Dr. Richard D. Ryder coined the term "speciesism" in the late 1960s at a time when there were new terms such as "racism" and "sexism" more widely beginning to permeate the culture, describing a prejudice based on morally insignificant traits. This concept started to bounce around a small group of intellectuals at the University of Oxford, including the young philosopher Peter Singer, who would go on to popularize the term in his transformative book "Animal Liberation." Ryder had originally agreed to be a cowriter along with Singer, but pulled out with other work at the time. But his influence on "Animal Liberation" was significant. It was, in fact, this intellectual framework thus described beautifully in the opening monologue of the documentary "Earthlings" which led to my discovery of animal rights and directly changed the course of my life. Put simply, I am doing what I am doing today in large part due to the groundwork laid by Richard.And in fact, it was Peter Singer who graciously made the introduction to Richard at my request. I didn't know at the time how opportune a moment it was to be asking, as Peter alerted me to Richard's new book "The Ban on Hunting with Hounds and Other Campaigns Against Speciesism." Richard explained that this book would describe the massive campaign against hound hunting while simultaneously serving as a sort of autobiography. He said it would probably be his last book. The book is set to be released on December 8th. It was a real honor and treat to be able to speak with him about it, and to meet a man who gave voice to the animals throughout his entire life and indirectly changed the course of mine. Thank you, Richard.This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:Richard's author page on AmazonWatch Earthlings

Melanie Kaplan's new book "Lab Dog" is a crowning achievement. The book is a story of Melanie's research project she undertook with her co-pilot beagle Hammy, the titular "lab dog" himself. It was to find out where Hammy came from and what had been done to him. That project ballooned into an incredibly well-researched exposé into the world of animal testing. And while she obviously had "Hammy bias," as she put it, this is a work of journalism, looking at multiple viewpoints and facets. It sort of blew my mind how little I actually knew about the subject and learned from this book. It was a joy to speak to Melanie and I hope everyone reads "Lab Dog." A blurb on the cover from Jane Goodall calls it "remarkable" and I tend to agree.This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:Melanie's website"Lab Dog" on AmazonHammy on IGMelanie on FBWatch DominionWatch Earthlings

It would be impossible for me to capture in words the amount of gratitude I feel towards Ingrid Newkirk. The co-founder of PETA is simply a giant of the animal liberation movement. It could be argued that everything I do as an animal rights activist can be traced back in some way to Ingrid laying the groundwork. On August 1st, PETA announced that Ingrid would be stepping aside as president and remaining on as PETA's principal (which she said would change her day-to-day very little). Tracy Reiman was named PETA's new president. PETA and Ingrid are no stranger to criticism. While some of those critiques have some merit to them, I find most of them to be absurd. Speaking for myself, I can only say that Ingrid's dedication is a massive inspiration to me, something to strive to equal or exceed. A question I am constantly asking myself is: Am I making the world a better place for animals? Or: Has my presence on this planet been a net positive or a net negative? I don't know the answer to these questions, but I can confidently say that the world is a better place because of Ingrid Newkirk. Thank you, Ingrid. This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:PETAPETA YouTubePETA IGPETA FBPETA TikTokPETA BlueSky"I Am An Animal"Watch EarthlingsWatch Dominion

An amazing thing happened last month when it was reported that the infamous Ridglan Farms would be losing its license to breed beagles to sell for animal testing. That closure would end at least that portion of the operations of the second largest beagle breeder (with Marshall BioResources in upstate New York the largest) for cruel and inhumane tests on dogs. While credit for this huge leap forward goes to many people, the local group Dane4Dogs was instrumental and so I brought Dane4Dogs president Rebekah Robinson on to chat about it.Rebekah is an incredible activist. And it's not hard to see why Ridglan had their hands full with Rebekah. Her background is with the U.S. Army and she worked at the Pentagon for over a decade. After Wayne Hsiung staged a daring rescue of three beagles from the Dane County, Wisconsin breeder in 2018, Rebekah was inspired to start the group Dane4Dogs, which kept the relentless focus on Ridglan that ultimately led to where we are today. I have a huge amount of gratitude towards her for all her work to save those beagles, and really enjoyed this episode.This conversation is also available on YouTube. Links:Dane4Dogs FBDane4Dogs websiteDane4Dogs IGWayne Hsiung substackWayne's YouTubeThe Marty Project FBAlliance for AnimalsRise for AnimalsAnimal Wellness Action

