Better Life for Animals

When a stray piglet named Zelda arrived at a Bay Area humane society, there was no barnyard for her. She stayed in a kennel near the dogs, where Kim Sturla visited every day and sometimes shared her lunch. Soon, Zelda was greeting Kim at the gate just as her own dogs greeted her at home. That bond changed how Kim thought about farmed animals and helped inspire her to co-found Animal Place in 1989. On Better Life for Animals, host Cheryl Moss talks with Kim about the early days of the California farm animal sanctuary and what it takes to care for rescued animals over a lifetime. Kim recalls sitting quietly with Bruce, a severely underweight pig who needed time to trust her, and watching hens rescued from battery cages stretch their wings and discover dust bathing. Kim also shares how sanctuary teams decide which animals they can take in, what happens behind the scenes during a large-scale rescue, and how Animal Place helps organizations bring the food they serve into line with their mission. Full episode show notes https://www.betterlifeforanimals.com/podcast/090-Kim-Sturla Be sure to leave a rating and review and subscribe to be notified about future episodes.

Imagine spending decades confined in a windowless laboratory, never experiencing the freedom to explore the outdoors. For many rescued chimpanzees, this was their reality before arriving at sanctuary. In Episode 089 of Better Life for Animals, host Cheryl Moss welcomes Diana Goodrich, co-director of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, to explore the extraordinary resilience of chimpanzees rescued from biomedical research, roadside zoos, and other captive environments. Diana shares how her experience working with Washoe, the famous chimpanzee who learned American Sign Language, transformed her understanding of animal intelligence and compassion. She also discusses the Cle Elum 7, the emotional impact of decades of laboratory confinement, and why chimpanzee rehabilitation requires patience, individualized care, and meaningful social relationships. Through the stories of Negra and George, listeners discover how rescued chimpanzees respond differently to newfound freedom and why providing choices is essential to their well-being. Cheryl and Diana also examine the ongoing challenges facing primates, including the exotic pet trade, private ownership, animal testing, and the urgent shortage of accredited sanctuary space. Diana explains how approximately 1,600 individual donors help sustain Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest and why public education, advocacy, and responsible social media engagement are essential to protecting primates. This conversation offers an important reminder that chimpanzees deserve more than basic survival. They deserve safety, companionship, dignity, and the opportunity to live as individuals. Listen to Episode 089: https://www.betterlifeforanimals.com/podcast/089-diana-goodrich  Learn more about Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest: https://chimpsnw.org 

Farm animals need enough room to stand, turn around, and stretch their limbs. Yet even these basic protections remain the subject of an intense political fight. In Episode 088 of Better Life for Animals, Cheryl Moss welcomes back Matthew Dominguez of Compassion in World Farming to discuss the Save Our Bacon Act and what he sees as its threat to progress against extreme confinement. Matthew explains how California's Proposition 12 and other state measures have become important tools for improving conditions for farmed animals. He describes the effort to challenge these protections through federal legislation and explains why advocates are focused on language that could be included in the Farm Bill. His concern extends beyond one campaign: weakening state protections could affect the movement's ability to secure future improvements. The conversation connects animal suffering with the lives of workers, farming communities, and consumers. Matthew discusses corporate influence, industry consolidation, environmental damage, and the pressure facing family farmers. He also challenges the argument that animal welfare protections are responsible for rising food prices, encouraging listeners to look more closely at the broader forces shaping the food system. One encouraging theme is the range of people willing to oppose extreme confinement. Matthew describes animal advocates working alongside family farmers, faith leaders, and businesses with different motivations but shared concerns. Cheryl and Matthew explore why reaching beyond familiar audiences can make advocacy more effective. Agreement on every issue is not required to work toward a specific improvement for animals. Listen, share, and subscribe to Better Life for Animals for conversations with people working toward a more compassionate world. https://www.BetterLifeForAnimals.com/podcast/088-matthew-dominguez

Animal protection laws can only help when they are enforced. Attorney Vanessa Shakib joins me, Cheryl Moss, to discuss how legal advocacy can expose hidden suffering, challenge unlawful business practices, and hold government agencies accountable. As co-founder and co-director of Advancing Law for Animals, Vanessa uses civil litigation to protect animals exploited in research and industrial food production. She explains how animals' legal status as property creates obstacles and how her organization uses existing laws to bring their interests before the courts. Our conversation covers taxpayer-funded animal experimentation, oversight of foreign laboratories, a challenge to a USDA enforcement policy, and litigation involving Cedar the goat. Vanessa also discusses applying California's unfair competition law to cases involving animal laboratories and factory farming. You'll hear why enforcement matters alongside stronger legislation, what gives Vanessa hope about the next generation of animal attorneys, and how people without legal training can support this work. Full show notes: https://www.betterlifeforanimals.com/podcast/087-Vanessa-Shakib Follow Better Life for Animals, leave a review, and share this episode to help more people understand the role of law in protecting animals.

What happens when an animal sanctuary becomes more than a place of rescue? In this episode of Better Life for Animals, host Cheryl Moss talks with Simone Scampoli, Executive Director of Capra Libera Tutti, an animal sanctuary in Italy where rescued farmed animals are given the opportunity to make choices, form relationships and live as individuals. Simone shares the remarkable story of how a former farm became an animal sanctuary and why animal agency is central to the work of Capra Libera Tutti. They discuss farm animal rescue, animal rights, vegan education, sanctuary life and animal advocacy, including why sanctuaries are not petting zoos and how simply observing animals can transform the way people see them. Simone also shares how the sanctuary educates children and non-vegan visitors through storytelling, builds a community of supporters, approaches fundraising and manages the emotional demands of animal advocacy. It's a powerful conversation about rescued animals, compassion and the important role sanctuaries can play in creating a different future for animals. Full Show Notes www.BetterLifeForAnimals.com/podcast/086-Simone-Scampoli Be sure to subscribe and leave a rating and review. This helps us reach more people about compassion to animals.