Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals, and Animal Rights Day in Vancouver!

In this episode, Alison announces a book contest giveaway! We are giving away one copy of the book “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals” by Jonathan Balcombe, and to enter, you can simply leave a comment here with your name and email address. The deadline for entries is August 6th at 9am and we will do a random draw for the winner on the show live on August 6th at 12pm PST. Aug. 6th Update: Congratulations to Bernadette Keenan, the winner of this book!

Then, Joanne talks about a very successful Vegan Bake Sale fundraiser for the University of Victoria bunnies that was held this week, and the power of cupcakes and cookies as a form of animal activism by grassroots activists.

Vancouver Animal Rights Day

Our first interview is with Leanne McConnachie of the Vancouver Humane Society. Leanne speaks with us about Animal Rights Day in Vancouver, which was first officially declared in the city of Vancouver on August 3rd, 1983, and still continues to be annually observed. This year’s annual Animal Rights Day will be held on August 6th outside the Vancouver Art Gallery, at which various local animal advocacy groups will be participating.

Jonathan Balcombe on “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals”

Our feature interview is with animal behaviorist Jonathan Balcombe, who is the author of the book “Pleasurable Kingdom” and the new book “Second Nature: The Inner Lives of Animals”. In “Second Nature”, Jonathan presents and discusses the broad range of animal experience in his examination of how animals view the world. In this interview, Jonathan speaks with us about some of the topics he presents in this book, including why people need to change the way they treat other living creatures.

Dr. Balcombe draws on the latest research, observational studies, and personal anecdotes to reveal the full gamut of animal experience – from their sense of emotions, to their ability to solve problems and to make moral judgments. Did you know that dogs recognize unfairness and rats practise random acts of kindness? Did you know that chimpanzees can trounce humans in short-term memory games? Or that fish distinguish good guys from cheaters, and birds are susceptible to mood swings including both depression and optimism?

Here is a short video of one of Dr. Balcombe’s latest talks, discussing the awareness of elephants:

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