Freedom of Species

We talk with activist and author Kristy Alger about total liberation and why being a consistent ally is critical.  CONTENT WARNING: topics include transphobia, fascism and neo-Nazis, police violence.  We discuss British anti-trans rights campaigner Kellie-Jay Keen Minshull's (also know as Posie Parker) appearance in Australia and the protests against her speaking events. The events of the last week have been hugely distressing and we encourage people to consider accessing support services. Here are a few options:  LIFELINE @lifelineaustralia & phone 13 11 14. QLIFE www.qlife.org.au & phone 1800 184 527 Rainbow Door www.rainbowdoor.org.au & phone 1800 729 367 Switchboard www.switchboard.org.au You can read Kristy's b...

Delving into the layers of conscousness in animals and humans and what this means for our treatment of our fellow non human animals.  Featuring music by local vegan musician Plum Green http://www.plumgreenmusic.com/ Music Played: Plum Green 'Raspberry Vine'  Plum Green 'Walk Against the Wind'  Plum Green 'Grave Snuggler'   Photo by Andre Mouton: https://unsplash.com/@andremouton

International Women's Day is recognised each year on March 8 as a focal point in the women's rights movement, bringing attention to issues such as gender equality, reproductive rights, and violence against women. 3CR Radical Radio has a long history of supporting IWD by hosting 24 hour broadcasting by women and non-binary people. On this show we discuss some inspirational women who are animal rights advocates and strive for collective liberation. We also discuss some other animal-related news. We acknowledge the work of Brenda Sanders who founded the Afro-Vegan Society and works tirelessly in food justice and sharing knowledge about healthy vegan li...

Exploring the fascinating subject of animal and human friendships across time. Delving into our relationships with companion animals both traditional and non traditonal and our interaction with wild animal friends. Music Played: Heilung 'Norupo' - https://heilung.travelling-merchant.com/cd/heilung-futha-cd-digipak-digital Otkyen 'Storm' - https://otyken.ru/?lang=en#listen Yothu Yindi 'Treaty (Radio Mix)' - https://music.apple.com/au/album/treaty-radio-mix/586510491?i=586510784

In Australia, every year millions of individuals get used in research and animal experiments. For over 40 years Humane Research Australia has been advocating for for scientifically valid and humane non-animal methods of research. We chat with HRA CEO Rachel Smith and committee member Katrina Larsen.You can find out more about HRA at https://www.humaneresearch.org.au/.For more information about the NSW inquiry into the 'Use of primates and other animals in medical research in New South Wales'.

On this show, we discuss the new documentary film written and directed by musician and animal rights advocate Moby. The film is called Punk Rock Vegan Movie and spans a number of decades examining the ongoing relationship between the worlds of punk music and animal rights, and how punk ideology is associated with animal rights activism and veganism. The film premiered in January 2023 at the Slamdance Film Festival and is freely available to watch on Moby's YouTube channel. https://moby.com/news/punk-rock-vegan-movie/  The film, which is Moby’s directorial debut, includes interviews with some of the biggest names in punk an...

Nick and Katie discuss how they transitioned to veganism, veganism becoming more popular in recent years – overtaking vegetarianism in many ways, Happy Cow’s top 10 vegan-friendly cities in the world and finally, challenging ableism within activist movements.  Articles discussed: Who moved my cheese? The silent battle between vegetarians and vegans by Tony Naylor: https://www.theguardian.com/food/2021/may/20/who-moved-my-cheese-the-silent-battle-between-vegetarians-and-vegans Top 10 Vegan-Friendly Cities by Happy Cow: https://www.happycow.net/vegtopics/travel/top-vegan-friendly-cities  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Get off on the pain by Weezer: https://weezer.com/ Flames by MOD SUN ft Avril Lavigne: https://modsu...

On this show we welcome our newest team member, Meg! Nick and Meg discuss a wide range of topics including: Meg’s journey when it comes to thinking about our obligations towards other animals, avoiding centring humans in animal liberation struggles, connections between veganism and socialism, and finally, capitalism, class and veganism.  Links: 2018 Gallup poll on vegans and vegetarians in the US: https://news.gallup.com/poll/238328/snapshot-few-americans-vegetarian-vegan.aspx ‘Cost of groceries prompts family to give up meat to stick to household budget’, article by Sally Rafferty: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2022-02-21/cost-of-groceries-prompts-family-to-give-up-meat-/100842462   Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios...

