Shows
The Animal HighlightS5E6: Brown Dog - The Forgotten Terrier Who Sparked a MovementIn this Animal Highlight, fellow Virginia Thomas talks about Brown Dog, a canine who in 1903 was subjected to vivisection at University College London. Two activists brought his plight to the attention of the International Antivivisection Society and what ensued was a series lengthy legal and social battles commonly referred to as "The Brown Dog Affair."Recorded: 26 October 2023 Featured: S6E6: Social Movement Mobilization and Feminism with Corey Lee Wrenn on The Animal Turn.S5E5: Animal Testing and its Alternatives with Thomas Hartung on The Animal Tur...
2025-07-0716 min
The Animal HighlightS5E5: Honeybees - Exploited Labour and Sticky EthicsIn this Animal Highlight, fellow Virginia Thomas discusses honeybees and the ways in which they are exploited for their honey. She notes how much labour goes into making honey and the scale of the industry that relies on it. Because of the violence and exploitation in the industry vegans do not eat honey.Recorded: 26 October 2023 Featured: S6E5: Abolition with Gary Francione on The Animal Turn. The Bees of the World by Charles D Michener.World Bee Day by the FAO. Bees and the Politics of Honey by Virginia Thoma...
2025-06-3010 min
The Animal HighlightS5E4: European Wildcat - Dilemmas of ConservationIn this Animal Highlight, fellow Virginia Thomas discusses the European Wild Cat and their entangled relationships with domesticated cats. She notes how the interbreeding between these two species has conservationists worried and has resulted in a range of, oftentimes, violent interventions into their animals’ lives.Recorded: 12 October 2023 Featured: S5E3: Feral and Invasive Species with Lauren van Patter on The Animal Turn.S6E4: Violence with Dinesh Wadiwel on The Animal Turn. Scottish ‘Highland Tiger’ wildcat more endangered than Asian cousin on the BBC.Giraffe Marius slaughtered in Copenhagen Zoo, fed t...
2025-06-2314 min
The Animal HighlightS5E3: Pale Male - Manhattan's Famous Red-Tailed HawkVirginia Thomas tells us about a red-tailed hawk named Pale Male who sparked controversy and admiration when he built his nest on a luxury Fifth Avenue apartment building in New York City. Pale Male is a celebrity whose story illuminates questions about animal habitat rights in urban environments.Recorded: 12 October 2023 Featured: Some We Love, Some We Hate, Some We Eat by Hal Herzog.S6E3: Moral Imagination and Habitat Rights with Steve Cooke on The Animal Turn.The Legend of Pale Male, a documentary.
2025-06-1612 min
The Animal HighlightS5E2: Misunderstood Magueys - Thinking about Multispecies JusticeVirginia Thomas introduces the red maguey worm; a caterpillar often mistakenly called the "tequila worm.” She explores their biology and ethical implications of using these metamorphosing creatures as novelty ‘items’ in alcoholic beverages.Recorded: 18 September 2023 Featured: Cosmopolitanism with Angie Pepper on The Animal Turn.Perdido Street Station by China Melville.The Life Cycle of Butterflies and Moths by Butterfly Conservation.Cosmopolitan 'Worms' by Virginia Thomas.Virginia Thomas is an environmental social scientist with a PhD in Sociology. She is interested in people’s interaction...
2025-06-0916 min
The Animal HighlightS5E1: Citizen Dogs - Reimagining Canine-Human SocietiesIn this Animal Highlight, fellow Virginia Thomas focuses on the domestic dog and the ways in which they might be thought of as citizens. She thinks about some of dogs' history and discusses the work of Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka. Recorded: 18 September 2023 Featured: Zoopolis: A Political Theory of Animal Rightsby Sue Donaldson and Will Kymlicka.Biosecurity with Steve Hinchliffe on The Animal Turn.Politics with Will Kymlicka on The Animal Turn.Cosmopolitanism with Angie Pepper on The Animal Turn.Canine Good Citizen with the American Kennel Club. The biopo...
