Our Hen House

Wouldn’t it be great to have a single place laying out all the information and reasons behind animal rights? Well, now there is! This week, filmmaker Mark Devries joins us to discuss his new film, Humans and Other Animals, which aims to do just that. ABOUT OUR GUEST Mark DeVries is a documentary filmmaker whose award-winning work, including his prior film,…

What happens when you’ve dedicated your life to the family business and suddenly become vegan? This week, we are joined by Farah Shammas, who tells us all about how she has helped make her family’s resort hotel and the restaurants therein into a vegan-friendly oasis. She also dishes on the vegan scene in Cyprus and tells us about her books! ABOUT…

This week, we try something completely new as Jasmin and Mariann discuss recent happenings. Tune in for the latest animal rights and vegan news in pop culture, potlucks, activism, climate, rising anxieties, and also some wins from the movement! RESOURCES Danish livestock farmers to be taxed for cow and pig-made greenhouse gases Renowned Plant-Based Physician Dr John McDougall Dies Aged 77…

How can we do the most good for animals with the resources available to us? This week, we are joined by author and vegan bodybuilder Robert Cheeke to discuss the answers to that question in his most recent book, The Impactful Vegan. ABOUT OUR GUEST Robert is the author of Vegan Bodybuilding & Fitness, Shred It!, Plant-Based Muscle, the New York…

What lessons are there to be learned by studying the history of the movement, and how can we apply those lessons to our activism today? This week, we are joined by Bill Wasik & Monica Murphy to discuss the research and writing of their book Our Kindred Creatures: How Americans Came to Feel the Way They Do About Animals. ABOUT OUR…

The question constantly on our minds is how to figure out the most effective ways to reach people regarding what is happening to animals and maybe even get them to stop eating them. Chris Bryant joins us this week to discuss the work of Bryant Research, a company conducting social science research to aid in the protein transition. ABOUT OUR GUEST…

Almost everyone loves an elephant. Or an orangutan. Or a tiger. So, how can we leverage that love to save the planet? This week, Leif Cocks joins us again to discuss his many projects that help protect forests, including The International Tiger Project. ABOUT OUR GUEST Leif Cocks is the Founder of Wildlife Conservation International, which incorporates The Orangutan Project, International…

We all wish for the superpower to understand what animals are communicating. This week, we are joined by biologist Mickey Pardo to discuss his work studying animal communication and social cognition in animals ranging from elephants to woodpeckers. ABOUT OUR GUEST Mickey Pardo is a biologist specializing in animal communication, animal cognition, and wildlife conservation. He earned his PhD from the…

Wouldn’t it be great if we could keep land from falling into the hands of animal agriculture and just give it to wild animals instead? That is exactly what the U.K.’s Vegan Land Movement is doing, and Gina Bates is here to tell us how they are doing it and why you should do it too. ABOUT OUR GUEST Following art…

Darwin was onto something. So how did scientists then go so completely wrong in understanding who animals really are, and where are we now? This week, we are joined by field biologist, professor, and author Marc Bekoff for a glimpse into The Emotional Lives of Animals. We also hear more about his friendship with Jane Goodall and how that led to…

How do we put farmed animals on the agenda for policymakers? This week, Gabriel Wildgen joins us to discuss the Animal Policy Alliance, a project of The Humane League that is working to connect state and local animal organizations across the US to each other and help them get what they need to compete with animal agriculture. ABOUT OUR GUEST Gabriel…

How did humans’ relationship with the other animals go so completely awry? The incomparable Jim Mason – author, lawyer, thinker, and animal rights OG – joins us to discuss his seminal work, An Unnatural Order: The Roots of Our Destruction of Nature, for a discussion about where humanity went wrong, why it matters now more than ever, and how we can…

Rescued animals at some sanctuaries are now facing a new hurdle before they can be truly safe: climate change. We are joined this week by Kathy Stevens of Catskill Animal Sanctuary to discuss this new challenge. ABOUT OUR GUEST Kathy Stevens is the co-founder and executive director of Catskill Animal Sanctuary. Since then, Catskill has saved more than 5,000 non-human individuals…

Humans’ relationships with the other creatures on this planet range from deep love to dreadful cruelty and everything in between. What are the roots of this confused and contradictory reality? This week, we are joined by Dr Pia Salk to discuss the mysteries of human psychology as it relates to animals. ABOUT OUR GUEST Pia Salk is a clinical psychologist and…

What does a night out at the theater (or theatre, in this case) have to do with activism? A whole lot if it’s up to Anastasia Bunce & Grace Howarth, who join us this week to discuss Patch Plays, the vegan troupe that is producing theater that pays attention to the lives, and deaths, of animals. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Grace Joy…

Everyone who lives with an animal would think it rather obvious that they dream, but believe it or not, this is not an accepted fact in the scientific community. This week, we speak with David Peña-Guzmán about his book When Animals Dream: The Hidden World of Animal Consciousness. ABOUT OUR GUEST David M. Peña-Guzmán is an associate professor of humanities at…

Horseracing’s popularity has declined over the years, so how is this industry still alive? This week we are joined by Patrick Battuello of Horseracing Wrongs, who sheds light on the brutality and corruption that is the horseracing industry. ABOUT OUR GUEST Patrick Battuello has been writing on animal rights issues since 2009, when he launched the Animal Rights blog for the…

Have you ever thought, “Animals are suffering, I have to DO something!!! But what?” Kimberly Carroll of Animal Justice Academy joins us to discuss the amazing, free, online program designed to help people who care about animals turn themselves into people who are doing something about it. ABOUT OUR GUEST Kimberly Carroll is a coach for changemakers, campaigns strategist with Animal…

The work of activists brought the use of ventilation shutdown as a “depopulation” method during avian flu and COVID slowdowns to light, but what is the status of this cruel method of killing? Dr. Crystal Heath joins us once again to discuss the use of heat stroke in factory farms and the campaigns to combat this cruelty. ABOUT OUR GUEST Dr.…

Every once in a while, someone comes up with a brand new idea for getting people to try and love delicious vegan food. Nil Zacharias joins us to talk about how he is making his brilliant idea a reality with Plantega, a ready-to-launch vegan menu that has been adopted by bodegas across New York City and is getting ready to take…