Freedom of Species

The Freedom of Species Team

4.4 (9)
News
Updated Fortnightly

Animal advocacy on the airwaves, hosted by a team of local animal advocates.

9 Aug

Being Viewed as a Piece of Meat: Feminism and Animal Liberation with Cassie Pedersen and Stephen Burrell

Nick is joined by criminologists Cassie Pedersen and Stephen Burrell to discuss gender and animals. Some more specific topics we cover are: petromasculinity and intersections between gender and the environment, veganism as a feminist practice but also the way some vegans attempt to distance themselves from emotion/femininity, and representations of gender in the documentary Game Changers. Links: You can hear Cassie and Stephen discussing masculinity and caring for nature on Stephen’s podcast Now and Men: https://nowandmen.net/episode/care-for-nature Check out the blog of the International Association of Vegan Sociologists for short, accessible articles from vegan sociologists: https://www.vegansociology.com/blog/ Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios. Baby, Does Your Heart Sink? By Martha. You Hear Yes by Destroy Boys, featuring Mannequin P***y and Scowl. The Scars of the Land by King Apathy.
2 Aug

Everybody wants to be a vegan cat

Today Hayden and Lottie discussed the ins and outs of caring for a rescued, indoor, vegan cat. This episode is in honour of our beautiful cat Ceci! We outlined reasons to try switching your cat to a vegan diet and discussed ways to do that safely. More info can be found below: Sustainable Pet Food: https://sustainablepetfood.info (especially 'FAQs' and 'Vegetarian Feline Diets'.) Their 'Sustainability' page also shows that feeding your cat or dog a diet of animal flesh has a large environmental impact: "About 25-30% of the environmental impact of livestock production within the US are attributable to dog and cat diets"! r/veganpets subreddit: https://www.reddit.com/r/veganpets Both the Sustainable Pet Food website and r/veganpets link to studies about a vegan diet being healthy for cats Previous Freedom of Species episodes: "Vegan Dogs & Cats / Human Population" (from 25:30) "VegePets" Vegan pet food brands: https://veganpet.com.au/product-category/vegan-cat-food/ https://www.benevo.com/ https://www.amipetfood.com/en In Australia Vegan Pet can be bought from the website above, and Benevo and Ami can be bought here: https://www.vpets.com.au/product-category/vegan-cat/vegan-cat-food/ How to brush your cat's teeth: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=3dBySVcgIYI We discussed the benefits of keeping your cat indoors and options for safe outdoor access. Reasons to keep cats indoors: https://www.catster.com/lifestyle/reasons-to-keep-cats-indoors/ How to keep an indoor car happy: https://www.catster.com/cat-health-care/how-to-keep-an-indoor-cat-happy/ We urged people to adopt cats from shelters instead of from breeders. 260 healthy cats and dogs without homes are killed everyday in Australia. Breeders of all sizes and types have welfare concerns: https://www.animaljusticeparty.org/companion_animals While we recommend keeping your cat indoors, we don't agree with killing outdoor cats, and are sceptical of the benefits of mandatory containment laws. Trap Neuter Return (TNR) is a humane and effective approach to control outdoor cat populations. Learn more below: https://loverescuecollaborate.org/2026/05/23/trapping-culling-the-negatives/ https://completecatguide.com/trap-neuter-return-programs-animal-welfare-guide/ Previous Freedom of Species episodes: "War on wild cats in Australia" "Managing urban/periurban cat populations humanely" Thank you to our amazing supporters who helped us surpass our Radiothon target, raising $1,764! 3CR has raised $250,000 but is not at their $300,000 target. Make a one-time donation at www.3cr.org.au/donate or become an annual supporter at www.3cr.org.au/subscribe or by calling 3CR at 9419 8377 during business hours. We would be grateful if you selected Freedom of Species as your programme of choice! Music played: Sea of Love - Cat Power Ev'rybody Wants to be a Cat (From "The Aristocats" Soundtrack) - Scatman Crothers Prologue: Jellice Songs for Jellicle Cats - Andrew Lloyd Webber (from the musical Cats) Send us feedback at FOSradio@proton.me
26 July