In our first show back for 2023 we talk about some popular Go Vegan campaigns such as Veganuary that encourage people to try adopting a vegan diet for 30 days and provide email support resources and cookbooks. We discuss whether these campaigns can frame veganism as a diet through the focus on food and miss the broader ethical considerations of animal liberation, or are they a critical first step for vegan curious people who are searching for information and the support that will help them make the transition. For further information on the campaigns and organisations we discussed, please see:  Veganuary https://veganua...

On this Summer Special Nick from Freedom of Species and Lottie discuss what journalist Naomi Klein refers to as trickle down identity politics. This form of identity politics, typified by people such as Hillary Clinton, prioritises achieving a more diverse range of people in positions of power, with the argument that if more people from marginalised groups get into positions of power, these benefits will eventually “trickle down” to that group as a whole.   We do this drawing on the following article that Nick has written: https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2021/02/26/idpols3/  This show is a 3CR Summer Special – see here for other...

On this Summer Special Nick from Freedom of Species and Lottie evaluate different arguments about identity politics going on within Left/progressive/environmental movements. We do this drawing on the following articles that Nick has written: ‘What Do You Mean By “Identity Politics”?’ https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2020/09/04/idpols/ ‘Do You Identify Or Are You Identified?’ https://progressivepostings.wordpress.com/2021/01/29/idpols2/  This show is a 3CR Summer Special – see here for other Specials: https://www.3cr.org.au/summerspecials2022-2023  Music: Life is Incredible by Briggs ft Greg Holden, Reverse Racism by Aamer Rahman (from the Fear of a Brown Planet special), Konichiwa...

This Rotations music show features Nick from Freedom of Species playing songs from the band Proper. Themes include the politics of the band, their shift from emo music to prog rock, moving away from cities with Right-wing politics and imagining a better life and a better world.   This show originally aired on Rotations on 3CR Community Radio on 1 January 2023. Rotations airs 2-3pm every Sunday and features music from a wide range of 3CR presenters. For more information about the Rotations show, see: https://www.3cr.org.au/rotations  Music played: Bragging Rights (feat Willow Hawks from The Sonder Bombs) – from th...

We delve into Extinction Rebellion’s claim that once 3.5% of the population of a state is mobilised in sustained protest, success is guaranteed. We also discuss the implications for the environmental movement and animal activists.   For more on this issue, you can read Harley’s article ‘Reflections on Rebellion – How People Power can Take the World By Storm’: https://animalrebellion.org/how-change-happens/ You can also read the academic article ‘Social movements and (mis)use of research: Extinction Rebellion and the 3.5% rule’ by Kyle Matthews:  https://www.interfacejournal.net/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Interface-12-1-Matthews.pdf  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastid...

We speak with Jolene who founded Project Fresh Start about veganism, food insecurity and minimising food waste. Jolene started PFS in 2021 in the southeast suburbs of Melbourne/Narrm as a way to contribute to community, provide fresh and healthy meals to people in need and reduce the food waste that she'd observed over her career in the hospitality industry.   About Project Fresh Start Inc. Our purpose is to understand the issues that affect our local community and respond in a manner that doesn't compromise our values. We believe that everyone has the right to live a happy and healthy life and...

This show features vegan sociologists Josephine Browne, Zoei Sutton and Alex Hill. They discuss a wide range of topics including vegan men, meat and masculinity and thinking about our homes as spaces not just for humans but also for companion animals.  Part 1 of the discussion builds on themes covered in the TASA Panel ‘Vegan Sociology, Situating Humans and Nonhuman Animals in 'The Promise' of Vegan Sociology’ from the 2021 International Association of Vegan Sociologists 2021 conference. Part 2 of the discussion covers Alex Hill’s research on vegan men. You can watch the talk ‘Soyboys Will Be Boys: Exploring the seemingly contradictory identity of vegan me...

