In our last blog post brought to you through an interview with veterinarian and Vice President of the National Outreach Department of the ASPCA, Lila Miller, we discussed the meaning of animal abuse. Today we continue this discussion to get an in depth understanding of what dogfighting and animal hoarding is, how they happen, and how they can be controlled.
The ASPCA Tells of Horrific Truths About #ANIMAL ABUSE May 18, 2013
We are extremely lucky in this blog post to hear from the remarkable woman, Dr. Lila Miller, who set many of the standards for shelter medicine and catapulted animal cruelty reforms in the United States.
Dr. Miller is Vice President of the National Veterinary Outreach Department at the ASPCA. She is the recipient of the 2008 AVMA (Animal Veterinary Medical Association) Animal Welfare Award. She is the co-founder of and past president of the Association of Shelter Veterinarians (ASV), as well as apast board member of the American Association of Human Animal Bond Veterinarians (AAHABV). In 2004, Dr. Miller was elected to the National Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners (NBVME) by the American Association of Veterinary State Boards. And I particularly love her, apart from the obvious reasons, because she is an alumnus of Cornell University College of Veterinary Medicine. In fact, she has been awarded Adjunct Assistant Professor status where she co-developed with Dr. Jan Scarlett the first shelter medicine course at Cornell.
WILD: How would you define animal cruelty?
MILLER: Over the years many experts have tried to define animal cruelty. It is a challenge as it varies by cultural and regional attitudes, personal experiences, spiritual beliefs, etc. In 2009 Ascione and Shapiro defined animal abuse as “ non-accidental, socially unacceptable behavior that causes pain and suffering or distress to and/or the death of an animal.” I have never been very happy with the socially unacceptable behavior component of that definition; an alternative definition that I personally like is “any act that by neglect or intention causes unnecessary pain or suffering to an animal” It is important to remember however, that in the United States cruelty is defined by statute. There is no federal statutory definition of animal cruelty; it varies from state to state, which makes it more difficult to ascertain the actual scope of the problem. (more…)
Is Hunting a Blessing or a Curse?: An Interview with Dr. Paul Curtis, Extension Wildlife Specialist February 18, 2013
In today’s blog post we are privileged to receive an expert perspective of hunting/wildlife management in the United States by Dr. Paul Curtis, Department Extension Leader and Associate Professor in the Department of Natural Resources at Cornell University based in Ithaca, NY. For the past 23 years he has been organizing the Wildlife Damage Management Program to reduce human-wildlife conflicts in agricultural and suburban landscapes. Dr. Curtis works both on a local level, national, and even international level to integrate community-based wildlife management issues and public policy education. His past research has included studies of urban coyote ecology, black bear behavior, nesting and foraging behavior of colonial waterbirds, and new methods for reducing tick abundance and associate Lyme disease. He has written numerous journal articles and extension publications concerning wildlife ecology, behavior, and methods to reduce human-wildlife conflicts. Dr. Curtis is a Certified Wildlife Biologist with The Wildlife Society.
I hope you all enjoy this exclusive interview opportunity to hear about wildlife management and hunting right from the horse’s mouth.
Elaine Waters: Story of a Saddler in the British Army July 27, 2011
Part of the fun along these adventures comes from the unexpected people I meet. Along my trip in Dingle, Ireland I had the opportunity to have a phenomenal guide, Elaine Waters, whose passion for horses comes with quite a story, taking her on a path she never expected.
Elaine was born in King’s Lynn, Norfolk, England but was bred and buttered in Long Sutton, a village in an area known as “the Fens”, which consists of very flat, arable farmland near a small sea called the Wash. Her parents are both plumbers and her genius brother, a graduate of Trinity College of the University of Cambridge, is a research mathematician as well as a tenor ley clerk for Gloucester Cathedral. So how does such a girl get so involved with horses? (more…)
Chloe Dolandis: A Voice for the Animals-Literally May 9, 2011
Chloe Dolandis' New Album Cover for "Bring Back The Fever"
Have you ever caught a star just before it peaked in the sky? If not, here’s your chance! Brilliant, beautiful, and most becoming, Chloe Dolandis is starting to top music charts! She has been singing since she was a child, but this isn’t the only thing that she has been brought up with. Chloe, a life-long vegetarian, is an active animal activist. Learn more about her musical talents and how they intermingle with her animal interest in this starlit and Wild interview with Chloe.
Summer Rayne Oakes: An Environmental and Fashion Icon May 1, 2011
Summer Rayne Oakes, honeybees crowning her head
In most of these posts a similar theme has reverberated across these pixels on your screen: animals are suffering usually due to human involvement. We either are directly killing them or indirectly harming them through destroying their food resources, contaminating their water, or reducing their habitat (none of which are mutually exclusive). That’s why an “army” of environmentalists are needed. One of the most acclaimed environmentalists for her unique method of bringing about awareness is none other than the model, spokewoman, TV host, and acclaimed author of Style, Naturally, Summer Rayne Oakes. This gorgeous Ivy Leaguer has researched toxins in sewage sludge, trekked out in the rainforest, studied entomology, and mapped invasive species. She has made fashion coincident with environmentalism and is off changing the world.