Antinatalism and humans' impact on the planet

Lottie and Trev talked about antinatalism, pronatalism and reproductive justice, and overlaps with veganism and environmentalism. We argued that reproductive choice is paramount, through access to birth control and abortion, education and careers for girls and women and other measures to improve quality of life globally. We questioned the impact of depopulation as a solution to environmental crises and reducing human harm on other species. In any case, this is no replacement for fighting for changes here and now, like moving towards a global vegan food system. Content warning: brief mention of suicide from 28:30-29:30. If you or someone you know is struggling contact Lifeline at 131114 or lifeline.org.au Media mentioned: - 'After the Spike : Population, Progress, and the Case for People' by Dean Spears and Michael Geruso https://afterthespike.com/ - 'Veganarchism: Against all oppression, everywhere, all the time' by Nathan Poirier https://pmpress.org/index.php?l=product_detail&p=1851 - 'If you're on the fence about having kids, don't do it' by Zoya Patel https://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/life-and-relationships/if-you-re-on-the-fence-about-having-kids-don-t-do-it-20251201-p5njx5.html - Global human population is expected to peak at 10.4 billion in the 2080s: https://ourworldindata.org/population-growth - A vegan food system could cut global land use by three quarters: https://ourworldindata.org/land-use-diets - Depopulation is too small and too slow to meaningfully mitigate climate catastrophe: https://hannahritchie.substack.com/p/population-growth-decline-climate Previous FoS episodes on this topic: - 'Human Dogs & Cats / Human Population' - 'Veganarchism: Against All Oppression, Everywhere, All the Time with Nathan Poirier' - 'More veganarchism - part 2 with Nathan Poirier' Music: - Sally's Pigeons by Cyndi Lauper - Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology) by Marvin Gaye - King by Florence and the Machine You can still donate until the end of July to help keep our show and 3CR going: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/FreedomofSpecies Send us feedback at FOSradio@proton.me
19 July

The Dying Trade film chat

The Dying Trade is the debut documentary film by animal rights activist and YouTuber Jack Hancock-Fairs. It explores the meat industry through the deeply personal lens of the filmmaker's relationship with his father, who is a slaughterhouse worker. The documentary has earned high praise and award nominations for its balanced take on a highly polarising topic. Instead of relying on typical "preachy" activist tropes, the film centres on understanding and bridging the gap between individuals holding completely different ethical views. (Source: Plant Based News). We chat about the focus of the film and how it represents the existence of slaughterhouses and the people who work in them, and consider this through an abolitionist lens. The quote from "To Kill a Mockingbird" by Nelle Harper Lee in which Atticus tells Scout: “You never really understand a person until you consider things from his point of view... Until you climb inside of his skin and walk around in it.” Links:https://www.youtube.com/@HumaneHancockhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3qb-9Q0YhVA https://plantbasednews.org/culture/film/new-film-human-cost-meat-industry Music we played:- The first song, is in the film: Imogen and the Knife - 'Red (is my colour)' https://open.spotify.com/album/1eSnR8nBIvmcz4Hn3AukWu- The second song, is in the film: Aimee Mann - 'Save Me' https://open.spotify.com/album/6jbjx0LGKl11H6UtrgS2nV- The final song, is not in the film but samples the quote used in the film: Circle of Dust - 'Dissolved' https://circleofdust.bandcamp.com/album/circle-of-dust-25th-anniversary-edition Up to July 31st, donations can be made to 3CR’s Radiothon 2026 fundraiser campaign by donating here at our GiveNow https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies or via 3CR at 3cr.org.au and follow the prompts to donate and nominate Freedom of Species as your selected show. Thanks to everyone for your support of FoS and 3CR! Your support keeps independent radio on the airwaves. Please send any feedback to us at FOSradio@proton.me
5 July

A Vegan Utopia? Animal Rights Themes in Pluribus

Adam, Hayden, Lottie and Nick discuss whether the show Pluribus (Apple TV) promotes a pro-animal rights message, including highlighting the “straw man” arguments against veganism in the show and in fan reactions to it. We also cover what we’d each do in the Pluribus scenario, not necessarily advocating for cannibalism, and the Pluribus as an analogy for communism while the main character Carol represents capitalism/rugged individualism. Radiothon: Thanks again to everyone who has donated to our Radiothon campaign! With donations for our show via Givenow and the 3CR site combined, we have now reached over 90% of our $1,700 target. If you’d like to help keep our show and 3CR going, you can get us over the line here: https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/FreedomofSpecies We appreciate any support! More Pluribus Analysis: Prestige TV Podcast – ‘Pluribus’ Episode 3: Negative Nancy at the Ice Hotel: https://www.theringer.com/podcasts/the-prestige-tv-podcast/2025/11/14/pluribus-episode-3-negative-nancy-at-the-ice-hotel The Rich Eisen Show – Vince Gilligan on the Underlying A.I. Themes in Apple TV’s ‘Pluribus’: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=05DXxA5ddDU Bias Sinha – Rhea Seehorn compares her ‘Pluribus’ character to Walter White as she questions hate she received: https://www.msn.com/en-au/entertainment/tv/rhea-seehorn-compares-her-pluribus-character-to-walter-white-as-she-questions-hate-she-received/ar-AA25erLJ?ocid=msedgntp&pc=U531&cvid=6a28c527a97b45e2b637391cec4aa0be&ei=26 Music: Pluribus theme by Dave Porter. Genie in a Bottle by Christina Aguilera. What Doesn’t Kill You Makes You Paranoid by The Beaches. Dead by Mia June.
28 June

