Our Hen House: Vegan & Animal Rights Movement | Stories from the Frontlines of Animal Liberation

When Canadian animal rights lawyer and Animal Justice Executive Director Camille Labchuk discovered that a Manitoba horse exporter had shipped 97 horses to Japan in December 2022 — on a rerouted flight projected to exceed Canada’s 28-hour transport limit and without a legally required contingency plan covering the full journey — she did something almost unheard of in Canadian animal law: she filed a private prosecution. In this episode, she and host Mariann Sullivan break down the brutal realities of Canada’s live horse export industry, the regulatory failures of the Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), and the historic trial that followed, with a verdict expected imminently. Canada’s live horse export industry exposed: A small number of Canadian exporters factory-farm horses specifically for live export to Japan, where the meat (basashi) is considered a delicacy, with individual shipments fetching over $1 million — yet most Canadians have no idea this industry exists. Systemic enforcement failures by the CFIA: Despite clear evidence of repeated violations of Canada’s 28-hour animal transport law and mounting data from Japan showing deaths, collapses, and serious injuries, the CFIA has never charged a single horse transporter — a pattern Animal Justice calls regulatory capture. A landmark private prosecution: Animal Justice used Canada’s little-known private prosecution right — rooted in British common law — to charge Carlisle Farms Limited for failing to have a legally required contingency plan covering the full duration of the horses’ journey to Japan, culminating in a two-day trial in Winnipeg in February 2025. The “Cruel Cargo” report: New data obtained from Japanese government and feedlot records reveals that in just one year, 9 horses died, 29 collapsed on flights, and 290 others suffered serious injuries or illness — none of which were reported by Canadian exporters or tracked by the CFIA. Legislative and legal momentum: A federal bill to ban live horse exports passed the Canadian House of Commons but died in the Senate; Animal Justice is now pushing the new Carney government to revive it, while also pursuing private prosecutions as a tool to force real enforcement of existing animal transport laws. ABOUT OUR GUEST Camille Labchuk is an animal rights lawyer and Executive Director of Animal Justice, Canada’s leading legal advocacy organization for animals, where she has spent over 15 years using litigation, investigation, and legislative advocacy to transform how Canada treats animals. Under her leadership, Animal Justice has secured landmark victories including the national ban on whale and dolphin captivity and the defeat of ag gag laws; she has argued cases at the Supreme Court of Canada, testified before legislative committees, and written for outlets including the Globe and Mail and the Toronto Star. A Fellow at the Oxford Centre for Animal Ethics, Camille holds degrees from the University of Toronto Faculty of Law and Mount Allison University, and brings a unique combination of legal and political strategy to the fight for animals — shaped by her earlier career as a press secretary to a federal party leader and two-time parliamentary candidate. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. ********** You can listen to the Animal Law Podcast directly on our website (at the top of this page) or you can listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher. Also, if you like what you hear, please rate it on Apple Podcasts, and don’t forget to leave us a friendly comment! Of course, we would be thrilled if you would consider making a donation or becoming a member of our flock (especially if you’re a regular listener). Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Don’t forget to also listen to the award-winning,  weekly signature OHH podcast — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann are joined by open rescue pioneer Adam Durand to discuss the dramatic March 15th Ridglan Rescue — a coordinated action in which 100 activists descended on a Wisconsin beagle breeding facility supplying dogs to medical research labs, ultimately freeing 22 dogs despite reinforced doors, an aggressively blocking vehicle, and on-site arrests. Adam shares what it was like inside, why the public response has been unlike anything the movement has seen before, and what comes next as organizers plan a follow-up action with a prospective 2,000 participants. The Ridglan Rescue: 100 activists used angle grinders and bolt cutters to breach a Wisconsin beagle breeding facility on March 15th, rescuing 22 dogs bound for use in medical research — a culmination of years of open rescue advocacy led by Wayne Hsiung, Alexandra Paul, Adam Durand, and others from the DxE network. Inside the facility: Adam describes conditions identical to factory farms — wire mesh cages, ammonia-saturated air, and near-total sensory deprivation — contradicting the assumption that medical research kennels meet higher welfare standards. Public support and media momentum: The rescue generated overwhelming mainstream support, with even law enforcement expressing conflict over the arrests, reflecting a cultural shift in how people view animals. Legal landscape: Ridglan faces court findings of illegal cruelty and has been ordered to exit the dog-supply business, but a deal with prosecutors has delayed and denied criminal accountability — the central grievance driving continued direct action. What’s next — April 19th, Madison, WI: Organizers are aiming to mobilize 2,000 people for a follow-up action at the Blue Mounds facility; participants can sign up at savethedogs.io and choose roles ranging from front-line rescue (with arrest risk) to public protest on open land. RESOURCES Adam Durand on episode 847 Warm Hearts, Wet Noses, and the Questions We Can’t Ignore Maddie Krasno of Justify on episode 780 Melanie Kaplan on episode 884 Tom Regan Visiting Research Fellowship  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

