Search results

Life in the poles provides insights into the first animals on Earth. According to a recent study, the amazing survival techniques of polar marine creatures...

The presence of even a few humans in national parks can have significant impacts on the behavior of the wildlife that live there, a new study has found. People might already expect that animals would change their routines to avoid humans at popular parks like Yosemite and Yellowstone — which can see more than a million...

Past Presentation | Dominion uses drones, hidden and handheld cameras to expose the dark underbelly of modern animal agriculture, questioning the morality and validity of humankind’s dominion over the animal kingdom. While mainly focusing on animals used for food, it also explores other ways animals are exploited and abused by humans, including clothing, entertainment and research. Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix, Rooney Mara, Sia, Sadie Sink and Kat Von D, and co-produced by Earthlings creator Shaun Monson. Filmed in Australia, with a global message.

Past Presentation | In October 2002, the first political party worldwide was founded which does not base its policy on human-centric thinking. The Party for the Animals represents a new political movement that values animal welfare and the environment. "The foundation of The Party for the Animals was received with much skepticism within traditional politics. However, the Party for the Animals quickly appeared to function as a pacer in the marathon", recalls Marianne Thieme - co-founder and party leader. The Pacer in the Marathon is a documentary on the first ten years of the Party for the Animals. Next to in-depth interviews with the party founders, the film provides an insight into the public reception of this pioneering political movement, within science, politics and media.

The number of live animals seized by the Australian Government has tripled since 2017, with blue-tongue lizards and sulphur-crested cockatoos frequently captured.

Past Presentation | More action adventure than traditional documentary, this film follows the world’s most ambitious and daring animal rescue, with a narrative compiled from film, interviews, conversations, and reactions as events unfolded. How attitudes toward animals were changed in Bolivia, illegal circuses pursued and closed, and 25 lions airlifted to freedom.

Past Presentation | Philip Wollen makes an impactful case against animals on your menus in front of an audience at the St. James Ethics Centre and the Wheeler Centre. Wollen then passes the debate onto a six-person panel, with three members supporting his case and three making an argument to continue to keep animals on the menu.

Past Presentation | Filmed in a fly-on-the-wall style, this raw and inspiring documentary follows 26-year-old Manoj Gautam, a modern day, third world hero on a passionate quest to protect animals and wildlife from cruelty and extinction. Inspired by the work of his mentor, Dr. Jane Goodall, and with minimal resources and no formal training, Gautam is creating a network of allies across the country, busting animal smugglers, protecting fragile ecosystems, rescuing abused animals, and galvanizing an environmental movement.

Past Presentation | Director note: “Through 3 years of researching what the Cheetah Conservation Fund and other NGOs were doing in the way of conservation . . I realised that there was a big focus on the illegal trade of dead animal parts, but no one was telling the story of the illegal trade in live animals, especially those destined for the pet trade.” This film looks at the illegal wildlife trade of cheetah cubs, and the role social media plays in the parading and trading of exotic animals online. Hundreds of cheetah cubs are being stolen from the wild, which is decimating the wild population in Africa. For every 5 cubs that are taken, only 1 survives. They are being smuggled illegally into the Middle East to be sold as pets.

American bison are back on the rise. The problem is, they don't respect fences.

Past Presentation | Earthlings is an award-winning documentary film about the suffering of animals for food, fashion, pets, entertainment and medical research. Considered the most persuasive documentary ever made, Earthlings is nicknamed “the Vegan maker” for its sensitive footage shot at animal shelters, pet stores, puppy mills, factory farms, slaughterhouses, the leather and fur trades, sporting events, circuses and research labs.

Now Playing | The Canary Islands are a whale Paradise. Their waters hold more than a third of the world’s species, making it the most important enclave in the European Union, and one of the most relevant globally.Today, this paradise is being threatened by different human pressures, such as boat collisions, plastic consumption and climate change. This struggle aggravates their mortality each year and makes us face ourselves as the ones responsible for their survival, forcing us to rethink how much we value these animals currently.How much is a whale worth? Can you put a price on the life of such a majestic animal? How can we estimate that value? How has the value that human beings give to whales changed throughout history? What are whales used and needed for?To answer all these questions, Natacha Aguilar, an eminent Canarian scientist and whale expert, backed up by a group of scientists and non-profit organizations, will guide us in a spectacular journey through time and space to discover the never-told stories of the lives of these animals.

Have you heard about "One environmental health"? It's a subset of "One Health," the concept that the health of animals, humans and the environment are interconnected. One environmental health focuses on how toxic chemicals impact that shared health.In this video, discover how Dr. Wise went from studying whales in the Gulf of Mexico following the BP Deepwater Horizon oil spill to comparative genomics of cancers in dogs, sea lions and people, and ultimately to researching how environmental exposures impact the health of pet dogs. Together these experiences fueled her passion for One environmental health, aiming to create a healthier world for us and our pets.Catherine F. Wise, Ph.D., Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke UniversityCatherine Wise is a postdoctoral associate in the Nicholas School of the Environment at Duke University investigating the role of environmental exposures and health outcomes in pet dogs; under the premise that our pets act as sentinels for human health. The concept that the health of the environment, animals and people is interconnected, known as One Health, is integral to Catherine’s approach to her research. She is passionate about how environmental exposures impact the health of animals and humans. She obtained her Ph.D. in toxicology from North Carolina State University following a Bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Southern Maine.Learn moreFollow Dr. Wise on Twitter @CFWisePhDFind her on LinkedIn here.

A dearth of research on medical conditions affecting women has led a UCLA researcher to look for insights from the female animal kingdom.

Past Presentation | On the isolated Danish Faroe Islands, the longtime hunting and fishing practices of the Faroese are being threatened by animal rights activism, plummeting wildlife populations, and rising mercury levels.

Past Presentation | The story of a multi-generational cattle farm in Talbott, Tennessee, turned sanctuary. The director notes that, through photography, “I could bring my love of animals to new levels and reach wider audiences. With this goal in mind, I started The Sentient Project. By capturing animals in a way many people may not necessarily see them, I hope they will reconsider some of the choices they make. Our daily decisions have massive effects on animals whether immediately recognized or not.”

Past Presentation | A documentary about the activism of Carol Buckley with elephants in captivity and how they are trained, forced to long working hours and living in a clearly improvable conditions.

Past Presentation | In 1975, a young writer published a book arguing that no justifications exist for considering humans more important than members of other species. It slowly began to gain attention. Today, a quickly growing number of prominent individuals and political activists are adopting its conclusions. They have termed the assumption of human superiority speciesism. As a result, they rank these animal factories among the greatest evils in our history. Speciesism brings viewers face-to-face with the leaders of this developing movement, and, for the first time ever on film, fully examines the purpose of what they are setting out to do.

Now Playing | In the Peruvian and Bolivian Andes, more than 3 800 meters above sea level, live alpaca and vicunia breeders. Quechua and Aymara families protect their animals live off of the sale of the animals’ fiber. Gold mining is another activity that predates the Conquest and is widespread among families living in the border area between Peru and Bolivia. The difficult compatibility on the same territory of these two production activities increases the need for environmental protection and workers' rights. It has become indispensable to support producers so that this activity does not disappear with the migration of native peoples, abandoning traditions and animals.

The right-wing justices who claim to support “states’ rights” could once again expose their hypocrisy in the service of big business. The post In Pig Welfare Case, Supreme Court Could Doom State Regulatory Laws Aimed at Industry appeared first on The Intercept.

Past Presentation | Many know its name; few have seen it. Once present throughout Europe, the angel shark is now critically endangered. As unique as extraordinary, it reveals to us several secrets… little by little, and to those who take the time to listen

Past Presentation | The Paw Project documentary is an inspiring David and Goliath story of a grassroots movement to protect felines, both large and small, from the cruelty of declawing and how the movement has prevailed, despite the efforts of well-funded professional veterinary associations. In the United States today, approximately 25% of domesticated cats are declawed. Declawing is the amputation of the last bone in a cat's toes. Despite the physical and behavioral harm inflicted on cats who are declawed, many veterinarians continue to recommend the procedure, which costs upwards of $1,200. per hour – even for very young kittens. These are animals we love, and with whom we share our homes. Why aren't we being told the truth about what the declawing procedure involves? The Paw Project chronicles the happy and unexpected twist of fate that led to the protection of many animals through the grassroots advocacy efforts led by Dr. Conrad and The Paw Project.

Past Presentation | Animal agriculture, the leading cause of many environmental problems, including deforestation, habitat loss, topsoil erosion, and ocean “dead zones,” goes on, almost entirely unchallenged. Andersen uncovers what an apparent intentional refusal to discuss these effects, and industry whistleblowers and watchdogs warn him of the risks to his freedom and even his life if he persists. As eye opening as Blackfish and as inspiring as An Inconvenient Truth, this shocking yet humorous documentary reveals the absolutely devastating environmental impact large scale factory farming has on our planet and offers a path to global sustainability for a growing population.

Coming Soon | THE FIRE CATS – Save Something Small is the inspirational story of a group of animal rescuers who devoted months to rescuing cats who survived the Tubbs wildfire that was hot enough to melt glass and to return them to the families who had lost everything. The experience transformed everyone: the rescuers, the cats, and the fire families. But a year later, when the monstrous Camp Fire wiped out Paradise, the authorities tried to stop them.

Past Presentation | The story of the repercussions of human negligence juxtaposed against the incredible power of human compassion. A humpback whale entangled in a fishing net is left for dead until documentarians happen on the whale. Although untrained for such missions, they nonetheless work to rescue her and at the same time capture incredible up-close footage. Beautiful images of humpbacks swimming through the protected blue waters off Hawaii contrast with the whale in this story, concluding with a powerful statement: 'Change begins with the heart.'

Now Playing | Jetty Cats explores contemporary animal rights issues through a focus on a feral cat colony that has survived on a rocky, seaside jetty in Southern California for decades. There is an ongoing debate over feral cat colonies involving advocates who support the trap, neuter, and return -- or "TNR" -- model of management, and those who argue that trapping and euthanizing the cats is more humane. This documentary’s point-of-view supports the TNR model and the related “no-kill” animal shelter policy, and features an exclusive interview with Richard Avanzino, the "Father" of the no-kill movement.

Past Presentation | Film from Non-Violence United promotes a vegan diet as a path toward healing the relationship between animals and humans

Past Presentation | After a sting operation in Bangkok for two trafficked orangutans leave those accountable with no consequence, Daniel Stiles, a detective in the illegal wildlife trade, thinks of new ways to combat illegal trafficking of great apes. For the last 8 years the focus of Sytsma’s work has been giving a platform to ordinary people who express a specific sociopolitical concern to strengthen community and inform us of actions and consequences at the ground level. Originally trained as an experimental storyteller and cinematographer at the University of Wisconsin Milwaukee Peck School of the Arts, his work has been shown on national media like PBS and at film festivals around the world.

Now Playing | Bats are struggling to survive, specifically in North America, where white nose syndrome is causing a sharp decline of certain species. Pertinent issues: climate change, habitat destruction, what can humans must do to prevent extinction.

Coming Soon | Armed with realistic bird puppets, trickster environmental activists pretend to be oil company Total—staging a satirical press conference to introduce "RéHabitat," a program to rescue animals from the East African Oil Pipeline by relocating them to “more sustainable” habitats. Using humor and mischief, they expose a deadly ecological disaster in a zany effort to help #StopEACOP.

Past Presentation | This story is told in the Ainu language, which has been deemed a critically endangered language by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). Higashiyama, the home of the foxes, has become an illegal dumping ground. This has resulted in the decline of small animals, which the mother fox relied on as prey to feed her children. The fox comes down for the mountains in search of food to feed her children, and comes upon a human village.

Now Playing | Nestled in India’s northeastern Assam district, Kaziranga National Park contains the world’s highest density of the endangered Asian one horned rhino. Long plagued by civil unrest, this park is also ground zero for poaching and illegal trade of rhhorn. The film focuses on the efforts of journalist Uttam Saikia, who begins to serve as a mediator between the park and local poachers.

Past Presentation | An animation short that informs and educates about the urgent issues that are threatening the future of wildlife and communities on the island of Madagascar. As an island nation of spectacular and unique biodiversity, Madagascar has over 80% of its animals and plants that are found nowhere else on Earth. Madagascar's Scars attempts to inform the viewer of the environmental crisis involving illegal logging, deforestation and hunting of the critically endangered lemur which threatens the future of the island, as well as offer hopeful solutions to protect the biodiversity and improve the lives of the Malagasy.

Past Presentation | Executive Producer, Diane Mellen found a recent article about three-eyed fish and two-headed turtles in the New River which flows from the U.S. Mexico border into the Salton Sea. Runoff sewage is causing DNA mutations in the animals. As filmmakers, we found it alarming that the California Department of Parks and Recreation is advising parents it is permissible to swim and fish in the Salton Sea. We wanted to make a documentary with vivid imagery, as no words can encompass the sadness of the area.

Past Presentation | A joyful film about connecting to the land and the community. Produced over 4 years it follows the Salatins, a 4th generation farming family who do ‘everything different to everyone else’ as they produce food in a way that works with nature, not against it. Using the symbiotic relationships of animals and their natural functions, they produce high quality, nutrient-dense products.

Past Presentation | This “important film,” as described by Paul McCartney, addresses how, due to quintupling of meat consumption since 1960 in the West–where cardiovascular disease and cancer are epidemic, 65 billion land animals are slaughtered every year and 30% of all grain is fed to those animals while globally 1.8 billion people suffer starvation. The director spent 3 years traveling throughout Europe, India, and the United States to research dietary lifestyles. Meeting with expert physicians, nutritionists, veterinarians, behavioral scientists, activists, agronomists and farmers led to one solution, a simple one that restored our own health and the health of our planet: Food Matters, You Matter!

Past Presentation | Sea the Truth is the second documentary of the scientific bureau of the party for the animals, which is the only political party in the World that represents animals. The documentary shows us the conditions of the oceans, which is shocking. In 2048 the oceans will be emptied, if we do not act today! Seen through the eyes of underwater photographer Dos Winkel, this documentary follows two marine scientists as they research his observations and come to the conclusion that we should not eat fish anymore. Not only are the oceans polluted but the fish we eat too. This and other issues such as overfishing, by-catch and problems in fish farms are addressed.

Now Playing | Microsculpture is a unique visual experience. A 10mm insect is shown as a 3 meter print, revealing minute detail and allowing the viewer to take in the structure of the insect in its entirety. The beautifully lit, high magnification portraiture of Levon Biss captures the microscopic form of these animals in striking high-resolution detail.

Now Playing | Inspired by the decline of monarch butterflies in the Midwestern prairie, a gardener, educator, and pastor transform a rural church’s backyard into a sanctuary for pollinating animals, an educational garden for the community, and a sacred space for spiritual contemplation.

Now Playing | We made this short film under lockdown conditions throughout the pandemic of Covid-19. The film argues that policies are not enough to prevent a future outbreak. We need a paradigm shift in how we view nature and the rest of life on this planet. The film was made remotely via zoom, a fact made clear in the style of the film. Our speakers appear on screens, which we filmed from inside our homes. Each speaker offers a different perspective on the origins of the pandemic in the ways we see and value nature. If humans can’t escape their connection to the natural world, it’s time for a better one. The health of us and the planet depends on it.

Past Presentation | Forget that dark swamp picture, the Everglades in fact is a crystal clear, shallow river flowing slowly towards the sea. This is an intimate portrait of this strange but troubled watery wilderness through the stories of the animals that call it home, for example, “a little grey bird that was walking silently under the bushes… and then all of a sudden he picked up a land crab! A big one. . . . I didn’t guess that we’re going to end up spending more than a week on that little meadow in the mangrove.”

Now Playing | They are among the rarest animals in the world: lynxes, European minks, swamp turtles and ground squirrels. They all once disappeared from Germany. In an attempt to rewild Germanys nature, they are now returning. The film follows their individual journeys back to the wild. For those who are now reclaiming their old habitat, it is a long and dangerous road.

Now Playing | Loss of more than half the central African forest elephant population to poaching in the last decade has led to a concerted effort to save those that remain. These efforts are explored through one of Cameroon’s first female eco-guards, a grassroots wildlife law enforcement group, a Congolese biologist studying elephant behavior, a reformed elephant poacher, and anti-poaching sniffer dogs led by a Czech conservationist, all fighting corruption despite a lack of funding that threatens to derail their work to save the elephants.

