The Truth About “Top” Zoos: Dr. Liz Tyson of Born Free USA on Animal Captivity, Happy the Elephant, and Why No Zoo Is Good for Animals

The Truth About “Top” Zoos: Dr. Liz Tyson of Born Free USA on Animal Captivity, Happy the Elephant, and Why No Zoo Is Good for Animals

This week, Jasmin and Mariann welcome back Dr. Liz Tyson, Director of Animal Welfare and Advocacy at Born Free USA, for a wide-ranging and eye-opening conversation about the reality of animal captivity in zoos — including the “best” ones. Using the recent death of Happy the Elephant at the Bronx Zoo as a launching point, they dig into Born Free’s ongoing investigation of AZA-accredited zoos, the debunked myths of zoo conservation and education, the pipeline that moves animals from “top” zoos to roadside facilities, and why community-led conservation is the only path forward for truly protecting wildlife. * Happy the Elephant & Nonhuman Rights: Dr. Tyson breaks down Happy’s nearly 50 years of captivity at the Bronx Zoo, her landmark self-recognition mirror test, and the Nonhuman Rights Project’s groundbreaking — though unsuccessful — legal effort to grant her personhood and freedom. * Born Free’s Zoo Investigation: Born Free USA has already released reports on the Bronx Zoo, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, and Audubon Zoo as part of a two-year investigation of 10 top AZA-accredited zoos, finding that so-called “elite” zoos fail animals in the same fundamental ways as roadside zoos. * The Conservation and Education Myths: Dr. Tyson dismantles zoos’ core justifications — insurance populations, species preservation, and educational value — with data showing the vast majority of zoo animals are not threatened in the wild, and that visitors spend an average of 69 seconds at enclosures. * Deceptive Zoo Architecture: From moats disguised as open savannahs to trees wired off from the animals they appear to offer, Dr. Tyson explains how modern zoo design is engineered to make visitors feel good while masking the reality of confinement. * SANCTUARIES VS. ZOOS & THE PATH FORWARD: DR. TYSON CONTRASTS TRUE SANCTUARY CARE — INCLUDING BORN FREE’S OWN 208-RESIDENT PRIMATE SANCTUARY IN TEXAS — WITH ZOO OPERATIONS, AND ARGUES THAT COMMUNITY-BASED, LOCALLY LED CONSERVATION IS THE ONLY APPROACH THAT CAN ACTUALLY PROTECT WILDLIFE IN THE WILD. ABOUT OUR GUEST [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/946-OHH-quote-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/946-OHH-quote-template-360x360.pngDr. Liz Tyson is Director of Animal Welfare and Advocacy at Born Free USA, where she leads both the organization’s advocacy work and its primate sanctuary in Texas — home to 208 rescued monkeys. Over the course of her career, she has helped animals across the globe: establishing the first locally run sterilization program for street dogs in the Middle East, partnering with indigenous communities in the Colombian Amazon to end the hunting of wild primates, running a UK charity dedicated to ending animal exploitation in circuses and zoos, and helping design a rehabilitation complex for rescued monkeys at Ensessa Kotteh, Born Free’s sanctuary in Ethiopia. In 2018, she earned her doctorate in animal welfare law, and in 2020 published Licensing Laws and Animal Welfare: The Legal Protection of Wild Animals with Palgrave Macmillan/Springer Nature — to date the most comprehensive study of the legal protection of wild animals in English zoos. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep946/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support]. 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, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse/videos], 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourhenhouse/], Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], Threads [https://www.threads.net/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.bsky.social] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

The Hen Report: “Vegan-Colored Glasses” | Beagles, Angela Davis & Plant-Based Athletes

