It’s a common saying, that animals have no voice. But they do – they can be quite proficient at communicating their needs. It’s more that humans have forgotten how to listen. This is a reality Ellie Lamb, bear viewing guide and educator, encounters often in her work.

Black bears are found across Canada, but one of their largest populations exists within British Columbia. Despite all that is known about bears and how to prevent negative encounters, thousands of them are killed in British Columbia annually by the BC Conservation Officer Service, often for accessing anthropogenic, or human-created attractants and food sources. Talking to bears – or more particularly learning how to listen to them – can be a significant step in preventing such outcomes for bears, and lead to successful coexistence.

Defender Radio was joined by Ellie Lamb to discuss black bears in British Columbia, what it means to talk and listen to bears, and how coexistence can be successful in communities.

SHOW NOTES & LINKS

You can find Ellie Lamb on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100033726425739

More information about BC black bears, how to coexist, and current actions from The Fur-Bearers can be seen at: https://www.thefurbearers.com/bcblackbears. 

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

The Switch is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Two fur farms in Quebec are at the centre of a complaint filed by Animal Justice after they received images from We Animals Media. The photos, captured in August 2022, show deplorable conditions for mink and foxes. The Montreal SPCA has initiated a call for a ban on fur farming in Quebec and are setting up inherently inhumane fur farms as an election issue in the province.

Camille Labchuk, executive director of animal law non-profit Animal Justice joined Defender Radio to discuss the situation in Quebec, what the images revealed, how various organizations are pushing for change, and what individuals can do to make a difference.

Show Notes and Links:

Animal Justice Article on Quebec Fur Farms: https://animaljustice.ca/blog/quebec-fur-farm-photos-show-suffering-foxes-mink

We Animals Media Photo Gallery: https://tinyurl.com/yc245upv

Montreal SPCA action page in French: https://www.spca.com/fermes-a-fourrure-images/

Montreal SPCA action page in English: https://www.spca.com/en/fur-farms-images/

The Fur-Bearers Article on Quebec Fur Farms: https://thefurbearers.com/blog/animal-justice-submits-complaint-to-investigate-quebec-fur-farms/

The Fur-Bearers National Fur Farming Toolkit: https://thefurbearers.com/our-work/make-fur-history/fur-farming/act-against-fur-farming/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Farmed animal sanctuaries are a place of healing and hope. But the creation and management of a farmed animal sanctuary can be an overwhelming process with lives at stake. Sarien and Hugo Slabbert in 2019 started the charitable People Ensuring Animal Care Exists, or P.E.A.C.E., to provide vital resources in Western Canada.

P.E.A.C.E. provides rescue support, resources for sanctuaries and their volunteers, and humane education for the public. They even have a podcast – Equilibrium by P.E.A.C.E. – to discuss issues from the perspective of farmed animal sanctuaries.

To share the story of P.E.A.C.E., the importance of sustainable sanctuaries, and how everyone can make a difference for their local farmed animal sanctuary, Sarien Slabbert recently joined Defender Radio.

LINKS:

Get in touch with Sarien and Hugo at P.E.A.C.E. Canada at https://peacecanada.org. 

Check out the Equilibrium by P.E.A.C.E. podcast at https://peacecanada.org/equilibrium-by-peace-podcast/ or by finding it wherever you listen.

P.E.A.C.E. Canada on Instagram: https://www.secure.instagram.com/peacecanadaorg/

P.E.A.C.E. Canada on Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/peacecanadaorg/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Rewilding the world is an important step in combating climate change; recreating ecosystems and habitat can’t happen soon enough. Fortunately, a lot of solutions are already available – including the Miyawaki Method of using mini-forests to reforest the world.

Mini-Forest Revolution: Using the Miyawaki Method to Rapidly Rewild The World was released in June 2022 by Chelsea Green Publishing. Author Hannah Lewis shares the ins and outs of what the Miyawaki Method looks like through stories of communities who have built mini-forests, supporting science, and past writings and conversations with the late Akira Miyawaki, who developed this method.

The book is a journey of knowledge and solutions, and one that will be loved by readers who enjoy biographies, nature journals, or just want to learn about a reliable climate solution.

Author Hannah Lewis joined Defender Radio to discuss writing the book, why the Miyawaki Method matters, and how people all over the world can help kick-start the mini-forest revolution.

Photo of a mini-forest in Indiana used for episode art, as depicted in the book, by Dan Grady.

