This week, Kathy is joined by one of her all-time favorite authors, Sy Montgomery. Sy is the international bestselling author of The Good Good Pig, The Soul of an Octopus, and her most recent release The Hawk’s Way. In their joyful conversation, Kathy and Sy talk about:

• Sy’s childhood growing up with animal friends and how these interspecies relationships influenced her professional career
• Why Sy is so optimistic about “being alive” in this tumultuous time 
• The importance of seeing all animals as equals, rather than “underlings” or “babies”
• How loving hawks without expecting any affection in return was “liberating” to Sy
• Nancy Cowan, the master falconer who taught Sy and influenced her new book The Hawk’s Way
• Christopher Hogwood, the 750 pound star of her bestselling book, who changed her life by teaching her that family doesn’t have to include those of the same genetics or species

Sy’s books are available wherever you buy books - but she hopes you’ll consider purchasing from a local bookstore. Her favorite is The Toadstool Bookshop.

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

In this special episode of Herd Around the Barn, Kathy is joined by her podcast producer, Clare, to talk about some recent news surrounding the animals at Catskill Animal Sanctuary. In their conversation, they discuss:

• How CAS protected their rescued birds from avian influenza through building innovative "birdios"
• Buddy III’s passing at the age of 35 and how his friend, Buddy IV, is coping with his loss
• How Kathy is staying optimistic about the future, thanks to the all star team at CAS
• The upcoming Goat Games virtual fundraiser, which was recently featured in The L.A. Times
• Why fundraising is so vital for sanctuaries right now due to inflation and Covid-19 related financial issues

If you're interested in signing up for The Goat Games, register as an athlete here.

To attend a Break All the Rules Tour with Kathy, buy your tickets here.

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

Disclaimer: This conversation contains graphic depictions of cruelty toward chickens.

This week, Kathy is joined by Harvard Law graduate and founder of the non-profit Legal Impact for Chickens, Alene Anello. In their lively conversation, the two discuss:

• Alene’s relationship with her pet cockatiel, Conrad, who changed her view of animals forever
• How working at PETA and the Animal Legal Defense Fund made Alene want to work for animal rights “forever”
• LIC’s lawsuit against Costco, citing animal welfare law violations, following a gruesome Mercy for Animals undercover investigation
• The horrific ways that chickens suffer in production plants and why Costco’s treatment of chickens demands legal action
• Kathy compares Alene’s work to the Nonhuman Rights Project’s work to represent animals in a court of law
• Alene teases some exciting new projects for her team at LIC

To support Legal Impact for Chickens, follow them on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

“In conservation, the lost causes are the best worth fighting for.” This week, Kathy speaks with Damien Mander, the renowned war veteran and founder of the International Anti-Poaching Foundation. In this informative episode, Kathy and Damien discuss:

• Damien’s unique path to animal activism after an extensive military career ultimately led to establishing found the IAPF

• How Damien transitioned to a vegan lifestyle in 2012 after realizing that he “ran out of excuses” for not going plant-based sooner: “I was saving some and eating others.”

• Why nature is the “best self-regulating system” and how IAPF approaches environmental issues through social justice activism, including scholarships and health care reform, in neighboring communities

• Akashinga: Africa’s first armed, plant-based, all-women anti-poaching unit whose lives are completely changed by finding their voices and purpose in their work

• Katana, the newest canine member of IAPF, and the role of working dogs as part of the ranger team in Africa

To follow the IAPF and stay updated on their work, check out their social media pages here:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• Twitter

Find the Akashinga documentary short from National Geographic here.

Watch Damien’s Ted Talk here.

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

This week, Kathy announces some news regarding the podcast and talks about exciting upcoming developments for Catskill Animal Sanctuary!

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

Kathy takes a few minutes this week to talk about the devastating impact fireworks have on all animals. She shares her personal struggles to keep her rescue Pitbull, Chumbley, calm during Fourth of July fireworks.

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

This week, Kathy is joined by John Di Leonardo, the founder and president of Humane Long Island. John’s work with PETA, and now with HLI, is the embodiment of “think globally, act locally” approach to social change. During a very lively conversation, Kathy and John talk about:

• John’s work to eliminate animal use in entertainment on Long Island, including direct protests to Ringling Brothers Circus and the horrific “Banana Derby”
• Humane Long Island’s incredible victory to prevent an aquarium from being built in a local mall
• John’s connection to water fowl and birds who face dumping and abandonment on Long Island, and how HLI hopes to create a “transitional sanctuary” to help these animals in need
• The recent PETA protest at a Manhattan Starbucks, where John joined Oscar-nominated actor James Cromwell to urge for plant-based milk upcharges to be eliminated
• HLI’s teaming up with Horseracing Wrongs to protest the Belmont Stakes earlier this month

To support Humane Long Island and stay updated on John’s work, you can find them on social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary

Referred to as the “Queen of the Animal Rights Movement” by Rich Roll, PETA co-founder and bestselling author Ingrid Newkirk joins Kathy on the podcast this week to talk about the 30th anniversary edition of her landmark novel, Free The Animals: The Amazing, True Story of the Animal Liberation Front in North America. In this incredible episode, Kathy and Ingrid will talk about:

• How Ingrid responds to criticism about PETA’s more “controversial” protest tactics
• Free The Animals unique story as a fictional novel “completely based on fact” from the early days of the animal rights movement
• The role of the Animal Liberation Front in PETA’s early days in the 1980s, and the widespread misunderstanding the ALF faced from the government and the media
• The Research Modernization Deal, a fully constructed proposal from PETA to create animal-free testing in the United States
• The story of Britches, a monkey who was rescued from horrific lab testing and eventually found a happily ever after with a surrogate mother 
• The exciting news that animal activist and Oscar-winning actor Joaquin Phoenix acquiring the film rights for the book

Find Free The Animals anywhere books are sold!

• Amazon
• Barnes & Noble
• Bookshop

To find cruelty-free products and services online, check out PETA’s links here:

• Bunny Free App
• Beauty Without Bunnies Database

Follow PETA on all social media:

• Facebook
• Instagram
• TikTok
• Twitter
• LinkedIn

Connect with Kathy Stevens:

• Facebook: Kathy Stevens, Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• Twitter: @CASanctuary
• Book: Where the Blind Horse Sings
• Website: CASanctuary.org
• Instagram: @catskill_animal_sanctuary
• YouTube: Catskill Animal Sanctuary
• TikTok: @CASanctuary