Adam and Davita welcome Zoë and Dieter to the show, to talk about the book 'A Guide to the Creatures in your Neighbourhood'. Zoë and Dieter are part of the Urban Field Naturalist Project that invites you to slow down and attune to the incredible lifeworlds right around you. The Urban Field Naturalist Project: https://www.urbanfieldnaturalist.org/Find the book here: https://www.murdochbooks.com/browse/book/9781922616326Music Played:Emma Donovan & The Putbacks 'My Goodness' - https://emmadonovantheputbacks.bandcamp.com/album/dawnElectric Fields 'Gold Energy' - https://open.spotify.com/track/650AFM5GJoTAAmQCI4Zy8ZSycco, Flume and Chrome Sparks 'Ripple...

We chat with Dr Danny Pimentel, a researcher from the University of Oregon. Danny's research investigates the impacts of eXtended Reality (VR, AR, and MR) storytelling experiences on attitudes and behavior. In particularly, Danny has investigated how seeing the world through an animals eyes in Virtual Reality influences people. If you're interested in trying out one of Danny's VR experiences then go to: https://projectshell.org/ For more about Danny's research go to their google scholar page.

We welcome Dinesh Mathew to the show to talk about food and his political journey and policies that can unite parties on the left for animals. Music Played: Nina Simone 'Mississippi Goddam' - https://shop.ninasimone.com/products/feeling-good-her-greatest-hits-and-remixes-cd Hedwig and the Angry Inch 'Origin of Love' - https://open.spotify.com/album/79l4BIW8SN0M7bZAGmP0EB Beddy Rays 'Sort It Out' - https://beddyrays.bandcamp.com/track/sort-it-out

This show features political theorist Ruth Abbey on the place of veganism in the Australian Animal Justice Party. The discussion is based around Ruth’s (2022) article: ‘Veganism and Australia’s Animal Justice Party’, published in New Political Science: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/07393148.2022.2053475  You can hear more from Ruth on the Seeing Green podcast, discussing the movie Sunday Too Far Away and issues of animals, gender and more: https://open.spotify.com/episode/0CXnqo6HgaLdhOilWanE8m?si=b530d3faffb84082  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ True Colors by Cindy Lauper: https://cyndilauper.com/ I'll Stand by You by...

We discuss Victoria's animal care and protection laws which are open for consultation. You can provide your feedback on the planned changes to animal care and protection laws through engage victoria. You feedback can help create better legislation for animals so if you've got some time please consider submitting some feedback to the process.You can find details about the planned changes by reading the resources produced by the Victorian branch of the Animal Justice Party.

This is a trivia show featuring questions related to animals, animal rights and animal advocacy. Questions range from the number of species of ants, to the proportion of Australians who are vegan, to the talking gorilla raised by Penny Patterson. Listen in and see if you can beat other FoS listeners to the correct answers!  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ The Greta Thunberg Song by Oli Frost: https://www.youtube.com/watch/xdwXHTJyq94 The Bat Song by Thelma Plum: https://store.warnermusic.com.au/collections/thelma-plum/meanjin-ep-download Old Gods Ain’t Dead by Sole & DJ Pain 1...

This week we listen to some animal rights songs. We start by discussing the lack of strong animal activist messaging in kids media, particularly YouTube Kids, and then get into listening to some music!You can find all of the songs played on todays episode in the Spotify playlist, Animal Lib & Vegan Songs.

Harley and Nick discuss the following horror movies from an animal rights perspective: Get Out, Midsommar, Raw and Us. In discussing Get Out, we draw on Aph Ko’s book Racism as Zoological Witchcraft: A Guide to Getting Out: https://lanternpm.org/book/racism-as-zoological-witchcraft/  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Television by IDLES: https://idlesband.bandcamp.com/album/joy-as-an-act-of-resistance Which side are you on? Remix by Rebel Diaz ft Dead Prez and Rakaa Iriscience: https://rebeldiaz.bandcamp.com/album/radical-dilemma A Whaler's Lament (The Whales Are Singing To Me) by Kevin Johnson: https://open.spotify.com/track/1Y...

We discuss a recent NSW high court decision which impacts animal advocates ability to collect footage of animals in farm and other industry settings. The case was brought to the courts by Farm Transparency Project. You can find out all about the case here.We also discussed some news highlighted by a recent VegNews.com article and transitions from animal agriculture to plant-based agriculture.

