Defender Radio and The Switch

The provincial park is home to the Eastern wolf – now often referred to as Algonquin Wolves. These wolves are considered a threatened species and, within the park and a buffer zone, receive protections from hunting and trapping. Given the difficulty in identifying an Algonquin wolf from a coyote or a mix of the two, these protections extend to the similar looking canids. But studies are showing th...

Across BC's vast landscape is over 14 million hectares of protected lands and provincial parks. Tourists from around the world flock to these beautiful, picturesque destinations, bringing hundreds of millions of dollars to the economy. And there are only seven people to protect it all. The Wilderness Committee, a BC-based NGO recently sent out a press release that outlined the dire straights of th...

As many as 30 Vancouver Island Marmots are presumed dead after their embedded transmitters failed to activate following their hibernation this spring. The Vancouver-area media picked up on this story and made it national news – after all, people in the area have loved them for years. But for the rest of Canada, the coverage of 30 missing rodents left us scratching our heads. What are Vancouver Isl...

From Stubby, the highly decorated canine soldier in World War One, to Pete the Pup, who tagged along with the Little Rascals, pit bull like dogs were once a loyal friend and family pet. But due to media sensationalism, reactionary politics, and crippling bias, they are being outlawed and ostracized. Recently, communities within Quebec and La Belle Province itself have proposed numerous actions the...

We began to tentatively celebrate when earlier this month the Auditor General of British Columbia revealed there would be an investigation into the trophy hunting of grizzly bears. The exact notification, found on the AG website, read the investigation would be to, "determine if the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations are effectively managing...

When the words 'animal sentience' and 'Alberta' popped up in The Fur-Bearers' news feeds, we had an office full of cartoonish double-takes. It was revealed last week that the NDP government in the bluest province of the nation is looking to improve their animal welfare standards – and among the changes, there's indications that they may incorporate laws that recognize non-human animals as sentient...

It's been a bad few weeks for zoo animals in North America. Harambe, a silverback gorilla in the Cincinnatti Zoo, was shot to death after a young child found his way into the large primate's enclosure. Rebel, a gray wolf at a Wisconsin Zoo, was killed so he could be tested for rabies after a child was bitten on the fingers through a fence while in a restricted area. And at a small petting zoo set...

We know that grizzly bears love fish. We know that grizzly bears can come into conflict with people and infrastructure. And now, thanks to researchers at Raincoast Conservation Foundation, we know how those two facts are tied together. Earlier this month, Raincoast published their study, Ecology of conflict: Marine food supply affects human-wildlife interactions on land, in the journal Scientific...

Cull is a four-letter word – and that double-meaning is finally becoming more clear. For years, governments and consumptive wildlife users have argued that culls are necessary – be it for protecting game species, land, or to encourage a specific type of behaviour from hunters and trappers. But science, advocates, and, it seems, even government reports, indicate that these culls are so ineffective...

Do compassion and city politics go together? Can we really expect local politicians to do what's right for the animals, and still balance their duties to their constituents, who the see every day? If you're Valerie Burke, you find a way. The City Councillor from Markham has successfully advocated for wildlife in her constituency – including supporting an initiative launched by The Fur-Bearers last...

The wildfires in Fort McMurray this week have destroyed homes and ways of life. And as residents fled as part of mandatory evacuations, the question lingers for everyone watching: will life ever be the same again? There is little that many of us can do to help those who have lost everything, but donate to organizations like the Red Cross or the Canadian Disaster Animal Response Team when able, and...

In February a private members bill was introduced to the House of Commons by a rookie Liberal MP. Nathaniel Erskine-Smith, member for Beaches – East York, stood up and read, for the record, the title of his first bill: C-246. That bill passed first reading without much fanfare, but now, the Modernizing Animal Protections Act is being hotly debated across the country. From hard right conservatives...

There are nearly 200 volunteer-run animal rescue organizations in British Columbia. The majority of them do not receive government funding, have little to no full-time staff, and have countless animals depending on them. But there’s hope for them all. Paws for Hope was founded five years ago in BC with a dream of creating “more sustainable animal welfare and purposeful companion animal protection”...

