Defender Radio and The Switch

What! Still not Defender Radio? That's right, it's the SECOND episode of The End of Time and Other Bothers. You can go back to an earlier episode and hear a full interview with the cast, creators, and myself and why I wanted to share this special show on my birthday week. Or you can listen and enjoy! More episodes can be found at iTunes, OtherBothers.com, or anywhere you listen to podcasts. Episod...

Hey – this isn't Defender Radio! That's right, it's the first episode of The End of Time and Other Bothers. You can go back to an earlier episode and hear a full interview with the cast, creators, and myself and why I wanted to share this special show on my birthday week. Or you can listen and enjoy! More episodes can be found at iTunes, OtherBothers.com, or anywhere you listen to podcasts.  Episo...

It's my birthday! Well, it's my birthday week. And since everyone has to do what I say for the rest of the week, we're going to take a step away from the usual topics we cover on Defender Radio. Don't worry – I have an awesome interview with Robert Lennox, whose work on a predator removal study is discussed all the way from his current location in French Polynesia. But that's next week, because th...

Humane education is pretty awesome – we can all agree on that, right? But what exactly humane education looks like, how it's delivered, and even what the goals are can be different from person to person, and organization to organization. I was very fortunate to get to spend some time with Megan Moon, the Executive Direction of the Humane Education Coalition. This relatively young organization is l...

Humane education is pretty awesome – we can all agree on that, right? But what exactly humane education looks like, how it's delivered, and even what the goals are can be different from person to person, and organization to organization. I was very fortunate to get to spend some time with Megan Moon, the Executive Director of the Humane Education Coalition. This relatively young organization is lo...

Cougars have been in the news recently, particularly in British Columbia. Conflict with Canada's big cats isn't overly common, but when cougars end up in communities, lethal action seems to be the first response. And that's why we called up Bryce Casavant. Bryce is a former Conservation Officer who made international headlines when he refused orders to kill two healthy bear cubs. Educating residen...

Cougars have been in the news recently, particularly in British Columbia. Conflict with Canada's big cats isn't overly common, but when cougars end up in communities, lethal action seems to be the first response. And that's why we called up Bryce Casavant. Bryce is a former Conservation Officer who made international headlines when he refused orders to kill two healthy bear cubs. Educating residen...

Science literacy is growing more important by the day – particularly for advocates looking to make change in the lives of animals and the environment. But between complex, academic papers, bureaucrats and others who don't fully explain theories or provide citations, and the world of instant-access social media, it isn't always easy to be on the side of fact. That's why the job of the science commu...

Science literacy is growing more important by the day – particularly for advocates looking to make change in the lives of animals and the environment. But between complex, academic papers, bureaucrats and others who don't fully explain theories or provide citations, and the world of instant-access social media, it isn't always easy to be on the side of fact. That's why the job of the science commu...

It's just about impossible to be Canadian and not hear about pipelines, oil, tankers, and other environmental and political hot potatoes in British Columbia and Alberta. But in much of the debates, regardless of which side you fall on, there is one element often forgotten: wildlife. The impact of oil and other materials on wildlife can be extreme, and there is little in the way of support for the...

It's just about impossible to be Canadian and not hear about pipelines, oil, tankers, and other environmental and political hot potatoes in British Columbia and Alberta. But in much of the debates, regardless of which side you fall on, there is one element often forgotten: wildlife. The impact of oil and other materials on wildlife can be extreme, and there is little in the way of support for the...

A hint of anger or disgust can be heard when conversation turns to wolves and coyotes in some communities – particularly those where managing livestock pays the bills. A long-held belief in many regions of the world – including many parts of Canada – is that eliminating these predators will protect livestock. Though numerous studies show that bounties or culls are ineffective at this, the practice...

A hint of anger or disgust can be heard when conversation turns to wolves and coyotes in some communities – particularly those where managing livestock pays the bills. A long-held belief in many regions of the world – including many parts of Canada – is that eliminating these predators will protect livestock. Though numerous studies show that bounties or culls are ineffective at this, the practice...

Dr. Max Foran is no stranger to telling Canada's stories: he's written dozens of books and articles on subjects ranging from urban sprawl to international trade of historic Alberta. But in his latest project, he takes on a subject steeped in philosophy, history, science, and industry: Canadian wildlife management. The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife, published in April 2018 by McGill-Queen's univ...

Dr. Max Foran is no stranger to telling Canada's stories: he's written dozens of books and articles on subjects ranging from urban sprawl to international trade of historic Alberta. But in his latest project, he takes on a subject steeped in philosophy, history, science, and industry: Canadian wildlife management. The Subjugation of Canadian Wildlife, published in April 2018 by McGill-Queen's univ...

There are 417 national Parks and historic sites in the United States National Park system, visited by more than 275 million people every year. Among those numbers is a power couple doing something pretty awesome. Sarah and Lucas Villa-Kainec want to visit each and every park and site in the national park system – and along the way, they want to share the stories of these remarkable places. But the...

Sarah and Lucas Villa-Kainec want to visit each and every park and site in the national park system – and along the way, they want to share the stories of these remarkable places. But they don't want to write another travel guide, they want the real stories, told by the people who spend their days – and sometimes a good portion of their lives – at these locations. That's why they started their new...

The East coast seal hunt has started in Canada, and with it a fierce public relations campaign from two sides: those who support the seal hunt, and those who oppose it. While the facts are available there are groups and individuals who pass on misinformation and disinformation regarding the hunt from both camps. That's why we turn to  Canadian seal hunt expert  Sheryl Fink of the International Fun...

The East coast seal hunt has started in Canada, and with it, a fierce public relations campaign from two sides: those who support the seal hunt, and those who oppose it. While the facts are available there are groups and individuals who pass on misinformation and disinformation regarding the hunt from both camps. That's why I turn to my good friend and Canadian seal hunt expert, Sheryl Fink of the...

From BC to the east coast, black bears are waking up and wandering about as winter finally gives way to spring. The best person to talk to about bears is a man who spends time rehabilitating them, teaching others to co-exist with them, and kind of looking like one when his hair gets extra scruffy: Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us. Defender Radio connected with Mike and talked spring bear adventures,...

Bears! In British Columbia they're starting to wander about, and across the rest of the country they're waiting out the final days of winter before venturing into the world.  The best person to talk to about bears is a man who spends time rehabilitating them, teaching others to co-exist with them, and kind of looking like one when his hair gets extra scruffy: Mike McIntosh of Bear With Us. We conn...

This week I've got a special episode for you. I'm going to tell you about the #RefuseTheGoose campaign we've launched, targeting Canada Goose for their ongoing use of coyote fur. If you just want to get straight to signing the letter and sharing with your friends and family, head to TheFurBearers.com/refusethegoose . For those of you who aren't familiar with Canada Goose and coyote fur, let's star...

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, co-founder and president of Coyote Watch Canad...

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...

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 Conserva...