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In Tune to Nature is an eco & animal protection weekly radio show broadcast from Atlanta on Radio Free Georgia Wednesdays from 6 -7pm EST worldwide on wrfg.org and in Atlanta on 89.3FM. The 30-50 minute podcast versions are posted here, featuring interviews with activists, scientists, and authors who help us protect living beings and our shared habitats. Hosted by Carrie Freeman (Communication Professor and Human Animal Earthling) or Melody Paris. Studio photography by Ann Packwood.
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7 days ago
7 days ago
When you hear the term "animal welfare" you probably think cats, dogs, horses, maybe pet parakeets. But there is an organization called Wild Animal Initiative that is expanding the notion of animal welfare to include wild/free-living animal individuals. For my 100th podcast episode, my guest Cat Kerr with Wild Animal Initiative was here to talk about how scientists try to measure wellbeing in wild animals (you can guess some of the criteria) and why we have not often done that in scientific research on a regular basis (it's different from veterinary research and conservation research). Cat and host Carrie Freeman talk for 50 minutes in the Radio Free Georgia studio in Atlanta in April 2025, sharing some stories about a one-eyed squirrel on Carrie's porch, wild bird welfare, how scientists are helping house sparrows live better lives (despite how some folks don't like sparrows, go figure), what wild birds with bird flu are going through, and how to promote wild animal welfare research and policies, including what we can do to improve our animal neighbors' lives.
Check out https://www.wildanimalinitiative.org/ to read and support their research (they also offer grants to researchers...since science funding is getting hard to come by these days).
"In Tune to Nature" is a weekly radio show airing Wednesdays at 6pm Eastern Time on 89.3FM-Atlanta radio and streaming worldwide on wrfg.org (Radio Free Georgia, a nonprofit indie station) hosted by me, Carrie Freeman, or Melody Paris. The show's website and action items can be found at https://wrfg.org/in-tune-to-nature/ Please support nonprofit indie media like our Radio Free Georgia station at https://wrfg.org/ Thank you!
Take care of yourself and others, including other species, like one- or two- eyed squirrels and house sparrows.
Photo Credit: cute House Sparrow photo from Wild Animal Initiative website.
Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed on In Tune to Nature do not necessarily reflect those of WRFG, its board, staff or volunteers.
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