Anitha is joined by Ben Kennedy who helps care for animals from kittens to wildlife, and also helps humans by raising awareness for the trans community, all while working on his PhD.
Ben shares heartwarming stories of fostering kittens, dogs and getting married at the humane society. He also talks about the social media post that went viral (and not in a good way) when he shared Cross Fit’s new anti-trans policy. Ben also generously talks about going through fertility treatments.
An open and honest conversation with an incredibly open and kind person.
To learn more about Ben, check out his Instagram account: Ben Kennedy
As a thank you to Ben for sharing their story, Anitha donated to the San Diego Humane Society. This organization started in 1880 and has grown to provide many services including taking in abandoned dogs and cats and working to find them new and forever homes, community spay and neuter programs, community pet pantry and more. To learn more about the San Diego Humane Society, check out their website: San Diego Humane Society
Anitha chats with 15-year-old Will Finch. Will and his sister Jada appeared on the podcast back in 2021 to talk about their incredible efforts to help stray dogs and cats find forever loving homes. The siblings created an organization called GOOD WILL GOOD KARMA. Will returns to talk about all that been happening with their non-profit animal rescue—including birthday fundraisers, starting a clothing line to raise money for animal rescue, heartwarming stories of dogs and cats they’ve helped, AND, that to date, GOOD WILL GOOD KARMA has raised a whopping $1 million for animals in need!
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An episode full of heart and inspiration of what it means to create GOOD WILL and GOOD KARMA for all beings.
To learn more about Will and all he is doing to help animals, check out these links:
As a thank you to Will for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Autism Dog Services. This charity, provides service dogs for individuals over three years of age who have autism and related disorders in most parts of Southwestern Ontario.
The incredible Sir Darius Brown joins Anitha to talk about his initiative— combining his love of sewing and his love of animals to help shelter animals find loving, forever homes.
Sir Darius has made thousands of bow ties for shelter animals, taken their photo, and shared these photos on social media. These adorable bow ties have helped save many, many dogs.
An inspiring episode of love and kindness making a huge impact.
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To learn more about Sir Darius check out the following links:
As a thank you to Darius for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter in New Jersey. This shelter cares for homeless animals and works to find them permanent, loving homes. They also partner with shelters around the country to save at risk animals from being euthanized. Mt. Pleasant Animal Shelter never euthanizes any animal for time or space reasons. Adoptable animals reside at the shelter until they find their forever home.
The incredible Paige Graham joins Anitha to talk about the many dogs, cats, pigs and chickens she has adopted and shares her home with.
Paige began her animal rescue journey in 2010 as a foster for a dog rescue. She soon realized senior animals and those with complex medical needs are sadly often deemed “unadoptable”. With her background in nursing and her huge heart, Paige decided she would give these animals a permanent home, and The Isle of Misfits was born.
Paige shares some heart-warming stories including how she comes up with their awesome names such as Abraham Lincoln, a dog who is missing an eye, Little Richard, an American Bulldog, and Celine Dion, a kitten with a belting meow.
Paige even delves into some difficult personal issues she faced and credits her animals for helping her get through that tough part of her life.
An honest and important conversation about loving animals who many have deemed unfit to live, and also learning to trust and love yourself.
To learn more about Paige and The Isle of Misfits check out her instagram account.
As a thank you to Paige for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Limbo Chihuahua Rescue in St. Petersburg Florida. Paige personally adopted two paralyzed chihuahuas from this rescue. To learn more about what this organization does and how you can support them, please click on the link below:
Like many people, the pandemic inspired Monique Monelle and her husband to take up a new hobby during lockdown. But their new ‘hobby’ was wonderfully unusual. They were inspired to rescue ex-battery hens.
Monique talks about what it was like when the hens first arrived, how she and her husband take care of them when they’re not feeling well, and how she fell in love with their unique personalities.
Animal lovers and anyone interested in starting their own rescue will love this heartwarming episode.
To follow Monique and her growing number of rescue animals, check out their website and Instagram account:
As a thank you to Monique for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Fresh Start For Hens. This organization is run completely by volunteers who rehome ex-commercial hens into pet homes, like Monique’s, throughout England and Wales.
Dr. Vivek Basu fulfilled his childhood dream of becoming a veterinarian— and what an incredible veterinarian he has become. Vivek donates a lot of his time and skills to help animals of all sizes, near and far.
In addition to talking about what it’s like to treat many different animals—dogs, cats, racehorses, rescued primates and wildlife, we also explore difficult subjects like trophy hunting and the difference between zoos and sanctuaries.
As a thank you for sharing his story, Anitha donated to Story Book Farm Primate Sanctuary, one of the sanctuaries where Vivek donates his veterinary skills. This sanctuary provides healing and recovery from trauma for primates who have been rescued from laboratories, roadside zoos and other terrible circumstances.
For the past two years, the pandemic has created much havoc throughout the world, but for one young person, the lockdown brought a silver-lining.
Savannah Allen from Adelaide, South Australia shares her story of having to lockdown near a petting zoo.
Savannah and her family soon realized that the baby lambs they had come to know and love had a terrible fate awaiting them, as often is the case for animals used for profit. So, she and her family rescued the four lambs.
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Savannah talks about her love of animals, wanting to start her own sanctuary and what she has learned from this experience.
To learn more about Savannah and support her goal of raising awareness about farm animals, check her Instagram page: @savannahsfarmlife
As a thank you for sharing her story, Anitha donated to Freedom Hill Sanctuary. A non-profit charity, dedicated to providing a loving home to abused and neglected farm animals. To learn more about this organization, please click on this link: https://www.freedomhill.com.au/
Simon Jones is the founder and CEO of Helping Rhinos, a charity he established in 2012. Simon’s love for animals began at a very young age. His home in the south of England was often referred to as the ‘local zoo’ as he had a whole range of pets that included dogs, cats, rabbits, hamsters, and even a tortoise to name a few. Simon also rode horses as a child and would often spend early childhood family holidays on working farms looking after the cattle and pigs.
