Talking Animals
Channel Details
Talking Animals
A radio show about animals & animal issues
Recent Episodes
118 episodes
David Ebert, founder of the Weeping Elephant Project
David Ebert–the founder of Weeping Elephant Project, which, according to its website, “focuses on the awfulness of the use of captive elephants for zo...
Gretchen Primack, poet-actvist-march organizer
Gretchen Primack–the poet, teacher, and animal activist who first appeared on “Talking Animals” a dozen years ago, discussing her animal-focused colle...
Elizabeth Olson, founder of Rescue Pink & Animal Justice Task Force
Elizabeth Olson–who lives in Palm Harbor, and is the founder of not one, but two animal organizations, with intersecting missions—recalls even as a to...
Ron King, Co-Founder of Oscar’s Place & Donkey Rescuer Extraordinaire
Ron King, co-founder of Oscar’s Place—a California-based nonprofit which rescues, rehabilitates, and rehomes donkeys—discusses not being an animal fan...
Dr. Marc Bekoff, co-author of “Love in Their Hearts….”
Marc Bekoff–professor emeritus of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at the University of Colorado, Boulder, who’s written or co-written more than 30 bo...
Glen Hatchell, dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer,” 18th edition
As we’ve done 17 times before—spanning five-plus years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in order to present t...
Laurie Sumiye, director of “A Paradise Lost”
Laurie Sumiye–the artist-filmmaker who directed the striking documentary “A Paradise Lost,” a live action/animation hybrid telling the story of the Pa...
Dr. Edie Dopking, founder of Quantum Leap Farm
Dr. Edie Dopking–founder of Quantum Leap Farm, an Odessa, FL-based facility that, for 25 years, has offered an array of equestrian therapy programs, a...
Bill Berloni, renowned animal trainer
Bill Berloni–renowned for training rescue animals for stage, film, and television in a storied career spanning 50 years—recounts how, as a teenage asp...
Throwback Wednesday: Animal News and Animal Songs
Owing primarily to Holiday weekend-related snags in booking guests—and retaining guests that had seemed booked–we set aside our typical format, operat...
Deni Elliott, author of “Catching Sight: How A Guide Dog Helped Me See Myself”
Deni Elliott–author of the new memoir, “Catching Sight: How A Guide Dog Helped Me See Myself,” and writer or editor of ten previous books—explains the...
Kevin S. Fridy, Tampa Political Scientist
Kevin S. Fridy–Professor of Political Science and International Studies at the University of Tampa, and slated after this interview to deliver a talk,...
A.J. Sanjar, field biologist studying Burmese pythons and opossums
A.J. Sanjar–a field biologist who’s conducted research with significant implications for reducing the Florida population of the Burmese python, often-...
Laura Hagen, managing director of wildlife at Humane World for Animals
Laura Hagen–managing director of wildlife at Humane World for Animals (formerly the Humane Society of the United States)—explains the rationale behind...
Ronan Donovan, visual storyteller
Ronan Donovan–a wildlife biologist turned visual storyteller, whose work is featured in an exhibition, Wolves: Photography by Ronan Donovan, on displa...
Tammy Thies, founder and executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary
Tammy Thies–founder and executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary, a nonprofit rescue refuge in Minnesota specializing in exploited, aging, and ille...
Mike Birkhead, producer-director
Mike Birkhead–longtime producer-director of wildlife documentaries (grounded by no less than a doctorate in zoology from Oxford), who served as co-dir...
Melanie Sue Bowles, co-founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary & Author
Melanie Sue Bowles–co-founder of Proud Spirit Horse Sanctuary, who alongside her husband, Jim, has shepherded the sanctuary through nearly 35 years of...
Armando Ubeda, shark expert
Armando Ubeda–primarily appearing in his guise as a shark expert, although his CV is notably long and wide, having studied marine fauna ranging from c...
Kevin Nealon, veteran comedian, animal advocate, YouTube hiker
Kevin Nealon–the veteran comedian, longtime animal advocate, former “Saturday Night Live” star (amidst a long list of TV and film credits), and host o...
