Travelling to faraway places can create lovely memories but does it come at the expense of wildlife?
Connie Needham joins Anitha to talk about ways to enjoy your holiday without causing harm to animals.
The two chat about experiences such as elephant rides and photo-ops with wildlife and the harm these activities inflict on the animal and most likely their family and habitat.
Connie shares things we can all do to have fun on our holiday while increasing the likelihood that our actions don’t cause harm to another being.
A great episode for those who love to travel and love animals.
To learn more about ethical wildlife tourism you can follow Connie here:
As a thank you to Connie for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Wild Futures Monkey Sanctuary, a registered charity founded in 1964. This charity is committed to protecting primates and habitats all over the world. To learn more about the work they do, check out their website:
Rob Laidlaw, the founder of Zoocheck joins Anitha to talk about his journey into animal activism. For over 40 years, Rob has been speaking up for wildlife. From his initial efforts to close down horrific roadside zoos to helping three elephants, who spent their lives in captivity, find a sanctuary, there is no limit to the kind and compassionate actions Rob has taken for the benefit of wildlife.
Despite witnessing the many atrocities animals are subjected to at the hands of humans, Rob shares why he is still optimistic for the future of wildlife.
An episode full of hope and kindness, and one you don’t want to miss.
To learn more about the amazing work Zoocheck is doing, check out the following links:
As a thank you to Rob for sharing his story, Anitha donated to the New Cat City Rescue & Sanctuary. This small animal rescue located in Toronto, Ontario is a permanent home for animals with special needs and requirements. To learn more about their work, check out their website:
Rachelle Hansen joins Anitha to talk about Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, located in Ontario, Canada. Rachelle shares stories of the residents who currently live and have lived at the sanctuary. She talks about the friendships they have made, things they enjoy doing and how the folks at the sanctuary do their best to make the lives of the residents as happy and comfortable as possible, given they can never be returned to their natural homes in the wild.
Bob & ColletteNora & MojoNjeriMax under his blanketDarwinBoo & Gerdie
Of course, Rachelle talks about Pockets Warhol, the famous white-capped capuchin monkey who loves to paint. His art work is highly sought after.
Pockets
Rachelle also talks about the residents’ lives before coming to the sanctuary—many were victims of the pet trade, bio-medical experiments and zoos.
During their conversation, Rachelle shares the horrific plight of more than 6,000 endangered Cambodian macaques arriving in Canada for the past 19 months to be used in laboratory testing. These wild-caught primates, typically between one and two years of age, are illegally trafficked from Cambodia to Montreal, Canada in tiny crates, often without food or water. If they survive the trip, they then endure immense pain, suffering and terror as they are subjected to experiments, even though it is well documented that these drug experiments consistently fail to improve human health. This is such a tragedy, BUT there is something everyone can do to help. Rachelle, shared the following link, where folks can sign a petition and email the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Julie Dabrusin to urge her to stop the importation of long-tailed macaques into Canada.
Horrible things are happening in the world, but here is one instance where you can help. Please click on the link and sign the petition.
As a thank you to Rachelle for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Tacugama Chimpanzee Sanctuary. Located in Sierra Leone, Tacugama is dedicated to enforcing wildlife laws, and rescuing and rehabilitating critically endangered orphaned Western chimpanzees. To learn more about Tacugama, check out their website. You can also listen to episode 55 of the Kindness Is Everything podcast, where Dr. Izzy Hirji, a veterinarian, talks about volunteering with both Tacugama and Story Book Farm.
Rick Wilks, the co-founder of Annick Press joins Anitha to talk about publishing children’s books. He shares his journey, memories and even his list of favourite books.
The two also talk about book banning—what it is, the harm it causes creators, publishers and children. Rick talks about how important it is for books to showcase all voices, especially those that have been underrepresented in the past, (LGBTQ+, black, indigenous, and people of colour).
Annick press is determined to advocate for books from underrepresented communities. One way is through their Mentorship Program, launched in 2021. This yearly program supports works in progress of emerging, underrepresented writers whose access to children’s publishing may have been limited. The application window is for the month of September 2025! Check out Annick’s website for all the details.
Of course, Anitha asked Rick what he is looking for in submissions—always a key question for writers. Here is link to their submission guidelines: Submission Guideline
A great conversation about books, diversity and how important it is for folks in positions of power and privilege to use their position to help others.
To learn more about Annick Press as they celebrate 50 years in publishing, check out their website. It’s full of information about books, sources for educators and for the month of September, the Mentorship Program!
Here’s Rick’s list of recommended books, which can be found on Annick’s website.
Nonfiction:
*More Than Money: How Economic inequality affects EVERYTHING
*Fatty Legs
Comics and graphic novels
*The Wolf Suit
Picture Books
*The Man with the Violin
*Abuelita and Me
*The Paper Bag Princess
As a thank you to Rick for sharing his story, Anitha donated to the Nature Conservancy of Canada (NCC). NCC is a non-profit organization that partners with individuals, corporations, foundations, Indigenous communities and other non-profit organizations and governments at all levels to protect Canada’s plants and wildlife. Since 1962, NCC and its partners have helped to protect more than 15 million hectares, coast to coast.
To learn more about the Nature Conservancy of Canada, check out their website.
Anitha Rao-Robinson 