Defender Radio and The Switch

I’m a bit late with this week’s episode but I have a good excuse – last week I had surgery on my sinuses, a procedure that will help me breathe – and talk – without complications for the first time in several years. You’ll be hearing a whole lot more of me – whether you like it or not. On top of that solid excuse, I’ve also got some incredible news that makes the wait worthwhile: we’re going to br...

It’s hard to describe the frustration I felt when I saw the announcement from the Ministry of Natural Resources here in Ontario – the spring bear hunt will be extended, expanded across the province. A little over two years ago I felt a similar level of frustration as the government said they would introduce a two-year pilot project of a spring hunt, which was cancelled in 1999, to try and curb hum...

We have a new Prime Minister, new Members of Parliament, and a new cabinet. What does it all mean for the animals? It’s hard to make a clear distinction. On one hand, we have a PMO that already seems more open and transparent than it has for the past 10 years; on the other, we have a Prime Minister who’s a little too fond of his Canada Goose coyote fur-trimmed parka. We have gender equality in the...

Following our break for the 2015 Living With Wildlife Conference, we’re getting back into it with a tough situation facing bears – and those who want to protect them – in Whistler, British Columbia. An unprecedented food shortage has affected the behaviour of the bears, who through September and October are looking for calories anywhere they can be found. As a result of this unique situation, Sylv...

Thanksgiving has passed and we know what we’re thankful for: Living With Wildlife 2015 is finally here! This Friday, October 16, we’re bringing together some of the top experts on wildlife, conservation, and co-existence in Vancouver for our fifth annual conference. I was lucky enough to catch time with two of our presenters prior to the event: the BC SPCA’s top scientist Dr. Sara Dubois, as well...

Wolf week begins on October 12, and this year, the wolves could certainly use your help. Two massive culling programs are underway in western Canada, horrific traps remain legal, and many people still have a culturally-instilled fear of these keystone canids. But these beautiful, family-oriented creatures play an integral role in our ecosystems, and there is much we can do to help them. To help di...

She’s travelled the world under the National Geographic Explorer banner; she’s created paintings that have defined movements for animal welfare; she’s designed Fabergé eggs that helped support anti-poaching efforts; and she’s coming to the 2015 Living With Wildlife conference in Vancouver. Asher Jay is a designer, artist, writer, and activist who uses creative concepts and design to advance animal...

We’re officially four weeks out from the election today and the excitement is getting… well, it’s pretty much the same as it was. But we’re excited here at The Fur-Bearers because MLA for Vancouver West-End Spencer Chandra Herbert recently sat down with our executive director Lesley Fox to talk about issues facing fur-bearing animals in BC. As the official opposition’s critic to the Minister of th...

International pop star Miley Cyrus visited the Great Bear Rainforest in BC with her brother to learn more about the controversial wolf cull and trophy hunting of grizzly bears. Her weekend sojourn was spent with advocates from the Kitasoo/Xais’Xai First Nation, scientists, and staffers from Pacific Wild. Cyrus spoke to media extensively following her visit, noting that her previous passion to end...

We’re another week closer to the general election in Canada and the rhetoric is flying fast and furious. But despite the ongoing coverage of the election, subjects relating to the environment and particularly to wildlife has been somewhere between minimal and non-existent. Does this mean that wildlife and the environment aren’t going to be campaign issues, or that the electorate doesn’t care? It’s...

Millions of our homes – at least half of all those in Canada – are shared with a four-legged friend. As a nation we spend billions of dollars on our pets, and most of us consider our larger pets – dogs and cats – to be members of the family. Despite this, there are a lot of gaps in legislation protecting our pets, including how we train them. One highly controversial method of dog training include...

Animal lovers know how frustrating politics can be, particularly during an election campaign. Despite the fact that the majority of Canadians have companion animals in their homes, and that the humane treatment of animals and their habitats is a priority for many voters, these issues rarely make it onto the floor of the House of Commons. And the folks at Animal Justice Canada Legislative Fund want...