2025-06-0218 min
The Animal HighlightS3E10: Transgressive JellyfishIn this highlight Amanda talks about jellyfish and the many ways in which they are thought to be transgressive potential threats to biosecurity. Amanda reminds us to try and thinking sensitively about creatures who seem vastly different to us and to also be amazed by the feats they can accomplish. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Jellyfish by Peter Williams; March of the Jellies by Tamar Stelling; Comparative genomics of mortal and immortal cnidarians novel keys behind rejuvenation by Maria Pascal-Torner; Aging and longevity in the simpl...
2024-09-1716 min
The Animal HighlightS3E9 - Imperiled PangolinsIn this animal highlight Amanda talks about pangolins, one of the most trafficked animals in the world. She speaks about some of her concerns with One health flattening complexities before talking a bit about Stevie, a pangolin saved in South Africa. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Nicole Shukin, Animal CapitalStevie in a video on the Dodo rescued from the illegal wildlife tradeZimbabwe and Pangolins photoshoot Helping to Save Pangolins from Extinction by Siew Choo, Sara Platto and W.S. ChallenderCoronavirus lockdowns increase poaching in Asia, Afr...
2024-09-1014 min
The Animal HighlightS3E8: Harmed Bears In this episode Amanda unpacks how brown bears in Ukraine and grizzly bears in Canada have been impacted by conflict and war. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Bear by Robert E. Bieder How are endangered bears escaping the Russian invasion of Ukraine? By Ben Anthony on Euro News. Ukraine War: Situation and Support for Animals by Four Paws. Bear Sanctuary Domazhyr Grizzly Times Podcast. Convergent geographic patterns between grizzly bear population genetic structure and Indigenous language groups in coastal British Columbia by Lauren H. Henson et al. H...
2024-09-0315 min
The Animal HighlightS3E7: Navigating SalmonSalmon are increasingly intensively farmed and implicated in biosecurity concerns, but they are also animals with amazing biological and social worlds who can achieve incredible feats pf strength and navigation. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Politics of Domestication with Chi Mao Wang on The Animal Turn.Shoalmates with Jonathan Balcombe on The Animal Turn. What a Fish Knows by Jonathan BalcombeSuper Fly by Jonathan BalcombeKontihnawa:ra: Atlantic Salmon on Stones Salmon: A Fish, the Earth, and the History of Their Common Fate by Mark Kurlansky Colle...
2024-08-2016 min
The Animal HighlightS3E6: Lily and LizzieAmanda Bunten-Wahlberg considers the Lily and Lizzie, two pigs who were rescued from Smithfield farms and subsequently caught in the middle of a biosecurity drama. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Animal Farm Activism with Camille Labchuk on The Animal Turn.Luvin Arms SanctuaryThe Whole Hog: Exploring the Extraordinary Potential of Pigsby Lyall Watson.Thinking Pigs: A Comparative Review of Cognition, Emotion, and Personality in Sus domesticus by Lori Marino and Christina M Colvin. Baby Pig Saved from Factory Farm is so Spoiled Now by Claire Eli...
2024-08-1313 min
The Animal HighlightS3E5: Resourceful, Respectable RatsIn this animal highlight Amanda talks about one of the most tested on animals in the world, rats. She discusses how rats have been used in labs and the standardization of their experiences. She contrasts that with the rich lifeworlds of rats who live freely and in multispecies communities. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Epidemiological Dividual with Christs Lynteris on The Animal Turn.Animal Testing and its Alternatives with Thomas Hartung on The Animal Turn. Pleasurable Kingdomby Jonthan Balcombe Rat by Jonathan Burt. Rats! Being Socia...
2024-08-0615 min
The Animal HighlightS3E4: Masterful MosquitosIn this episode Amanda Bunten-Walberg gives details into the diversity of mosquito worlds, meals, and physiologies. She focuses on mosquitos who rely on blood to live, unpacking some of the strategies and tactics they use to secure a meal. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Epidemiological Dividual with Christs Lynteris on The Animal Turn.Superfly: The Unexpected Lives of the World’s Most Successful Insectsby Jonthan Balcombe Mosquitoby Richard Jones. Mosquitos sound clips from Free Sound (662969) and Pixabay (105770) Credits:Claudia Hirtenf...
