in the world. Next up, Lori describes the ongoing exploitation of animals […]
Feb. 14, 2016

Animals Today February 13, 2016: What’s causing whale strandings in the North Sea? Trump’s sons are hunters. Dental hygiene for dogs. So you’ve found some cats: now what? Bad flu affecting dogs.

This show begins with Mark Duchamp, President of Save the Eagles International and President, World Council for Nature. Mark makes a strong case that infrasonic noise emitted from offshore wind turbines, as well as the noise associated with their assembly, are causing sperm whales to become stranded on beaches in the North Sea. Lori then […]