Predator control is a nasty business. Millions of animals are killed each year around the country to protect livestock, ecosystems and, depending on who you listen to, children. The problem with this entire system of treating predators as the bad guy is that we’re missing the biggest and the baddest of them all: us. In a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Science, researchers from the Ra...

We’re taking you into the world of animal law on this episode, featuring two major cases in the United States whose outcomes could very well change wildlife policy across the country. The WildEarth Guardians are celebrating a victory in appeals court from earlier this month, which allows their legal action against the notorious Wildlife Service program of the USDA to move forward. And in the easte...

From swift fox introduction to rehabilitation of baby bears, the Cochrane Ecological Institute and Cochrane Wildlife Reserve Society has done it all. Their resume of education, research and protecting Alberta’s biodiversity has given them a reliable and authoritative voice on all matters of wildlife policy and planning. But the government has ignored their pleas over a barbaric program that sees b...

Most have us have been able to agree that the plan to cull wolves in British Columbia in order to protect endangered caribou herds is a bad idea – particularly since the wolves aren’t responsible for the plummeting population numbers of the caribou. But the government has not only pursued this plan with vigor, they’ve quietly stated it will be an annual slaughter for wolves for at least five years...

The world has been talking about the tragic death of a big cat in Africa this week. But there are many other species of big cats – and some are right here at home and in need of our protection. At the front lines of protecting these fur-bearers is Panthera, the global wild cat conservation organization that specializes in research, habitat conservation and policies to protect the big cats of the w...

For over 120 years, the gray wolf had been absent from the state of California. Extermination programs, recreational hunting, trapping for fur, and habitat loss, drove the populations down and out until they were extirpated. That is until OR-7. The gray wolf, known internationally by his scientific tag designation, ventured over 1,500 kilometres from his pack in Rogue River, Oregon to the western...

The news – be it online, radio, television or print – can influence the world. One great photograph can show the heartbreak of a family and one well-written verse can bring down political empires. But most of the time, the news is just that – news. It’s the gathering and presenting of fact and opinion to the masses. Then there are the times in between, when the news is influencing policymakers and...

The mere mention of the Great White shark can give thrills and tremors to beachgoers, divers and surfers. When the news media picks up a story of a shark attack, we’re all subconsciously playing this infamous quote over and over in our minds: we’re going to need a bigger boat. But despite the seeming increase in the number of shark attacks, historical data shows that statistically, you’re still mo...

The ongoing saga of BC Conservation Officer Bryce Casavant and the two bear cubs he refused to kill has captured the attention of Canada – and the world. News outlets from as far away as Germany and the UK have been monitoring the story as it unfolds this week. And Defender Radio is pleased to bring you the unabridged interview with the man caring for the two cubs and speaking out on behalf of CO...

For thousands of years, humankind has studied the delicate interplay of species across the vast web of life. And for thousands of years, we’ve successfully screwed it right up. From the time of Aristotle to today’s grade one classrooms, understanding how ecosystems work has been a vital part of scientific study. But what we don’t know, or, more appropriately, what we can’t fully and accurately mea...

We wanted to have a week that focuses on good news – and that’s exactly what we’ve done. We connected with superstar lawyer Camille Labchuk to talk about Quebec’s new animal welfare legislation and what it means for the future of wildlife, animals in captivity and companion animals in la belle province. We also got in touch with Dr. Carrie Packwood Freeman, a cultural studies professor who special...

Uncomfortable discussions come up in the world of animal advocacy, just like any other field. But when we have our awkward conversations, there are often lives on the line. This week we’re going to look at two such topics: dogs in hot cars and seal penises. Dogs die every summer from coast-to-coast because they’re left in hot vehicles on warm days. We’ll be joined by Dr. Emilia Gordon of the BC SP...

When conflict arises between coyotes and humans, the coyotes typically get the short end of the stick. Trapping, hunting and all-out culls are always on the horizon when coyotes are involved in incidents. But, it’s not always a coyote who is responsible for perceived or actual conflict; sometimes it can be predatory birds, other terrestrial mammals like bears or raccoons, and it can even be domest...