Published in Animal Studies Journal

I am very happy to announce that my first article has been published in an academic journal. 

The Animal Studies Journal (ASJ) is from Wollongong University in Australia. According to its website, the journal "provides a forum for current research in human-animal Studies. ASJ publishes international cross-disciplinary content with a particular, but not exclusive, interest in Australian, New Zealand and Asia-Pacific scholarship." 

When I read that ASJ was planning a Sanctuary edition and had a call for entries, I felt compelled to submit an abstract. A few months later, about a million revisions later, the publication is out! The issue includes many fascinating articles, and can be viewed here. My specific article, "Money for Monkeys, and More: Ensuring Sanctuary Retirement of Nonhuman Primates" can be viewed in full here. 

"Jane" documentary Q&A

I had a great time at this week's screening of "Jane", the acclaimed National Geographic documentary about Jane Goodall, where I was the featured speaker for a post-film Q&A session. As I walked in and waited to check in at the ticket booth, I saw a copy of my book on display to advertise the event, which I took to be a good omen!

The event was sold out at 500 tickets, and the film was shown in three theaters concurrently. After it was over, there was a Q&A discussion in one of the theaters.

The audience had wonderful, thought-provoking questions about a number of topics presented in the film, including field research methodology, handling of primates in sanctuaries and in the field, conservation, primate social groupings and the complexity of their societies and cultures, and even some topics that were not directly in the film, such as the ethics of primate use in laboratory research. I was happy to discuss this and found the audience to be sympathetic to the issues surrounding primate welfare.

I spoke for about 45 minutes, after which some audience members approached me to continue the conversation.

I am so happy that this worked out for me to speak locally. The audience's reaction to the film and to my message inspired me to seek out more speaking engagements in the future. I am grateful for the South Bay Film Society granting me the opportunity to do what I love!

Upcoming: Q&A session after Jane Goodall film

I am excited to announce that I will be the featured speaker after a screening of "Jane," the new Jane Goodall documentary by National Geographic.

The film premiered earlier this month to high acclaim.  This particular screening will be in Torrance, CA on November 1st, and more information can be found here.

I look forward to hopefully sharing video of what promises to be a fun and enlightening evening!

Interviewed in Newsday

The media coverage regarding monkey rodeos at East Coast fairs has continued steadily throughout the summer. This is a great thing, as with every article, I have the chance to spread the word that there is no excuse for primate exploitation.

Newsday interviewed me as part of an investigation of the Banana Derby happening at the Northport Firemen's Fair.

The best news of all? The Northport Volunteer Fire Department listened to concerns and agreed to not hire animal acts at future fairs! This is a victory for sure, and I was happy to have played a part in it.

Click here to read the full article.

Quoted in Isthmus

Alternative Madison, Wisconsin newspaper Isthmus recently wrote about a fledgling primate sanctuary in the area, and included a quote from me.

I first met Amy Kerwin at the 2014 NAPSA Workshop in San Antonio, Texas. At the time she was fundraising to build a sanctuary for lab monkeys in Madison. Since that time, I have gotten to know her much better because she is now only months away from welcoming monkeys to her facility, and she is an Introductory member of NAPSA (of which I am the Program Director.) Her sanctuary is going to primarily house macaques, a species that is very commonly used in research and also notoriously difficult to place in sanctuaries (for a variety of reasons that I won't get into here.) Needless to say, I am quite excited for her sanctuary, Primates Incorporated, to open because it will help monkeys, and help me place monkeys!

Click here to read the full article.

Interviewed on Fox's Chasing News

The day after my interview aired on NBC New York, I was contacted by Fox show Chasing News. They were also investigating the Brookhaven Fair's hosting of the Banana Derby monkey rodeo. I completed a phone interview, which aired later that night.

Note that I am disappointed in the show's integrity, and feel they mock what is actually a very serious issue. As is usual with any interview, they aired only a small portion of what I said. However, I am still glad that I was able to speak up - however briefly - on behalf of primate welfare.

Click here for the full video.

Interviewed on NBC New York

As part of my ongoing work with NAPSA to end monkey rodeos, I sent a letter in May to the Brookhaven Fair in Long Island, asking them to reconsider hosting scheduled monkey rodeo events.

Recently NBC 4 New York investigated the situation, and I was pleased to be interviewed on their segment that aired tonight.

Click here for the full video.

Letter to the Editor published in York Dispatch

As my last post indicated, my work in the spring and summer often is centered around ending "monkey rodeos", archaic sideshow events that feature capuchin monkeys strapped to racing dogs.

When I discovered that one of the repeat offenders of monkey rodeos, Atlantic League baseball team the York Revolution, had decided not to include rodeos at any games in 2017, my coworkers and I were thrilled. After PETA put out a press release, the local paper (The York Dispatch) printed an article on this change of heart of the York Revolution. Unfortunately, the article also quoted team leadership claiming that the decision to no longer feature rodeos was not due to animal welfare concerns, and “If he [Tim Lepard, one of three purveyors of monkey rodeos] was really abusing animals, I'm very confident that the appropriate governmental authorities would step in.”

I wrote a letter to the editor explaining the reality of the situation, that in fact there are legitimate welfare concerns but that current laws permit the events to continue, regardless. I asked teams hosting  rodeos to recognize these truths and move forward with more compassion.

The York Dispatch does not publish all articles online, so below is a photo from a paper copy they mailed to me.

Note that the typo in the first line is not mine; it should read "The May 6 article 'Cowboy Monkey Rodeo Not Scheduled for Revs 2017 Season' featured..."

Quoted in NPR

Barbara J. King is a professor, author, ethicist and primatologist who writes frequently for NPR's 13.7: Cosmos and Culture blog. I approached her about covering a topic that is the focus of much of my work in the spring and summer: ending monkey rodeos. The result was a comprehensive and clear article that explored the concerns regarding these archaic events. 

I am grateful that articles like these pop up from time to time, reminding the public that consumers really do have the power to shut down industries that harm animals. When they cease being profitable, they will cease themselves. On behalf of the monkeys whose lives are tied up in all this... we shall continue our work.

Quoted in Christian Science Monitor

My colleague Patti Ragan, Founder and Director of Center For Great Apes, was the topic of an article in the Christian Science Monitor.

The article explored Patti's lifelong dedication to providing the very best home for retired chimpanzees and orangutans. I was thrilled to be included in the article, alongside Dr. Jane Goodall and other esteemed colleagues such as Gloria Grow (Co-Founder and Director of Fauna Foundation) and Cathy Willis Spraetz of (CEO and President of Chimp Haven.)

It's always great to see the dedication of my coworkers celebrated in this way, but it's particularly nice when I am able to participate in the accolades!