We speak with Chris and Samah from Aotearoa Liberation League (ALL), a decolonial animal justice project that aims to end systematic oppression of all animals. Chris and Samah talk about how they met and their kaupapa (read about this here https://www.all.org.nz/kaupapa), using social media to maximise impact and reach people who are open to liberation messages, the dairy industry and decolonisation, and building connections that support social justice.  You can read more about ALL here https://www.all.org.nz/ and watch videos and read the great resources they share, and follow them on social media...

On this show we spoke to Will Applebe who is head of investigation and rapid response at SAFE New Zealand. We talked about animal protection campaigns, live export and ag gag, plus more. You can find out more about SAFE's work at https://safe.org.nz/  Music Played: Aldous Harding 'The Barrel' - https://aldousharding.bandcamp.com/album/designer Pacific Heights (feat. Motte) 'A Lost Light' - https://open.spotify.com/album/0WbCO7dyr53QemIyogFqSI

Australia has eighty odd species of microbats. We live closely together with them, and we are mostly unaware. So let's get to know them! Our wonderful guest Ericka from Microbats of Melbourne guides us through the microbat world. You'll definitely come around to bats after listening this podcast! Some of the bats we discussed: Gould wattle bat, Little forest bat, Ghost bat, Southern bent wing bat (federally listed as endangered), Eastern bent wing (listed as endangered at state level), Eastern horseshoe bat (listed as endangered at state level), Lesser long ear bat, Chocolate wattled bat. DISCLAIMER: DO NO HANDLE BATSEricka is a lice...

We speak with Emma Hakansson, writer, activist and model who is passionate about anti-speciesism and collective liberation.  Emma is the founding director of not-for-profit Collective Fashion Justice, dedicated to the creation of a total ethics fashion system. Topics covered include collective liberation, total ethics fashion, feminism, the work of Collective Fashion Justice and her new book How Veganism Can Save Us. Follow Emma's work: Collective Fashion Justice https://www.collectivefashionjustice.org/ Read a selection of Emma's articles https://emmahakansson.com.au/writing Emma's first short film, Willow and Claude has been selected for international film festivals, winning multiple awards, and her past w...

Nick and Harley analyse True Blood, Buffy, Twilight and The Vampire Diaries from an animal rights perspective.  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Vampire in You by Universal Poplab: https://open.spotify.com/track/0A6NpH2SNa9yZOdORmDPls?si=7932568c76e04b8e Television by Bad Religion: https://badreligion.com/albums/stranger-than-fiction Marliya by Spinifex Gum and Marliya Choir: https://www.spinifexgum.com/home  Thanks so much to those who have already donated to our Radiothon campaign! We’re nearly at our target, which will keep our show and 3CR going for another year. Please donate if you can...

Recently lots of local pounds and shelters are overun with dogs and other animals needing adoption. A major reason is that more animals are being surrended or abandoned since the pandemic related travel restrictions have been lifted. Saskia from Forever Friends Animal Rescue shares stories about all the work that goes on behind the scenes of dog rescue. There's a legion of people involved in bringing dogs to safety, spending time with them and finding forever homes for them. Listen in to hear about all the negotiatons, care required, and even court cases involved in the work! Stories of the...

In 2019 50 activists were arrested as part of a 'Meat the Victims' action inside Excelsior Hog Farm in Abbotsford, BC, Canada. This farm is regarded by the industry as one of the "best" farms - owned and operated by a board member of the BC Pork Producers Association. The action was in response to undercover footage from within the farm which showed unimaginable suffering and abuse. An extensive police investigation led to our guests Amy Sorrano, Nick Schafer and Roy Sasano, as well as the whistleblower responsible for the footage, Geoff Regier, being charged with a combined 21 indictable offenses (the highest c...

The Freedom of Species team come together for another Animal Trivia show for the 3CR Radiothon 2022! Listen to the interesting animal sounds, trivia questions such as do you know the name of the band who sings our theme song, Animal Liberation? Play along and see if you can beat the FoS presenters and other FoS listeners!  Thanks so much to everyone who pledged donations and/or sent in answers for our trivia show today! Thanks also to the vegan pizza business Red Sparrow Pizza for providing gift vouchers to our top donors in the Trivia show. Even though our 2022 Radiothon show is...