For the same reason beagles are beloved family members to so many, they are exploited by researchers. Their docile, trusting and forgiving nature makes them the unfortunate targets of a callous industry that regards them as a means to an end. This horrific practice is not known by a large segment of the public, and Fiaz Ahmed is out to change that with his upcoming documentary Born on Death Row.Fiaz is a first-time filmmaker who embodies the spirit championed on this channel of TRY. I find it incredibly inspiring that he had the courage to step up, despite the nagging doubts we all feel such as: am I good enough? I hope this podcast answers that question with a resounding Yes. Fiaz is deeply thoughtful, articulate, and hard-working. And I can't wait what he and his co-director wife Jacqui come up with, and I hope the end product moves us closer to abolishing this barbaric industry.This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:Support the FilmBODR YouTubeBODR websiteBODR IGReal Media YouTubeReal Media IG

There's been a flurry of wins in the last few weeks for the grassroots animal liberation movement. Most notably: Vogue publisher Condé Nast will no longer promote fur across all their publications. Just days after that monumental win, Omni Hotels announced they will drop foie gras across their vast hotel chain. There are many people to thank for the win, but unquestionably, the main drivers were Animal Activism Collective and the Duck Alliance. That was a great opportunity to bring back to the podcast my buddy Trey at AAC. I'm a huge Trey-head. Not that it's a competition, but I put Trey right in the top tier of animal rights activists. Part of it is that some of our very formative moments in activism were together, but also that I see the huge and growing number of wins that AAC is able to facilitate. It's hugely inspiring and I feel really honored anytime I'm around the guy, much less have him on the podcast. This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:AAC on YouTubeAAC's WebsiteDonate to AACAAC on IGAAC on FBAAC on TikTokDuck Alliance IGDuck Alliance LinktreeCAFTCAFT IGICAWICAW IGWatch DominionWatch Earthlings

The Animal Liberation Front is a fascinating study. The leaderless, amorphous group of mostly young people carrying out raids on laboratories and fur farms, rescuing animals and inflicting economic sabotage, was most active in the 80's and 90's. It's incredible to learn how desperately intense the struggle for animal liberation was since before I was even born. Around 50 years since it was formed, the founder of the ALF, Ronnie Lee, is still fighting for animals. And it was such a joy to speak with him.Ronnie comes across to me as incredibly gregarious, generous and thoughtful. I learned a huge amount from Jon Hochschartner's biography of Ronnie, and what stood out to me the most was his bravery and initiative. Ronnie wasn't waiting around for anyone to organize for the animals, he did it himself. And it was that DIY ethos that was the ALF. Ronnie paid the price of his struggle with 3 prison stints, but he has never let that stop him. Even as others have come and gone through the movement for the animals, Ronnie has stayed on. It was really fascinating to hear Ronnie recount some of those notable moments, and I hope you enjoy this interview as much as I did.This conversation is also available on YouTube.Links:Ronnie's FBRonnie's biography"The Animals Film"Ronnie's band Total Attack"Shake Some Action"Watch DominionWatch Earthlings

In a major development, Condé Nast announced they were no longer going to promote new fur in any of their publications, which includes Vogue Magazine. This came after a nearly year long campaign by the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT). It could be a major turning point in the culture of fashion and another nail in the coffin of the fur industry.When news of this broke, I reached out to Lauren at CAFT to invite her on the podcast. Lauren and CAFT have been great partners over the last few years to myself and other groups I've been involved with. Something really beautiful has been happening lately in the animal rights movement. A movement that unfortunately is often beset by great divisons, there have been recent sparks of collaboration. One partnership has been especially fruitful: the one between CAFT and Animal Activism Collective, who have teamed up to boost each other's campaigns, and in so doing, scoring dramatic wins against the fur industry. That in turn has sparked collaborations with other groups, notably the International Council for Animal Welfare (ICAW). These collaborations are animal exploitation industry's worst nightmare. When we work together, there is nothing we cannot achieve.Fur is no longer in Vogue. It's because of activists like Lauren and the hundreds of others who took part. Next up: Berluti.

This conversation is also available on YouTube.

Links:

CAFT websiteCAFT newsletterCAFT IGCAFT YouTubeAAC LinktreeAAC YouTubeICAWWatch EarthlingsWatch Dominion