Freedom of Species

Hayden, Katie, Nick and Moo Moo discuss Reddit stories through a vegan lens, focusing on the social aspects of veganism. The stories are from Am I The Asshole, Confessions and Vegan sub-Reddits.   Links: Happy Cow’s Top 25 Vegan-Friendly Cities 2025: https://www.happycow.net/vegtopics/travel/top-vegan-friendly-cities Vegan Australia’s 12 Days of Vegan Christmas campaign – check it out for tips, gi...

Why do we overlook insects so often? In this show we decided to focus on insects for a change. Our guest Alex Hill is doing his PhD research on human insect relationships. We discuss why people including animal advocates and vegans do not consider insects much at all. We have a short quiz on insects, we talk about the threat of insect extinction and look into the details about different species of...

This show features Ruby Ramsden on her PhD research on vegan activism in Japan. Some of the specific topics covered are: barriers to eating vegan in Japan, Ruby’s vegan/animal journey, “insider” and “outsider” research, a history of veganism and animal consumption in Japan, and tactical vegan advocacy.   You can look further into Ruby’s work by checking out her article Veganism in Japan: How ‘soft...

 In this episode Meg interviews Rachel from Animal-Free Science Advocacy (AFSA), a not for profit organisation dedicated to advocating for the removal of animals from experimental science.  We talk about AFSA's efforts to facilitate a culture of animal free alternatives in research, experimentation and training, and how this relates to the evolution of non animal experimental models of all kinds. ...

Katie and Nick discuss well-known vegan spiritual figure Supreme Master Ching Hai supporting Donald Trump. We use this as a starting point to cover broader issues around connections between spiritual/wellness movements, including some vegans, and the far-right. This broader discussion draws on Naomi Klein’s book Doppelganger: A Trip into the Mirror World.  Links: We’re releasing this show as two s...

Katie and Nick analyse the book and movie Uglies through an animal rights lens. The movie is streaming on Netflix but Katie recommends the book over the movie!  We’re releasing this show as two separate podcasts. You can hear part two of this show, covering wellness/spiritual people including some vegans supporting Donald Trump, via our website and a range of podcast apps: https://www.3cr.org.au/f...

  In this show, Meg and Caroline discuss the history of companion animals and pethood and the ethical dilemmas this can raise.   Music we played:       Strange Fruit by Billie Holliday       This is America by Childish Gambino       Gibson Girl by Ethel Cain       We also highlighted the work of  Melbourne Activist Legal Support (MALS). MALS is an all-volunteer organisation that provides training...

 Food Empowerment Project (F.E.P) is a volunteer-based non-profit organization focused on veganism and food justice.  F.E.P's mission to to create a more just and sustainable world by recognising the power of one's food choices. They encourage healthy good choices that reflect a more compassionate sociert by spotlightin the abuse of animals on farms, the depletion of natural resources, unfair work...

  On this show, we play the recording of a recent panel discussion, "One Year In: Reflections and the Ongoing Resistance" held on September 28, 2024 and hosted by Dr Leila Dehghan. In this conversation, the panel reflect on the televised genocide of the Palestinians, the silence within the vegan and animal rights movement, and discuss actionable steps for moving forward in solidarity. This panel d...

 We need to talk about an issue that doesn't get as much discussion as it needs. It's a particularly important topic right now with the state of the world and the exhaustion some activists are feeling.  Today we are talking about activist burnout, what it means, how we get to this point and what both the individual activist and the justice movements as a whole can do to prevent it happening and cr...

 Sometimes if we take a look at how animals were percieved in the past, it can give us new insight into our perceptions of animals today.  Join Meg and Trev to discuss how people in Medieval times in Europe perceived animals wild, domesticated and fantastical. We look at how the dominant paradigms of the times (Paganism and Christianity) affected how different animals were treated, the unique rela...

Katie, Lottie and Nick go through common characteristics of cults and whether any of them apply to veganism. For those that do, we also discuss if they apply just to some vegans, or are inherent to veganism. Throughout the show, we draw on Katie’s childhood experiences in a cult, Amanda Montell’s book Cultish and the podcast episode ‘The Cult of Veganism’ by Sounds Like A Cult.  Links: Amanda Mont...