Harley reflects on her activism in the UK with Animal Rebellion over the last few years, focusing on tensions between trying to build a mass movement for animals while also being concerned about police repression and security culture. She also discusses the loss of momentum for activists during the pandemic and ways to overcome this.  Links: You can find out more about Animal Rebellion at: https://animalrebellion.org/  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ Dear England by Lowkey ft Mai Khalil: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LL0Y4MZ45bo Incompatible by Colour Me Wednesday: https...

This week we will take time to remember and reflect on victims of animal violence, this is a memorial to animals. I read out the names of sites of violence against animals in Victoria, Australia.You can find the list of abattoirs I read the names of at: Farm Transparency Project - Abottoirs in Victoria www.farmtransparency.org/facilities/food/abattoirs?state=VIC&country=Australia

This Rotations show features Nick from Freedom of Species and Lottie playing some songs that they like by women artists. This show originally aired on Rotations on 3CR Community Radio on 3 July 2022. Rotations airs 2-3pm every Sunday and features music from a wide range of 3CR presenters. For more information about the Rotations show, see: https://www.3cr.org.au/rotations  Music played: Hit Like a Girl by Meet Me @ The Altar: https://open.spotify.com/album/4l3QmwKvZ9TR1lSnJvT6E0 Being a woman by Lake Street Dive: https://lakestreetdivemusic.bandcamp.com/album/obviously Crying room by Jemma & the C...

With the Australian federal election only a week away we speak with Animal Justice Party candidate, Meg Watkins, about the parties positions on animals. I also share some of the documented animal policies from other parties. In the second half of the show we hear about a recent advocacy win from Kristin Leigh from Melbourne Against Horse Drawn Carriages.

We speak with Bronwyn Currie, Animal Justice Party VIC Lead Senate Candidate for the upcoming Australian Federal Election.  Bronwyn is a longtime resident of Melbourne’s bayside area and has broad professional experience across a wide range of areas. She has been passionate about animals her entire life, Bronwyn’s contributions to animal protection have been recognized through multiple nominations for the Kingston Woman of the Year Award and was also a popular nomination for an Australia Day Award. You can read more about Bronwyn's drive to secure change for animals, the environment and people here: https://vic.animaljusticeparty.org/bronwyn...

This week we're talking to Jax, a climate and animal activist based in the UK. We talk about taking action in South Africa, hunt stabbing and shutting down the UKs largest dairy production center.  Music: Animal liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ The Eco-Terrorist in Me by Rise Against: https://www.riseagainst.com/ The Huntsman Comes A-Marching (live) by Frank Turner: https://frank-turner.bandcamp.com/album/sleep-is-for-the-week-tenth-anniversary-edition-live-from-the-vic-swindon-6th-april-2007 Extremist by Sole and DJ Pain 1: https://sole.bandcamp.com/album/no-god-nor-country-3  You can buy a Freedom of Species shirt to support our show and 3CR! The shirts are only $15 and they...

We are animal advocates walking on Country, on lands that are still unceded and that continue to be colonised. How are animals placed in the settler colonial history of so-called 'australia'? What is the work that we as settlers need to do within our communities to align with the First Nations cause? Our guest is Shannon Woodcock, speaking from Gunai Kurnai Country, to talk about how we can educate ourselves, do the work and show up. Guxhi and Pasha make themselves heard too. Links: 'Black and Blue' by Aunty Veronica Gorrie - https://scribepublications.com.au/books-authors/books/black-and-blue-9781925849240 The...

Adam and Caroline head back to the 3CR studio and discuss the emerging trend in animal documentaries - to focus on the real lives of animals, and without narration. It underscores the idea that nonhuman animals are unique individuals with feelings, relationships, goals, desires and personalities of their own.  The films we discuss are: COW by Andrea Arnold, Gunda by Viktor Kossakovky and My Octopus Teacher by Pippa Ehrlich and James Reed. Adam also mentioned some other films of interest: Nenette, the film about the orangutan and Stray, which depicts daily life in Istanbul through the eyes of three dogs tha...