Today the infamous trophy hunt of grizzly bears in British Columbia begins – and it’s no April Fool’s prank. Hunters from around the world will pay for the chance to hunt down one of the province’s most important predators – all for the sake of getting a trophy. This issue has been covered extensively in past Defender Radio episodes, on our blog, and through traditional media. But today I was join...

They once defined the great prairies of North America. Buffalo herds numbered as high as 50 million animals before European settlement began. And after centuries of devastation, their numbers remain low: no more than 500,000 buffalo remain, many of which are farmed. In Yellowstone National Park, one of the last wild herds roams – 7,000 some buffalo who want nothing more than to live as they were m...

Headlines are popping up in Ontario and B.C. alike – dangerous illnesses including distemper and rabies are appearing at rates higher than usual. Though excellent bait programs in Ontario have kept rabies to few isolated cases in past decades, it seems that some animals are hitching rides across the border, and bringing minor outbreaks with them. And in B.C., distemper infamously claimed the lives...

In the animal kingdom, the power of fear is something no one would question. Fear can impact and control entire populations, affect whole ecosystems, and even change the path of evolution. But is it something we can measure – and once and for all, prove that the role of predators is more than just what they eat? A new study from Raincoast Conservation Foundation does just that. Led by Raincoast’s...

If there’s one thing the media loves, it’s wild animals attacking humans. It’s got everything: adventure, blood, trauma, and typically, a hunt for the offending animal. There are all kinds of experts to speak with, charts and maps to create, and wonderful ways to play with headlines. They are, of course, making a minor problem worse. Many of us involved in wildlife advocacy have learned that it’s...

Whenever we talk compassionate conservation, ethics, emotions of wildlife, or the benefits of drinking single malt Scotch through a Twizzler, there’s really only one man to call: Dr. Marc Bekoff. And fortunately for us at The Fur-Bearers, Marc has been a good sport and chatted with us regularly on Defender Radio. Late last week we connected with the best-selling author, blogger, and professor emer...

The trophy hunting of grizzly bears and culling of wolves have been hot topics in the news in recent years, and it’s only heating up. In British Columbia, we’ve partnered with LUSH Cosmetics and numerous conservation groups to let the public know they can formally comment on new policy proposals under the hashtag campaign #LeaveThemInPeace. In Alberta and Ontario, we’re constantly speaking against...

From host Michael Howie: I can’t speak for every animal-loving man out there, but when I stand and take a look at a magazine rack, there isn’t a lot for me. I love to cook and eat – but most of the magazines aren’t appropriate for me as a vegan; I like to work out and lift weights, but I don’t want to flip through pages of testosterone-fuelled rage; and pretty much every other lifestyle magazine f...

We can’t be sure if you heard the news, but late last year, senate bill S-214 hit the media. It’s a bill that, if passed by both the senate and the House of Commons, would eliminate the use of animals in testing cosmetic products in Canada. We all cheered because it’s a huge win for the animals. But we also had a good think about it – because why are we still testing cosmetics on animals in the se...

Last month there was a lot of hubbub in wildlife and animal welfare circles about two big legal news items: Quebec creating legislation to recognize animals as sentient beings, and the case against a woman whose business is to raise wolves in a petting zoo – then sell their fur when they die. In our first episode of 2016, we’re bringing you interviews recorded in December that cover both of these...

While recording this year’s special Christmas episode, a surprising phone call came in on the Defender Radio hotline. A reindeer named Agnes (yes, reindeer are Scottish, more on that in the episode) had reached out from the North Pole – with a threat to bring Christmas in Canada to a crashing halt due to how much fur she’d seen this year. Will Christmas be cancelled this week? Will children and ad...

Shock collars are inherently inhumane and potentially traumatizing devices used to illicit specific reactions from dogs. For a long time, their use was supported by trainers and veterinarians. But science and the massive combined experience of top trainers have shown them for what they really are – and revealed more effective, humane methods of training. The Ban Shock Collars movement was introduc...