2024-07-2314 min
The Animal HighlightS3E3: Manifold CrabsAmanda Bunten-Walberg tells us about the incredible diversity of crabs as well as some of their social and physiological characteristics. She focuses on the Green Crab, a species whose adaptability has often also meant they are labelled as invasive. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Feral and Invasive Species with Lauren van Patter on The Animal Turn.Crabby Cynthia Chris.Crabs: A Global Natural History by Peter Davie. Credits:Claudia Hirtenfelder, producer and host Amanda Bunten-Walberg, co-hostChristiaan Mentz, sound editor and p...
2024-07-1613 min
The Animal HighlightS3E2: Flying FoxesIn this episode Amanda Bunten-Walberg tells Claudia all about bats, animals who have historically been persecuted as threats to biosecurity. Hoping to challenge this reductive way of understanding bats, Amanda talks about flying foxes, large fruit bats, noting how incredibly social and relatable they are. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Bioethics with Jeff Sebo on The Animal Turn.Shimmer: Flying Fox Exuberance in Worlds of Peril by Deborah Bird Rose Bat by Tessa Laird. Credits:Claudia Hirtenfelder, producer and host...
2024-07-0912 min
The Animal HighlightS3E1: Textured TurkeysAmanda Bunten-Walberg joins Claudia to discuss animals and biosecurity. In the first episode of the season she talks about turkeys, animals who are often implicated in biosecurity threats but who – when given the opportunity – live richly textured lives. This content was originally aired in Season 5 of The Animal Turn Podcast. Featured: Sonic Specimen with Rachel Mundy on The Animal Turn.More than a Meal by Karen DavisThe Secret Lives of Turkeys by Alan KrakauerThe Wild Turkey by A.W. SchorgerVINE Sanctuary Facebook post about Mama-T Credits:Claudia Hirtenfel...
2024-07-0215 min
The Animal TurnS5E10: Grad Review with Oliver French and Amanda Bunten-WalbergIn this final episode of the season Claudia talks to Amanda Bunten-Walberg and Oliver French, two fellow graduate students with interests in biosecurity. They delve into some the core themes in the season (including questions about scale, reproduction, and power) as well as some of the difficulties for thinking about biosecurity and animals. Date Recorded: 27 January 2023 Amanda (Mandy) Bunten-Walberg (she/ her) is a PhD Candidate at Queen's University's School of Environmental Studies. Her research explores more-than-human ethics in contagious contexts through the case study of bats and COV...
2023-02-201h 36
The Animal TurnS5E9: One Health with Nina JamalIn this episode Claudia speaks to Nina Jamal about One Health. They discuss the changing definition of One Health and its significance for biosecurity and animals. They spend time thinking through the challenges and opportunities, particularly at the level of national and international policy. Date Recorded: 1 December 2022 Nina Jamal is leading FOUR PAWS’ efforts on Pandemics & Animal Welfare and campaign strategies. Before taking on that role and since 2013, Nina led the International Campaigns on Farm Animals and Nutrition Campaigns. Nina has also worked in the climate movement on in...
2023-01-251h 09
The Animal TurnS5E8: Community Led Conservation with Gladys Kalema-ZikusokaClaudia talks to Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka about community led conservation. They discuss her work with gorillas in Bwindi National Park and how helping them involves working together with the community through health initiatives, efforts to create better livelihoods, and paying attention to food security. Date Recorded: 23 November 2022 Dr. Gladys Kalema-Zikusoka is Founder and CEO of Conservation Through Public Health (CTPH), an award-winning NGO that protects endangered gorillas and other wildlife through One Health approaches. After graduating from the Royal Veterinary College, University of London, in 1996, she established Uganda Wil...