This week on Rising Anxieties, Mariann digs into the messy, maddening world of animal agriculture — where trade economics trump bird lives, hunting bans aren’t actually hunting bans, a Wisconsin egg farm is trying to buy public wetlands to keep nature away from its chickens, and the dairy lobby is running a protein campaign that conveniently forgot soy milk exists. Avian flu vaccine exists — but the industry won’t use it because vaccinated birds can still carry the flu and trade partners penalize vaccinating nations, revealing that export profits consistently outrank animal welfare and disease prevention. A quiet Farm Bill provision would ban the use of live animals as lures in hunting dog training, drawing outrage from hunting groups — and raising the question of why live animals were being used as lures in the first place. A Wisconsin egg producer is lobbying to purchase state-owned public land originally acquired to expand waterfowl habitat — so it can use federal Wildlife Services to “deter” the waterfowl that keep infecting its flocks. Dairy’s new “Protein Power” campaign compares cow milk’s 8g of protein to almond milk’s 1g — a technically true but conveniently misleading comparison that ignores soy milk, which matches dairy, and appears at a children’s museum. Carnivore influencer declares tofu “not food,” despite the fact that tofu has been a dietary staple for over 2,000 years — but sure, one athlete’s “tummy” complaints should overturn millennia of culinary history. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today.  Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan sit down with Penimah (Penny) Tehilah, Executive Director of the Animal Activism Collective (AAC), and Suzie Stork, Executive Director of the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT), for a deep dive into the strategy, structure, and surprising effectiveness of grassroots animal rights campaigning — and why winnable, targeted pressure campaigns are one of the most powerful tools activists have right now. The power of winnable campaigns: AAC and CAFT explain why focusing on achievable, specific asks — like fur-free policies — can be so effective, and how this approach has led to wins with over 18 major companies, New York Fashion Week, the Emmy Awards, and more. Corporate pressure campaign tactics: Learn how decentralized grassroots networks use protests, disruptions, secondary campaigns, and digital actions to make it “not worth it” for companies to ignore animals — including a 9-month campaign against Condé Nast that spanned 20 cities. Welfare vs. abolition — a practical framework: Penny shares her compelling “two cages” analogy for why she believes that welfare campaigns and single-issue campaigns are a strategic bridge toward animal liberation, not a compromise of it. How to get involved no matter your comfort level: From holding a sign to doing research, police liaison training, or chalking the sidewalk, guests break down the many entry points into grassroots activism and how AAC’s mentorship and pressure campaign programs help new activists build skills fast. Current campaigns and how to take action:CAFT is actively campaigning against Milan Fashion Week sponsors and Etsy’s real fur listings — two high-impact, winnable targets — and needs activists in the U.S., Europe, and Canada. Visit abolishfur.org and animalactivismcollective.com to get involved. ABOUT OUR GUESTS Penimah (Penny) Tehilah is the Executive Director of the Animal Activism Collective (AAC), an animal rights organization she co-founded in 2020 focused on grassroots mobilization and activist training. Since getting involved in animal rights in 2018, she has helped bring hundreds of new activists into the movement through AAC’s mentorship program, supported the launch of dozens of local grassroots groups across the U.S., and contributed to major wins including over 100 restaurants adopting foie gras-free policies and numerous luxury fashion brands going fur-free. Suzie Stork is the Executive Director of the Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade (CAFT), one of the most successful anti-fur organizations in the world, with a decentralized grassroots network spanning more than 50 cities internationally. Under her leadership, CAFT has secured landmark fur-free victories with Vogue, New York Fashion Week, and dozens of luxury brands — while building a scalable organizing model aimed at ending the fur industry entirely and serving as a blueprint for dismantling future industries that exploit animals. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, Threads, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.

In this episode of The Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann dive into the emotional and political landscape of animal advocacy — from the dramatic DXE rescue operation at Ridglan Farms in Wisconsin to a surprising New York Times piece on MAGA figures warming up to animal rights. They also celebrate a major legal win for the long-stalled New York City foie gras ban, discuss the complexities of maintaining friendships with non-vegans, and explore a new academic book asking whether animals, rivers, and, yes, AI can hold fundamental rights. Because apparently we needed to invent a sentient chatbot before we can start taking seriously the creatures who’ve been bleeding and suffering in front of us the whole time. Ridglan Farms rescue: DxE activists rescued 22 beagles from the infamous Wisconsin research facility, reigniting conversations about animal experimentation and the emotional toll of animal advocacy MAGA and animal rights: A New York Times article explores how figures like Anthony Bellotti (White Coat Waste Project) and Lara Trump are pushing against animal testing — a rare, unexpected alignment between conservative politics and animal protection NYC foie gras ban: An appellate court overturned a lower ruling, clearing a major hurdle for New York City’s long-delayed ban on the sale of foie gras Veganism and the “bigger tent”: Jasmin and Mariann reflect on navigating relationships with non-vegan allies — including a positive dinner at Rochester vegan restaurant Red Fern — and whether a more inclusive approach strengthens the movement New academic book — Fundamental Rights for Non-Humans: Edited by Cambridge scholars, this volume examines whether animals, AI, and nature can hold legal rights, and why animals are still being sidestepped in mainstream conversations about sentience and personhood RESOURCES MAHAspital SNL skit Culinary cruelty: NYC will soon enforce a ban on this ‘luxury’ food in NYC Anthony Bellotti on Our Hen House Ep 204 Waste, Fauci and ‘Transgender’ Mice: How MAGA Is Warming to Animal Rights Fundamental Rights for Non-humans  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Thank you for listening to the Our Hen House podcast! If you enjoy our podcasts, believe in our mission to effectively mainstream the movement to end the exploitation of animals, find community and solace in our shows and resources, and would like to show your support for vegan indie media, please make a donation today. Contributions of any amount will go towards our fundraising goal and are hugely appreciated. Our Hen House is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, so it’s tax-deductible. Thank you for helping us create quality content! Subscribe to our show on Apple Podcasts, YouTube, or your favorite podcatcher, and don’t forget to leave a 5-star review! Check out Our Hen House’s other podcasts: The Animal Law Podcast, The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast, and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or Bluesky. The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren.