🎙️ Barn & Soul – Where farming meets heart, history, and a mission to preserve the past for a more sustainable future. Episode 22- Beyond the Fence: The Ethical Weight of Keeping Animals

What does it really mean to care for animals in captivity — even with love and good intentions? In this thoughtful episode of Barn & Soul, we explore the emotional, ethical, and practical complexities of keeping animals in our care. From questions of consent and control to the responsibility of true stewardship, Kendall reflects on what ethical animal care looks like at Dalby Farm — and beyond.
You’ll also hear about real-world examples of animals being recognized as more than property, from Argentina’s landmark case granting personhood to an orangutan, to India’s legal protections for river dolphins.
This isn’t about guilt — it’s about awareness, compassion, and a willingness to keep doing better. 🐐💭
Fast Facts:
🌍 Over 70 billion animals are farmed each year, most in industrial settings (FAO, 2024)
🐐 Goats can remember human faces for a year or more (University of London, 2018)
🐘 Some animals — like elephants and dolphins — show self-awareness through the mirror test (National Geographic, 2023)
⚖️ Legal personhood for animals is gaining momentum around the world (Science.org, 2023)

🎧 Whether you work with animals, love them deeply, or simply want to understand the ethics behind human–animal relationships, this episode invites you to pause, reflect, and reconnect with what it means to truly care.
Until next time — take care, and don’t forget to appreciate the rare and wonderful things in life. 💛

📚 References & Sources
1. Global Farmed Animal StatisticsFood and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO), 2024“The State of World Fisheries and Aquaculture 2024”https://www.fao.org/state-of-fisheries-aquaculture
2. Goat Facial Recognition and Memory StudyNawroth, C., Ebersbach, M., von Borell, E., & Langbein, J. (2018)“Goats excel at learning and remembering human faces”Royal Society Open Sciencehttps://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.180422
3. Self-Awareness in Animals – Mirror TestNational Geographic, 2023“Mirror Test and Self-Awareness in Animals”https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/article/animals-mirror-self-recognition
4. Legal Personhood for AnimalsScience.org, 2023“Animal Legal Personhood Gains Momentum Worldwide”https://www.science.org/content/article/animal-legal-personhood-gains-momentum-worldwide
5. U.S. Survey on Legal Protections for Farm AnimalsASPCA, 2021“Public Opinion on Farm Animal Welfare”https://www.aspca.org/animal-protection/public-opinion-farm-animal-welfare
6. Sandra the Orangutan Legal Personhood CaseBBC News, 2015“Sandra the Orangutan Wins Legal Personhood in Argentina”https://www.bbc.com/news/world-latin-america-31719137
7. Pet Trusts and Animal Inheritance ExamplesForbes, 2021“The Most Expensive Pets: Animals Who Inherited Millions”https://www.forbes.com/sites/legalentertainment/2021/09/07/the-most-expensive-pets/?sh=3e8eec975e67
8. Legal Personhood for Ganges River Dolphins and Forests in IndiaThe Guardian, 2017“India Grants River Dolphins Legal Rights to Protect Them”https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2017/mar/21/india-grants-legal-rights-to-ganges-river-dolphins

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