Julia, Lottie, Trev and Nick discuss effective altruism – donating to organisations that do the greatest good. We cover animals being sidelined in some EA resources and we evaluate the evaluations of the most effective animal charities.  Links: Animal Charity Evaluators: https://animalcharityevaluators.org/blog/recommended-charity-fund-update-july-2024/ Effective Altruism Australia: https://effect...

   On this show we discuss Disrupt Land Forces, the coalition of community groups who created a week long festival of resistance bringing diverse actionists and tactics into the joined struggle against the arms trade.   Land Forces is the largest land based weapons expo in the Southern Hemisphere, and it was held at the Melbourne Exhibition and Convention Centre in Naarm/Melbourne in September 202...

In today’s show Betty and Trev take us through the diverse ecosystems of Palestine, the meeting point of three continents. We discuss the agricultural history and the impact of Zionist occupation and land use changes on the landscapes and animals of Palestine.  Music played:Rasha Nahas 'Desert' - https://rashanahas.bandcamp.com/album/desertDaniel Kahn 'Oy, Ir Narishe Tsienistn' - https://aurismedi...

     On this show we welcome back Zane McNeill to discuss their new edited collection: Building Multispecies Resistance Against Exploitation: Stories from the Frontline of Labor and Animal Rights (published by Peter Lang, 2024). This incredible collection of contributions from activists and scholars about the structures of violence and oppression that are shared by human and non-human labourers wo...

Would aliens treat us the way we treat animals? If aliens landed today and we made first contact, what would be the outcome for us? Could we justify expecting compassionate treatment from a technologically superior civilisation when we ourselves cannot show this compassion for those we see as inferior?  Meg delves into the idea of first contact in all its manifestations, how this might go for us,...

  Trigger warning: this show includes discussion about violence, drugs, and suicide.  On this show we discuss prison abolition, the links to animal rights, and abolitionist alternatives.   Links: Angela Y. Davis's book: Are Prisons Obsolete? https://www.akpress.org/areprisonsobsolete.html Clementine Morrigan substack blog: https://www.clementinemorrigan.com/ Clementine Morrigan Instagram: https://...

In light of the recent legislation to end Australia's live sheep trade by May 2028, Nick and Adam reflect on the history of the stop live export campaign. More specifically, the show covers: alliances between animal activists and slaughterhouse workers, “animal nationalism” and debates about the campaign within the movement. We discuss what animal activists can learn from this history, regardless...

 On today’s Freedom of species show, Meg takes you on a journey of the mind, tackling the all pervasive idea that humans are the most important species on the planet. We look at the history of this paradigm, and how it influences all aspects of our society and drives our activities of progress and expansion, and the ways this has been disastrous to the animals that share our planet and the natural...

 Meg and guest Lydia Lobb discuss just how pervasive and insidious animal exploitation paradigms are in our education systems at all levels. From kinder milk programs to rodeo fundraisers and free fishing rods, animal exploitation seems to be baked into our education system in Australia. We talk about many examples and the difficulties of navigating the system when raising compassionate kids.  Hav...

In today’s show, Betty and Nick launch into part 2 about the animals and ecosystems in and around the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We share some history of how and why the DMZ barrier was reinforced and the relationship between landmines, the ecology and civilians in the area. We share the story of how a pre-industrial rice paddy irrigation pond is providing habitats for a variety of species and why...

In today’s show Betty and Trev talk about the accidental wildlife reserve that has emerged inside the Korean Demilitarized Zone. We talk about the history leading up to Korea’s national division and the story of a bird that connected a separated family by flying over the border. We finish with the story of some unexpected WWII heroes from the Tiwi Islands. Tune in next week for Part 2. Book refere...

 Our political, societal and legislative landscape is changed by the information whistleblowers and activists bring to light, and in the current legal and political system, they often do this at great cost to themselves and their families.  In today's show, Meg and Trev explore what this means for the activists who collect and disseminate footage from slaughterhouses, farms and other locations wit...

 Today Trev welcomes new presenter Betty Melon to the Freedom of Species team. Betty shares her reluctant journey to veganism and her history of animal advocacy. We introduce the meaning of the Anthropocene, a geologic time period defined by human activity and we discuss the implications of national borders and militarisation on wildlife and nature. We finish with a discussion of American imperial...