2023-01-091h 20
The Animal TurnS5E7: Politics of Domestication with Chi Mao WangIn this episode Claudia chats to Chi Mao Wang about “the politics of domestication” which involves talking about the global-agri food industry, the meatification of diets in east Asia, and how this has resulted in increasing biosecurity measures in Taiwan. This leads them to a discussion about the westernization of domestication and the significance of decoupling the eating of meat from ideas of civilization. Date Recorded: 4 November 2022 Chi-Mao Wang is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Bio-Industry Communication and Development, National Taiwan University. His research interests include...
2022-12-191h 05
The Animal TurnS5E6: Animal Farm Activism with Camille LabchukClaudia talks to Camille Labchuk about the two recent legal cases at Smithfield and Excelsior which involved animal activism on pig farms in North America. They discuss how biosecurity is used as a means of creating ag-gag laws, the relative absence of biosecurity considerations in the cases, and the legal exceptionalism animal farms enjoy in Canada. Date Recorded: 27 October 2022 Camille Labchuk is an animal rights lawyer and executive director of Animal Justice—Canada’s only animal law advocacy organization. Under her leadership, Animal Justice fights legal cases in cour...
2022-12-041h 09
The Animal TurnS5E5: Animal Testing and its Alternatives with Thomas HartungClaudia talks to Thomas Hartung about animal testing in pharmacology and toxicology. They discuss how animal testing involves a weighing of values as well as some of the disruptive technologies that are providing alternatives to animal testing – including stem cell technologies and artificial intelligence. Date Recorded: 5 October 2022 Thomas Hartung, MD PhD, is the Doerenkamp-Zbinden-Chair for Evidence-based Toxicology in the Department of Environmental Health and Engineering at Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, with a joint appointment at the Whiting School of Engineering. He also...
2022-11-211h 13
The Animal TurnS5E4: Epidemiological dividual with Christos LynterisClaudia talks to Christos Lynteris, an anthropologist with a long history of researching some of the interconnections between animals and disease. In this episode they focus on rats and the third plague pandemic highlighting how rats went from being understood as in relation to others to being cemented as a vilified species in the spread of disease. Date Recorded: 29 September 2022 Christos Lynteris is Professor of Medical Anthropology at the University of St Andrews. His research focuses on the anthropological and historical examination of epidemics and has pioneered the...
2022-11-141h 12
The Animal TurnS5E3: Feral and Invasive Species with Lauren van PatterClaudia talks to Lauren van Patter about the concepts of feral and invasive species. They touch on the differences between the two concepts and consider how issues of colonization, reproduction, and human control lead to the categorization of some animals as biosecurity threats. Date Recorded: 21 September 2022 Dr. Lauren Van Patter is the Kim & Stu Lang Professor in Community and Shelter Medicine in the Department of Clinical Studies at the Ontario Veterinary College, University of Guelph. Lauren is an interdisciplinary animal studies researcher with a background in Environmental Sci...
2022-10-311h 13
The Animal TurnS5E2: Bioethics with Jeff SeboIn this episode Claudia talks to Jeff Sebo about bioethics and how it straddles both health and environmental ethics. They touch on some of the grounding principles of bioethics and how these principles frequently neglect to account for animals. They further discuss why a consideration of animals is necessary to achieve health and environmental justice. Date Recorded: 16 August 2022 Jeff Sebo is Clinical Associate Professor of Environmental Studies, Affiliated Professor of Bioethics, Medical Ethics, Philosophy, and Law, Director of the Animal Studies M.A. Program, Director of the Mi...
2022-10-241h 13
The Animal TurnS5E1: Biosecurity with Steve HinchliffeClaudia launches season 5 of The Animal Turn with a conversation on biosecurity with Steve Hinchliffe, a renowned geographer. They discuss how biosecurity is centered on the idea of keeping life safe and how this often operates through spatial logics of trying to keep threats out. They touch on how animals are often blamed for biosecurity threats, questions about whose lives are kept safe, and the various walling work that is done under the banner of biosecurity. Date Recorded: 21 September 2022 Steve Hinchliffe is Professor of Human Geography at the...
2022-10-171h 22