Links and Show Notes:

Find Mini-Forest Revolution on Amazon (https://amzn.to/3cAnL0N), Chapters Indigo (https://bit.ly/3B43NWl), direct from publisher at ChelseaGreen.com (https://www.chelseagreen.com/product/mini-forest-revolution/) or your local book seller.

Learn more about Hannah Lewis on her website at https://www.hannahlewis.org/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

The Switch is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Content/Trigger Warning: This episode discusses subjects of burnout, self-care, self-harm, suicide, and mental health.

I recently connected with Stephanie McMahon, a registered psychotherapist in Ontario, who happens to also be a wildlife rehabilitation centre volunteer, to talk about what burnout is and how it impacts individuals, what clearing space for self-care looks like, and how we can all ask for help when we need it.

This week we’re talking about self-care and burnout, and that means difficult conversations regarding mental health, self-harm, suicide, and what it looks like to ask for help. If you need immediate help because you’re feeling you may harm yourself or others, please contact emergency services in your area. If you’re in Canada visit talksuicide.ca or call 1-833-456-4566 to connect with crisis responders.

The content of this episode is not and should be not considered therapy or a replacement for speaking to a healthcare professional about mental health. A number of links to resources by province are available in the show notes for this episode at DefenderRadio.com.

If you’re not able to listen to this episode right now – don’t. It’s really, really okay, I promise.

Links:

Stephanie McMahon's PsychologyToday.com profile:

https://www.psychologytoday.com/ca/therapists/stephanie-mcmahon-north-bay-on/894131

Talk Suicide Canada: https://talksuicide.ca/

Kids Help Phone: https://kidshelpphone.ca/

Mental health resources via Canada.ca, including provincial lists of services: https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/mental-health-services/mental-health-get-help.html

The Song Mike Talks About: Set Ourselves Free by The Wild (YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ5NVviEEAg)

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

The Switch is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

If a tool existed that would reduce negative encounters with wildlife in your municipality, would you implement it? I think most listeners would – and a toolkit is now available that can actively help residents do just that.

The Wildlife Attractant By-law Toolkit was developed by Serratus Wildlife Services for the Get Bear Smart Society. It's a comprehensive document that can help municipalities across Canada easily and affordably introduce attractant management by-laws. Such by-laws act as an educational tool as well as an enforcement option and can improve outcomes for wildlife by identifying and treating a core issue: attractant management.

To explain the toolkit, why by-laws are an essential tool for municipalities, and what it can look like for residents or community leaders to use the document, Defender Radio was joined by toolkit author Meg Toom of Serratus Wildlife Services.

LINKS:

Get Bear Smart Society's Toolkit Page: https://www.bearsmart.com/featured-post/bylaws-save-bears/

By-law toolkit empowers communities (Article): https://thefurbearers.com/blog/new-wildlife-bylaw-toolkit-empowers-communities/

Meg Toom of Serratus Wildlife Services on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meg-toom-64242510a/

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

The Switch is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree). 

Rodents – mice, rats, squirrels and the like – are found all across Canada. At some point, pretty much every homeowner or building owner will be confronted by two little eyes and a twitchy nose, and need a solution. For a long time, rodenticides – poisons targeting rodents – have been the norm. But the issues relating to welfare of animals and secondary poisoning have prompted many jurisdictions to implement bans on second generation anticoagulant rodenticides and others.

British Columbia is considering heavily restricting their use – and an opportunity for citizen engagement on this is available until June 19, 2022. To discuss rodenticides, the proposed regulatory changes, and what alternatives exist, the BC SPCA’s Erin Ryan joined Defender Radio.

LINKS:

• BC SPCA news release on rodenticide Intentions Paper
• AnimalKind accreditation program
• Resources for municipalities
• How to rodent-proof your home
• Erin's MSc thesis

Want to suggest topics for Defender Radio? Reach out to us at DefenderRadio@Gmail.com, by visiting DefenderRadio.com or engaging host Michael Howie on social media via Instagram (www.instagram.com/howiemichael), TikTok (www.tiktok.com/@howiemichael) or Facebook (www.Facebook.com/DefenderRadio). 

Defender Radio is produced by The Fur-Bearers (www.TheFurBearers.com), a charitable non-partisan organization whose mandate is to advocate on behalf of fur-bearing animals in the wild and in confinement, promote coexistence solutions in communities and protect the habitats of fur-bearing animals across Canada. You can follow The Fur-Bearers on Instagram (www.instagram.com/furbearers), Twitter (www.twitter.com/furbearers) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FurFree).