Activist Profile: Niagara Falls Activist John Sakars Creates YouTube Videos to Open Hearts and Minds
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If you haven’t heard of John Sakars yet, you are in for some laughs. A vegan since 1998 who became an activist ten years later, this 47-year old ‘preachy vegan’ has been creating hilarious, educational and thought-provoking videos and music, solo and with other well-known activists. John does animal rights activism in some form or another on a daily basis…whether leafletting for Vegan Outreach’s ‘Adopt A College’ program, attending vigils where animals are killed (slaughterhouses), taking part in giant parades (Toronto’s ‘March to Close All Slaughterhouses’), or attending public speaking events.
John maintains an active presence on social media, and easily sheds his inhibitions to express himself in hilarious and foolish ways which make some people cringe, but inspires others to open themselves up similarly for the benefit of the animals. He has created hundreds of videos, including self-filmed, low budget, and hilarious guitar solos from the bathtub – and yes, he is naked.
Bill S-203 Supported by Cetacean Experts in Canadian Senate Discussions
Dr. Naomi Rose, Marine Mammal Scientist
Many biologists have spoken at the Senate Hearings in support of Bill S-203 over the past few weeks. The bill, tabled by former Senator Wilfred Moore from Nova Scotia, aims to phase out captivity of cetaceans in Canada, targeting the Vancouver Aquarium and Niagara Falls’ Marineland. Bill S-203 also proposes to regulate breeding of cetaceans in captivity. The Vancouver Aquarium partners with Sea World for their beluga breeding program, and put one of their male belugas, Nanuq (now deceased) on a plane numerous times for breeding purposes at various Sea World locations, which animal rights activists view as inhumane and exploitative.
On today’s show we will play a recording of Dr. Naomi Rose, Marine Mammal Scientist for the Animal Welfare Institution of Washington DC, as she offers her opinion on the validity of cetacean research performed on captive animals as opposed to studies done in the wild. Naomi works on several campaigns and coalitions addressing problems associated with the captivity of whales & dolphins. She has testified before the US Congress four times, and is a member of the International Whaling Commission Scientific Committee, where she participates in the subcommittees on environmental concerns and whale watching.