I no longer visit zoos. I can no longer stand to see animals pacing and suffering in such cramped cages. And if I had my way most zoos would probably not exist (certainly not as they exist now). But then I read about initiatives like the Alliance for Sustainable Wildlife and I realize that some…
I’m looking forward to this documentary on Orcas later this year. I hope it gets attention and wakes up the world to the horrible treatment that these creatures undergo at places like SeaWorld. Imagine spending your life in a bathtub. That’s the life they live, if you can call it that. The film, which will…
I can’t say I’m surprised this day would come. When I began writing The Tourist Trail in 2008 I envisioned the FBI going after the leader of a fictional anti-whaling group. At the time, the US was largely neutral about the goings-on in the Southern Ocean. This was a matter between the Sea Shepherd and…
At Ashland Creek Press, we’re in the early stages of putting together an anthology of short stories that focus on “how the lives of animals and humans intersect, particularly in regards to the conservation and protection of animals.” And so far we’ve been amazed by the quality and number of submissions received. But if there…
If you’ve seen the movie Sharkwater then you know that sharks around the world are suffering. Despite the media’s obsession over those rare shark attacks against humans, the reality is that humans are eradicating sharks from the oceans — killing as many as 73 million a year. All because of shark fin soup. So it was nice to…
This is about as close to a humpback whale as I’ve come. In the waters off the Antarctic Peninsula. These are good waters for a whale, rich in food and largely devoid of ships. Whales, for reasons we still don’t understand, are often injured by ships. And as large as whales are, they are no…
In The Tourist Trail, the word bycatch gets tossed around a bit. Fisherman use the word to refer to the marine creatures unintentionally caught in nets and on longlines. Creatures like sharks, whales, and even penguins. The word has always bothered me in how it trivializes the lives of those unintended targets. I read yesterday…
Just when I begin to think that wiser heads will prevail around the world and whale hunting will become a thing of the past, another country decides to revive its whaling industry. This time the country is South Korea. According to the New York Times, South Korea wants to start whaling again using the same…
In the US, we see our share of environmental battles. But more often than not these battles are waged in courtrooms and in the media. In poorer countries, these battles are waged on the land itself, with few witnesses, and they are increasingly fatal. According to the group Global Witness, activists and locals who are…
Sometimes small changes are actually big changes. They just don’t seem like big changes at the time. When it comes to veganism, I’m always on the lookout for these changes. A celebrity announcing that he or she has gone vegan. That’s not a big change. But when a major retailer begins highlighting vegan products, that’s…
Every year, the Farm Animal Rights Movement sponsors a Meatout day to, well, urge people to give up meat. At least for a day. Or, better yet, one day a week, a very popular trend known as “Meatout Mondays.” There is ample evidence that cutting back on meat will improve your health. As readers of…
Awhile back I started a “best eco-fiction” list on GoodReads. While there is plenty of excellent non-fiction out there about animal rights and activism, I wanted to focus on fiction. Since then, the list has grown as others have suggested books I wasn’t aware of or had completely overlooked. Here are a few titles from…
So what I have been up to these past few months? Well, I went and co-founded a publishing house: Ashland Creek Press. As you know, I’m passionate about animal rights and the environment.That’s why I wrote The Tourist Trail. But one of the reasons I struggled to find a mainstream publisher for this novel was…
Hot off the presses! These 1-inch “FAUX” buttons are a positive way of showing your support for non-leather and fur products. And for anyone who purchases a copy of The Tourist Trail, I’ll include a free button (or more if you buy more). Purchase here.
I read yesterday that Brian Gordon, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Yankees, became the first player to use a 100% non-leather glove. This may seem like a trivial detail, but it’s not. Leather has long been viewed as the best material for many sports-related products — from shoes to gloves to the balls themselves….