Past Presentation | Nearly three decades ago, filmmaker Hardy Jones became fascinated by wild dolphins. Even though many said it couldn't be done, he set out to film these sleek sea mammals in the open ocean. Along the way, he became closely involved with his subjects and came to appreciate dolphins as highly intelligent creatures worthy of careful protection. Eventually, Jones turned his camera into a tool for conservation. He filmed dramatic dolphin hunts, and the documentary footage made headlines and sparked international protests. Jones also discovered the effects of chemical pollution on dolphins and orcas, the largest species of dolphin. He came to realize that threats to these marine mammals were threats to the ocean itself, and to us all. Now, in NATURE's The Dolphin Defender, Jones shares some of his most dramatic and beautiful images, and tells the moving personal story of his journey into the world of dolphins. It is a memorable voyage revealed with the energy and elegance of the dolphins themselves.

Coming Soon | Located in the heart of Brazil, the Pantanal is a tropical wetland packed with the most remarkable wildlife. It has a global importance due to its characteristic water cycle and annual floods, which create waterlogged soils that function as a carbon sink. The annual floods are also essential to maintain a huge diversity of unique species. However, due to human actions, the floods are now becoming smaller and rivers are drying out, which is causing severe droughts. The consequences of this became evident in 2020, when huge wildfires destroyed over a quarter of this biome, killing millions of animals along the way. Two brave locals – Eduarda and Jorge – decided to give their all to rescue and save the lives of severely injured animals along the way.

Now Playing | Illustrating the wide array of birds that live in and around the city of Toronto, the film features passionate birdwatchers who have devoted most of their lives to discovering these birds. In the process, these dedicated people promote Toronto as an international location for birdwatching, which also leads to conservation efforts to protect animals and green land.

Fetuses want more than their mother can safely give.

Toxic "forever chemicals" in game animals are prompting "do not eat" advisories in some states where hunting is a key piece of the economy.

To save the endangered animals, researchers have been working for decades to figure out where they reproduce

Now Playing | A moving, powerful inside look at what has happened to the wild, rarely seen, real Florida. A compelling, emotional soundtrack carries the viewer through the past destruction of wild Florida habitats, to beautiful scenes of Florida's rarely seen native wild animals, including the most endangered cat in North America, the Florida Panther, and ends with a positive message encouraging the viewer to work to protect Florida's wildlife and habitat before it is too late.

American eaters might soon be able to enjoy real meat that wasn’t produced by raising and slaughtering animals — and that avoids the environmental impacts associated with animal agriculture. As of last week, Upside Foods , a California-based startup founded in 2015 under the name Memphis Meats, is one step closer to…

The nation's largest corn producing region could soon be known as the Extreme Heat Belt.

The Environmental Protection Agency is charged with protecting important waterways from pollution, but manure from concentrated animal feeding operations, or CAFOs, continues to harm waterways — and only one-third of the largest facilities have a federal permit.  EPA permits require CAFO operators to tell the agency how much waste the animals will produce and how …

Two new lawsuits want to hold federal and state leaders accountable for failing to protect the iconic predators. The post The Fight to Stop Republicans From Killing Wolves and Grizzlies appeared first on The Intercept.

Wildlife managers recently relocated dozens of the iconic animals to help restore balance to the park's ecosystem

Past Presentation | Elephant Keeper is the story of an elder indigenous mahout who is adjusting to a new job in ecotourism in the remote jungles of Sainyabuli Province, Laos. Senior mahout, Mr. Tong, arrives at the Elephant Conservation Center (ECC) in search of work to support his family, and is paired with Mae Dok, the Center’s sweet and stubborn 60-year-old elephant matriarch. As he adapts to a new routine away from home, Mr. Tong finds a confidant in his elephant charge. The immersive contemplative nature of the cinematography allows the audience to feel present within the action and story in a complex narrative rich with visual metaphor and symbolism, exploring themes of Extinction & Conservation, Industrialization & Globalization, and Culture & Identity.

Scientists have long sought to farm the scarce seafood staple, but critics say animals are not suited to intensive methodsScientists in Japan say they have developed a groundbreaking method of farming squid that could solve shortages of the seafood staple, amid warnings from environmental groups that aquaculture is incompatible with the animal’s welfare.Researchers at the Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology (OIST) say their system produced a reliable supply of squid and has the potential to be commercialised. Continue reading...