Animal liberation: Shared goal, diverse tactics

In this episode Lottie and Nick talked about diversity of tactics, innovation of tactics and radical flank effects in social movements, and what animal (or any other!) activists can learn from these phenomena. We argue for unity in fighting for our common goal of ANIMAL LIBERATION. But we discuss how diverse tactics, both radical and moderate, can be positive for social movements. Resources we drew from: "Rebels With a Cause: Public Attitudes on Radical Protest Actions A Review of Empirical Evidence of Radical Flank Effects" by Chamberlain & Madsen (2025): https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s42087-025-00485-y#ref-CR18 "Waves of Contention: Relations among Radical, Moderate, and Conservative Movement Organizations" by Robnett, Glasser and Trammell (2015): https://www.emerald.com/books/edited-volume/12925/chapter-abstract/83298261/Waves-of-Contention-Relations-among-Radical "Choosing Tactics: Evidence from Social Movement Theory" by Max Carpendalehttps://www.animalask.org/post/choosing-tactics-evidence-from-social-movement-theory This episode covers similar themes to our May 31st 2026 episode, "Vegan stereotypes: In defence of the preachy vegan!" https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode/vegan-stereotypes-defence-preachy-vegan Music: Strange Fruit - Billie Holiday A Change is Gonna Come - Sam Cooke Mississippi Goddam - Nina Simone Donate before the end of July to keep Freedom of Species and 3CR on the air. Help us reach our target! https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies
14 June

Radiothon Animal Trivia Show 2026

On Sunday June 14th 2026, the Freedom of Species team had yet another nail-biting animal trivia show to raise donations for 3CR's Radiothon 2026! This year is special as it is 3CR's 50th birthday!! Listen along to our trivia show - Can you guess the answers before the listeners? CORRECTION: The animal sound played in the show was in fact a quail, not a bandicoot!! Trev apologises sincerely. Luckily no one guessed quail although we did lead listeners astray by saying the animal was not a bird... Donate to the 3CR Radiothon: We finished the show $200 under our Radiothon target! Thanks to all our amazing listeners!! Please support 3CR Community Radio so we can keep operating as a genuinely independent and non-commercial broadcast service. Donations are the best way to keep animal advocacy and other radical radio on the airwaves. You can donate via the GiveNow page: https://givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies. Or call 3CR during business hours (+61 3 9419 8377) or donate via the 3CR website (https://www.3cr.org.au/donate) and nominate Freedom of Species. Help us reach our target by the end of July! Music: Animal Liberation by Los Fastidios: https://www.losfastidios.net/ MY VEGAN LIFE by IFEEL: https://ifeel.bandcamp.com/track/my-vegan-life butterfly!! by RAMdragon: https://ramdragon.bandcamp.com/track/butterfly Ditch the Party by Codefendants: https://soundcloud.com/codefendants-music/ditch-the-party Please send us any feedback via FOSradio@proton.me
7 June

Animal liberation tunes

On today's show we chat about songs with animal liberation themes that we have been listening to. Unfortunately due to copyright restrictions, we cannot include the songs in the podcast and have listed them below so you can check them out. Songs we played on the show:Good Boy by Paris Paloma https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5NfyIpE4zawThe Beast Within by EcotageMaking Do by Lake Street Drive https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a60qqxm-BrQDominion by Vegan Queen V https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8LlOz3tBC9gUs & Pigs by Sophia Isella https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ciAsJ6TEpK4Cruelty to Animals by Frenzal Rhomb https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YpsB63888D4No Cars Go by Arcade Fire https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=T703EHtdPwoEyes Wide Open by Goyte https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oyVJsg0XIIkAmazonia by Gojira https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B4CcX720DW4 Here are a couple of previous Freedom of Species shows on animal liberation music: https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode-202009131300/animal-liberation-and-vegan-songs-part-1 https://www.3cr.org.au/freedomofspecies/episode-202011221300/animal-liberation-and-vegan-songs-part-2-heavy June is Radiothon month at 3CR Community Radio and this year is really special as 3CR, community owned and funded has been on-air since 1976 thanks to decades of community support and fundraising. The 3CR Radiothon is the main fundraising event for the year for the station. The 2026 target is $300,000 and the target for Freedom of Species is $1700. 3CR is a knowledge resource for all kinds of under-represented people and causes. Support the station that supports diversity and inclusion. If you would like to donate to 3CR and to the FoS campaign, please donate via https://www.givenow.com.au/cr/freedomofspecies Please tune in next week, Sunday June 14th between 1.00-2.00pm AEST for our Animal Trivia Radiothon show and text in your answers live on 0488 809 855 (save this number!). Please share any feedback with the FoS team via email at FOSradio@proton.me Thanks for listening and being part of the 3CR family.

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4.4

out of 5

9 Ratings

Freedom of Species

13/05/2012

Roy Taylor

A radio show and podcast from Melbourne, Australia dedicated to animal protecion. Each show includes local and international news, interviews with activists, and community announcements from the Melbournne animal protection scene. If you're interested in learning what the AR scene is like down under, have a listen!