Animal Friendly

Hamilton - or Hammy - is a beagle that was rescued from a research laboratory where he'd spent the first four years of his life. Melanie Kaplan adopted him and started on a journey to learn more about his past, as well as the broader world of animal research.

In her book - Lab Dog: A Beagle and His Human Investigate the Surprising World of Animal Research - she investigates the breeding and the use of beagles for biomedical re...

Wasseem Emam is the Director and Head of Research at Ethical Seafood Research. He holds advanced degrees in applied aquatic ecology and has spent over 15 years working iwth various organisations across the fisheries and aquaculture sector. 

Drawing on this background, Wasseem recognised a critical gap: aquatic animals are the most numerically exploited yet the least protected animals in the food systems, particularly in low- a...

Laura Broxson has been deeply involved in Ireland’s animal rights movement for over two decades. They founded NARA – the National Animal Rights Association - in 2007. This is a voluntary, vegan animal rights group, working towards a world where animals are free from use, abuse, and exploitation. 

In 2019, they successfully brought about a ban on fur farming in Ireland with a multifaceted strategy which involved und...

Harper Garrison is a high school student from Austin, Texas. She raised a lamb (who she named Onion!) through the Future Farmers of America (FFA) program. They soon formed a bond and Harper began to question Onion's fate; to be returned to the farm at the end of the program where she would be used as a 'breeder' and then sent to slaughter, once she was no longer profitable.

Harper got help from LEAP (Leaders for Ethics, Animals and...

Jack Morley has a background in media and advertising and he is now using those creative skills to illustrate and convey the beauty of Irish nature and wildlife, as well as some of the many challenges facing our native plants, insects, birds, fish and mammals.

He wants to amplify the stories of the people around the country who are making efforts to restore and revitalise our natural environment and he blends history, botany, ecolo...

Billie Talyn Groom has worked with a wide variety of dogs for over three decades. She is an award-winning behavioural therapist as well as an author, a podcaster, a TEDx speaker and the founder of the Institute of Canine Psychotherapy.

The Institute is an online educational platform which allows anyone to learn Canine Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, a method developed by Billie and one which can be applied to any dog over the age of...

Project Wild is a wildlife media company that promotes ethical wildlife tourism by showcasing the organisations that bring tourists and wildlife together in a way that respects the animals’ natural behaviours.

I was delighted to talk to the founder, Connie Needham, about her years of experience in wildlife conservation and her studies in anthrozoology that led her to set up Project Wild. 

With thousands of followers and ...

Kate Galli is a vegan health coach, author and master podcaster - with over 900 episodes of her podcast, Healthification.

Listen in as we discuss how she draws inspiration from her guests, the painful pathway that led to her intention to lead with love, compassion and deliciousness, as well as some of her tips for defining your goals, dealing with overwhelm and developing confidence and consistency in your life.   

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FarmKind are on a mission to help people who love animals to help the animals most in need: those in factory farms. 

They identify charities with the best track record of making farming kinder and help introduce them to you, the potential donor, with the aim of making your donation do as much good as it possibly can. 

Thom Norman - one of the co-founders of FarmKind - spoke on the podcast about reaching out to their growi...

It's that time when we start getting ready for one of the biggest festive celebrations of the year! 

It's not what you think...I'm talking about Veganuary! 

Veganuary is a celebration of veganism that happens in January (and throughout the year) and it's going from strength to strength. People from over 228 countries and territories have taken part and more than 2,100 new vegan products and menu items were launched for Ve...

If you're thinking, hmm, I've never heard the word philzoothropy before, you're right!

It's a totally new word. 

Philzoothropy is a love of animals, especially as shown by contributing time, money, influence etc to their general welfare. It's a new take on an existing word (philanthropy) and makes us think about how we can spend money in more intelligent ways, that helps both animals and humans. 

Sound clip taken from: MA...

When millions of people were forced to flee their homes due to the invasion of Ukraine, they were unable to take their companion animals with them. An estimated one million dogs and cats were left homeless and living on the streets.

Dan Fine heard about this from a Ukrainian friend in Vancouver, and he was moved to help.

He teamed up with volunteers and animal charities to organise missions to vaccinate and sterilise these stray pe...

In this episode I was joined by Pei Feng Su, the founder of ACTAsia, to talk about her autobiography which has just been published.

Life of Pei: The Battle for Compassion takes us through Pei’s life from traumatic teenage years to her investigative work with the World Society for the Protection of Animals to the founding of ACTAsia, which aims to promote compassion for animals, people and the environment through visionary edu...

Julius Kirumira is a young vegan advocate from Uganda, who set up the organisation, Vegan Planet Africa, in 2019. They are committed to spreading awareness about the benefits of a plant-based lifestyle; not just as a dietary choice but as a conscious decision that aligns with their values of compassion, health and sustainability.

We talked about his dog, Max, who first inspired him to seek justice for animals; about the various pro...

Dog Advocacy Ireland is a dedicated group that campaigns for meaningful change regarding dog welfare protection in Ireland.

There are thousands of dogs in puppy farms all around Ireland, to the extent that we are known as the puppy farm capital of Europe. These dogs lead utterly miserable lives while their pups are easily bought and then discarded after a few months or years.

It is left to the Irish animal rescue groups to deal wit...

Eurogroup for Animals brings together 98 animal protection organisations with the aim of providing a voice for animals in the European Parliament. Their work encompasses many areas of concern, such as, animal use in science, trade and animal welfare, aquatic animals, wildlife, equines, farm animals and much more. 

In this episode I talked to their CEO, Reineke Hameleers, about four main topics; the current state of animal welf...

Mark Randell retired from the police as a Detective Inspector and has since dedicated his life to preventing animal crime, abuse and exploitation through education and investigation.

His organisation – Hidden in Sight – helps law enforcement and animal groups investigate abuse, as well as training police around the world to integrate animal welfare protection into their work of safekeeping the community.

He is also camp...

Welcome to the first native wild bee sanctuary on the planet, nestled in the south-east of Ireland. 

I talk to Paul Handrick about the process of setting up a bee sanctuary, and what needs to be done to rescue the wild native bees of Ireland, and restore our wider environment in the process.

We talk about letting gardens go wild; about farmers caught in an unsustainable system and their desire to restore the countryside to for...

Based on personal experience - sadly - this episode talks about the efforts made to try and find a lost cat; meandering around topics like the kindness of strangers, labyrinths, Yeats and Schrodinger's Cat. 

The cat in question, Goldie, hasn't been found yet - this episdoe will be updated if/when he ever is.

FOUND!!! Goldie was found after 14 months of living as a stray and is now home, eating and playing and sleeping like not...