Lenore Braford and Paul Drake, co-founders of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge
Lenore Braford and Paul Drake–co-founders of Piedmont Farm Animal Refuge, a highly-innovative animal sanctuary in North Carolina; owing to Drake being...
Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–16th Edition
As we’ve done 15 times before—spanning Just shy of the five-year mark-–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in or...
Stan Kroh, manatee ally and expert
Stan Kroh– whose broad scope of duties at Tampa Electric Company includes overseeing the company’s Manatee Viewing Center in Apollo Beach, spanning th...
Dr. Bonita Bergin, inventor of concept of the service dog
Dr. Bonita Bergin, who, in 1975, invented the concept of the service dog to assist people with mobility limitations—then launched Canine Companions fo...
Paula Poundstone, comedian and cat devotee
NOTE ABOUT THIS SHOW: I’ve had better mornings. As many know, each Wednesday, around dawn, I drive from my home on the east coast of Florida to the we...
Gene Baur, president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary
Gene Baur–president and co-founder of Farm Sanctuary, considered the world’s first farm animal sanctuary and advocacy organization, now marking its 40...
Michael San Juan, veteran Animal Control Officer
Michael San Juan, a veteran Animal Control Officer with Hillsborough County Animal Control—his career spans 22 years, including initiating it in New J...
Max Chesnes, environment reporter for the Tampa Bay Times
Max Chesnes–the award-winning environment reporter for the Tampa Bay Times—a lifelong Floridian, recalls growing up in Jupiter, where he developed an...
Amy Munns, 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year
Amy Munns–named the 2026 Pet Sitter of the Year by Pet Sitters International, (PSI), considered the world’s leading educational association for profes...
Allison Argo, award-winning documentary filmmaker
Allison Argo–, and writer-producer of “Tusker: Brotherhood of Elephants,” a new episode of the PBS series Nature—recounts how her background in the fa...
Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special–2025
‘Tis the season: This morning, I yet again set aside the customary show format to deliver the “Talking Animals Annual Holiday Animal Song Special.” I...
Dawn Barbone, founder of Samadhi Wildlife
Dawn Barbone–founder of Samadhi Wildlife, a nonprofit refuge in Ormond Beach that rehabilitates sick, injured, and orphaned wildlife native to Florida...
Claire Rosen, acclaimed artist-photographer
Artist-photographer-writer Claire Rosen—who’s cultivated a long, lauded career, with much of her work reflecting a longstanding passion for animals, a...
Glen Hatchell: dog trainer, behaviorist–“Ask The Trainer”–15th Edition
As we’ve done 14 times before—spanning the better part of five years–today’s program involved setting aside the usual “Talking Animals” format in orde...
Dr. Holly Dutton, about Holiday-related emergency vet visits
Dr. Holly Dutton–Medical Director at the Tampa and Clearwater locations of VEG ER for Pets, a national operation specializing in around-the-clock emer...
Dr. Jennifer Conrad, veterinarian & founder of The Paw Project
Dr. Jennifer Conrad—veterinarian, founder of The Paw Project, tireless crusader against declawing cats for a quarter century—recalls the initial impet...
Steve Hindi, founder of Showing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK)
Steve Hindi–founder of SHowing Animals Respect and Kindness (SHARK), a national animal welfare organization concerned with halting and/or educating th...
Joshua Lisbon, researcher/educator/storyteller central to “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion”
Joshua Lisbon–a researcher/educator/storyteller at the center of a new PBS/Nature documentary, “Willow: Diary of a Mountain Lion”—describes his backgr...
Andria Gibbon, founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life
Andria Gibbon–founder and president of Protecting Paws for Life, a nonprofit Florida organization dedicated to helping more domestic violence shelters...
Dr. Crystal Heath, veterinarian and activist
Dr. Crystal Heath–a veterinarian who’s bristled at inhumane treatment of animals throughout her career, and before, dating back to her childhood as a...