It takes a lot of work and dedication to run a charity like Helping Rhinos. A typical day for Simon would start at around 6:30am with checking the emails that have been received overnight (with an international charity there is no off time!). Once the emails have been reviewed each day can be very different. Some days will be focused on raising funds to help support Helping Rhinos’ work in the field and others will be more focused around the actual work on the ground and talking to the teams across Africa. Before Covid-19 travel restrictions were imposed Simon would spend at least one or two days a week in face to face meetings with supporters and sponsors. Typically, his day ends anywhere between 7pm and 10pm with more email work.
A popular night raising funds for the charity.
The goal of Helping Rhinos is to provide secure and sustainable environments for all species of rhinos to thrive for generations to come.
In the field, Helping Rhinos will establish secure rhino strongholds through the creation of innovative protection strategies, sustainable land management operations that ensure a rich, biodiverse ecosystem and inspiring local communities to proactively engage in rhino conservation.
Around the world Helping Rhinos will ensure sustainable long term rhino conservation by developing a community of interested and engaged people and donors through international education programmes. Furthermore, to develop an innovative, entrepreneurial approach to funding rhino conservation.
Simon knows in order for rhinos to have a chance at long term survival it is vital for the local African communities to realize the importance of saving the species. Without the cooperation of the local population, it would be impossible to help rhinos.
Simon and his team balance the need to protect the land for wildlife and to sustain a human population. They educate local communities about the benefits of keeping land for wildlife by offering meaningful incentives to protect wildlife and help eliminate poaching. For example, the communities surrounding Ol Pejeta Conservancy, one of Helping Rhinos field projects, benefits from the conservancy building new schools, medical dispensaries and the provision of business management skills training. This is a huge incentive for these communities to work closely with the conservancy and to help protect and keep safe their wildlife.
They also fund anti-poaching units. This is key to protecting rhinos. Rangers need to be trained and provided with the best technology to keep themselves and the animals they protect safe. This all takes money.
Helping Rhinos also knows it is important to work with Governments at all levels to encourage them to implement enforceable legislation and effective penalties to deter poachers from killing rhinos. Simon and his group also lobby for the protection of habitat.
One of the hardest parts of running an NGO such as Helping Rhinos is the remoteness of the organisation to the rhinos on the ground. Simon and his whole team have a huge passion to protect rhinso in their natural habitat, but it can be tough when times are busy and stressful and you are half a world away from the animals and the nature you are trying to protect.
That is why when Simon is in the field these are the most memorable times for him. Simon says there are too many memorable occasions to pick just one, but a few that stand out are the first time he saw rhino poaching survivor Thandi after her attack. Simon had seen Thandi a few years before the attack (and before she even had a name), but to see her just a few months after her face had been hacked off, looking strong was very emotional. Similarly, spending time with Sudan, the last male northern white rhino, just weeks before his passing due to age related conditions was also very emotional. Saying goodbye to Sudan, knowing he wouldn’t ever see him again was very tough. And finally, seeing the strength of character of the rhino orphans, who have survived the loss of their mothers, often having witnessed their brutal slaughter at the hands of poachers, really does give Simon huge inspiration and motivation to keep fighting every day for these majestic animals.
Simon with Thandi & Thembi
Simon with Sudan
The COVID-19 pandemic is having a devastating impact on conservation. The sector relies largely on income from nature-based tourism, which was abruptly turned off overnight and is unlikely to recover until well into 2021.
One upside however is that the poaching of species like rhinos actually significantly reduced during the lockdown period. With international borders closed and domestic travel a lot more difficult to undertake without being noticed, the risk of being left with an illegally procured rhino horn was too big a risk. However, Simon says that the rhino conservation world is bracing itself for a poaching spike now the borders have opened again. Managing this spike if it does materialize will be a bigger challenge than ever with a lack of available resources that’s due to the pandemic.
September 22nd each year is World Rhino Day, but for Simon and his team, every day is rhino day. Every day, they do what they can to help save these beautiful animals. If you would like to learn more about Helping Rhinos, check out their website. There are many ways to get involved, including donating, ‘adopting’ a rhino, running your own fundraising campaign, trying out one of the many fun rhino activities they have, such as colouring sheets, info sheets, learning to draw a rhino!
I personally am so excited to be collaborating with Helping Rhinos. I will be donating 10% of all royalties earned from my picture book, A Family For Faru, to this wonderful group. Please check out their shop. They have so many amazing items for sale, including links to purchase books that support rhino conservation like A Family For Faru.
Fourteen-year old Annora Wu and her eleven-year old brother Andrew join Anitha to share their stories of kindness.
A talented musician, Annora talks about what it was like performing for residents of nursing homes and the joy she felt knowing she was making a positive difference in their lives.
Not to be outdone by his older sister, Andrew shares his amazing initiative of combining his love of Lego and animals to create Lego For Charity.
Andrew collects donated sets of Lego. He spends time sanitizing and sorting the pieces, and then puts together ‘new’ sets that he sells. The funds raised are donated to the SPCA.
This is a wonderful episode for everyone who loves music, animals and of course stories of kindness.
To learn more about Explore Hop, the organization that provided Annora with the skills to create the Lego For Charity website and promote its goals, click here: https://explorerhop.com/
As a thank you to Annora and Andrew for sharing their story, Anitha donated to the SPCA. For more information about all the wonderful work the SPCA does to help animals, please check out their website: https://spca.bc.ca/locations/vancouver/
Anitha Rao-Robinson 