PRESS RELEASE – For immediate release
Six episodes that provide a better understanding of animal protection in Quebec
Montreal, June 14, 2023—Today, the Montreal SPCA launches the very first season of its new podcast, “Au nom des animaux”. Hosted by Claudia Larochelle, this first season features the sometimes astonishing cognitive abilities that six animal species possess and explores their living conditions, while addressing issues related to their protection and welfare. The radio host, journalist, and writer, who is passionate about animals, shares her thoughts and interviews several experts, including a veterinarian, a researcher, a lawyer as well as ethicists, over the course of these six episodes to shed light on current animal issues. The very first podcast produced by a Quebec animal protection organization is available online (in French only) on all popular podcast hosting platforms, as well as on the Montreal SPCA website.
“We love our cats and dogs… But are we just as concerned about the plight of other animals? Are there enough laws protecting them? Do we have any moral obligation to protect them? I think it’s high time we delved into these matters,” says Claudia Larochelle.
“For the Montreal SPCA, podcasting is an ideal medium for discovering and exploring subjects close to our hearts. After all, animal protection is one of the organization’s strategic pillars, one for which we’d like to step up our communication efforts. This new outlet not only allows us to reach out to our supporters but also to a new audience to raise awareness of animal issues,” says Anthony Johnson, the Montreal SPCA’s executive director.
An educational and eye-opening cultural initiative steeped in current events
From pigs to foxes bred for fur, from dairy cows to laying hens, the first season of this new podcast focuses on farmed animals. This focus aligns with the Montreal SPCA’s recent “It is not because they are going to die that they don’t deserve to be protected” awareness campaign, whose manifesto has garnered over 28,000 signatures to date.
“Au nom des animaux” brings in renowned guest experts: Étienne Harnad, a professor of psychology and editor-in-chief of the scientific journal Animal Sentience, Nicolas Devillers, a scientific researcher in pig behaviour and welfare, Dr. Jean-Jacques Kona-Boun, a veterinarian and veterinary anesthesiology specialist, Christiane Bailey, the coordinator of Concordia University’s Centre for Social Justice and an animal ethics researcher, Martin Gibert, a philosopher and ethics researcher at the Université de Montréal, not to mention Sophie Gaillard and Émilie-Lune Sauvé, the Montreal SPCA’s director of Animal Advocacy and Legal and Government Affairs and Animal Advocacy campaign manager respectively.
The six episodes are directed by Nathalie Ducharme and were created with the team at Coyote audio, cultural audio content specialists. Erin Martellani, Animal Advocacy campaign manager at the Montreal SPCA, acted as a content consultant.
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Source : Montreal SPCA
Montreal SPCA public relations officer : Élodie Létourneau-Venne, Public Relations Account Manager, tök communications, 514-247-0526, elodie@tokcommunications.ca
About the Montreal SPCA
Founded in Montréal in 1869, the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (now better known as the Montreal SPCA) was the first animal-welfare organization in Canada. The SPCA has come a long way since its beginnings and is today the largest animal-protection organization in Québec, speaking on behalf of animals wherever there is ignorance, cruelty, exploitation or neglect.
