Animal Voices

There is perhaps no "bug" as feared — and misunderstood — as the scorpion. Though scorpions are relatively harmless and non-confrontational creatures, they face a surprising amount of persecution and are maligned for many ill-informed reasons. Scorpion conservationist...

Dr. Barbara Smuts, professor of Biopsychology at the University of Michigan, knows she isn't a rock, which is actually very useful information when studying animals. Similarly, for example, baboons are also aware that the scientist sitting nearby is not an inanimate lump. As Smuts discovered, once this mutual acknowledgement has happened, a whole world of possibilities begins to unfold: Suddenly gree...

Food movements have been gaining serious momentum lately. The meanings of "just", "ethical," and "sustainable" food are all contentious. Biotechnology, organics, "free range" meat, vegetarianism and localism are but a handful of issues currently marinating in the proverbial stew. Historian

When disaster strikes, news reports come fast and furious with constant updates and around the clock coverage. However, the coverage of earthquakes, tornadoes, hurricanes and floods is almost always human-focused; where animals are concerned, the media often has little to say, especially if those animals were to become foo...

© iStockphoto.com / Timothy Babasade For some, the image of a mangled pig fetus or an cut up frog on the Biology room table remains a painful and disturbing memory. While the number of animals involved in dissection might seem relatively small compared to other uses, Jan Oakley argues that not only are stagge...

Mary Martin knows that if you want to get to the heart of human-animal relationships, you have to think critically about the language that's used to describe those relationships. Through her stellar Animal Person blog, she gives readers a daily dose of news and analysis, as well as regular explorations of common wo...

"Why love one but eat the other?" is the provocative slogan of the recent campaign launched by concerned citizens of Toronto and the U.S.-based animal advocacy organization, Mercy for Animals. This ambitious initiative, running June 9th to August 15th, involves a series of visu...

Tofu Benny and photo by Isa Chandra Moskowitz Isa Chandra Moskowitz' new book, Vegan Brunch: Homestyle Recipes Worth Waking Up For— from Asparagus Omelets to Pumpkin Pancakes, makes getting up in the morning a whole lot e...

Original air date: May 20, 2008 Ever considered becoming a vet? If so, you may encounter some unexpected ethical dilemmas in your training. In this engaging interview, Dr. Erika Sullivan provides an intimate portrait of her veterinary school experience. An award-winning graduate of the Ontario Veterinary College in Guelph, Ontario, Sullivan is concerned that many students stil...

Toronto listeners will likely be aware of the recent Globe and Mail's shocking investigation of the Toronto Humane Society (THS), Canada's largest animal shelter. The allegat...