Law professor and founder of the Animal Law and Policy Institute at Vermont Law & Graduate School, Delcianna Winders, joins Anitha to talk about legally protecting non-human animals.
Delci shares the shocking and sad truth— when it comes to protecting non-human animals from cruelty and abuse, there are very few laws to help them. And though some species may have a few more protections, there is still much work to be done. Fortunately, Delci and her law students are dedicated to fighting to gain protections for those who can’t fight for themselves.
Delci also shares some happy stories, such as Nosey the elephant. Nosey was born in Zimbabwe in 1982. She was captured from the wild in 1984 when the government culled many elephants including Nosey’s family. Nosey was then brought to the United States where she languished in the travelling entertainment industry until 2017. Delci and others had been fighting for Nosey’s release into sanctuary for years and Delci shares what it was like rescuing Nosey from a roadside circus to finally releasing her into sanctuary life.
Delci says one of the best ways of bringing about change when it comes to protecting non-human animals is for the public to demand for these protections. Politicians care about getting votes, which means they care about what their constituents want. If we all use our voices and call our representatives when we see animals being abused in our towns and cities, change will happen!
To learn more about the work Delci and her law students are doing, click here:
Vermont Animal Law Program on Instagram
As a thank you to Delci for sharing her story, Anitha donated to VINE Sanctuary. VINE is an LGBTQ-led farmed animal sanctuary that works for social and environmental justice as well as for animal liberation.
To learn more about this sanctuary, check out their website:
To hear the full episode, click here:
Anitha Rao-Robinson 
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