In this week’s Hen Report, Jasmin Singer and Mariann Sullivan cover a lively mix of animal advocacy news, pop culture, and vegan messaging. They discuss Sangamithra Iyer’s new memoir Governing Bodies and its LA Times review, celebrate vegan powerlifter Katya Gorbacheva’s post-partum championship win, and unpack Angela Davis’s shout-out to animal rights at a college commencement. The episode also digs into a Faunalytics study showing that simply asking people to take an animal’s perspective can meaningfully shift their dietary choices — and closes with the ongoing good news out of Ridglan Farms, where another 135 beagles are being rescued. * Sangamithra Iyer’s Governing Bodies: The Our Hen House alum’s new memoir earns a glowing LA Times review for weaving veganism, nonviolence, and animal rights into a personal and political narrative * Vegan athlete spotlight: Russian powerlifter Katya Gorbacheva wins Best Lifter at Moscow Lights just eight months postpartum — proof that plant-based eating builds elite strength * Angela Davis on animal rights: The iconic activist used her Pitzer College commencement address to endorse PETA’s dining-hall memorial campaign and call out the “absolute horrific treatment of animals” * The power of perspective-taking: A Faunalytics study finds that asking people to view footage from the animal’s point of view produces a reduction in meat consumption * Ridglan Farms rescue update: 135 more beagles are being freed, adding to the 1,500 already released — and Mariann urges advocates to channel this momentum toward all animals, not just dogs [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/945-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/945-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png RESOURCES * * * * * Losing Our Cruelty [https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/sangamithra-iyer-governing-bodies-memoir-confluence-watershed-interview/] * The Lines We Draw Kindle Edition [https://www.amazon.com/Lines-We-Draw-Sangamithra-Iyer-ebook/dp/B00HYM92UG/] * Vegan Strong Powerlifter Wins ‘Best Lifter’ 8 Months After Giving Birth [https://plantbasednews.org/culture/sport/vegan-strong-powerlifter-wins-best-lifter/] * Angela Davis’s Pitzer College Commencement Speech [https://www.facebook.com/reel/2432637757218851] * New Film Highlights The ‘Hidden Human Cost’ Of The Meat Industry [https://plantbasednews.org/culture/film/new-film-human-cost-meat-industry/] * This Netflix Film About An Octopus Could Make You Rethink Seafood [https://plantbasednews.org/culture/film/netflix-film-about-octopus-rethink-seafood/] * ‘Smoky, rich and umami-filled’: the best supermarket veggie burgers, tasted and rated [https://www.theguardian.com/thefilter/2026/may/30/best-supermarket-veggie-burgers-tasted-rated?utm_term=Autofeed&CMP=bsky_gu&utm_medium=&utm_source=Bluesky#Echobox=1780145081] * Reducing Prejudice Can Lead To Dietary Changes [https://faunalytics.org/reducing-prejudice-can-lead-to-dietary-changes/] * Another 135 dogs are getting out of Ridglan this week. [https://www.instagram.com/p/DZGEsg7j0YS] *  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep945/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support]. 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, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.org] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

Vegan Accusations, Cancer-Causing CAFOs, and the Screw Worm Cometh | Rising Anxieties

[https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/944-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/944-RA-QUOTE-TEMPLATE-360x360.pngThis week on Rising Anxieties, we’re covering the full spectrum of animal agriculture chaos — from the political circus surrounding James Talarico’s (alleged) veganism to the unsurprising news that living next to a factory farm might be slowly killing you. Plus, a meat industry columnist accidentally makes the case for abolishing animal agriculture, and the screw worm is getting uncomfortably close to Texas. Business as usual, folks. * Trump vs. Veganism: The President and Texas AG Ken Paxton are using “vegan” as a slur against Senate candidate James Talarico — who, in turn, distances himself from salad with uncomfortable enthusiasm. * Better Chicken = Worse Planet: A meat industry writer lays out exactly why the Better Chicken Commitment is environmentally unsustainable — and somehow doesn’t connect those dots to the obvious conclusion that factory farming itself has to go. * Factory Farming Causes Cancer: A Yale study confirms that living near a CAFO significantly raises cancer risk, which is bad news for literally everyone, including vegans. * “Factory Farm” Is Just a Word: The Farm Babe does not like the term “factory farm” and would prefer you say CAFO, a phrase no one understands and that is presumably the point. * Screw Worm Watch: The New World screw worm is now 52 miles from the US border, active cases in Mexico are surging, and the USDA is releasing sterile insects into the void and hoping for the best. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep944/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support].  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, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on LinkedIn [https://www.linkedin.com/company/ourhenhouse/], Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], Threads [https://www.threads.net/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.bsky.social] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]

When the Law Fails Farmworkers: J-1 Visa Exploitation, Labor Trafficking, and the Hidden Cost of Cheap Meat

[https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/132-ALP-quote-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/132-ALP-quote-template-360x360.png In this episode of the Animal Law Podcast, host Mariann Sullivan speaks with Amal Bouhabib, senior staff attorney at FarmSTAND [http://farmstand.org/], about a landmark federal lawsuit involving three young men from Guatemala who were recruited to the U.S. on J-1 cultural exchange visas and subjected to dangerous working conditions, fraudulent promises, substandard housing, and coercive threats at an industrial swine operation in Nebraska. The conversation reveals how the very legal structure meant to facilitate international exchange is being weaponized to exploit vulnerable workers — and why this should matter deeply to the animal law community. * J-1 visa fraud and labor trafficking in animal agriculture: Three Guatemalan agronomists were recruited under false pretenses to work at a Nebraska hog farm, facing a classic bait-and-switch scheme involving unpaid training, unsafe conditions, and threats of deportation — conduct that FarmSTAND argues meets the legal standard for forced labor under the Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA). * The intersection of worker exploitation and animal suffering: Without proper training, workers were forced to perform procedures on pigs — including tail docking, oxytocin administration, and farrowing assistance — resulting in animal deaths and injuries, illustrating how the mistreatment of workers and animals in industrial agriculture are deeply intertwined. * RICO claims and systemic fraud: The lawsuit names the recruiting agency (Worldwide Farmers Exchange), the farm (LEI/Livingston Enterprises), and individual defendants under the RICO Act, arguing they conspired to commit visa fraud and underpay workers for mutual financial gain — with the U.S. State Department identified as an “unwitting” participant. * The broader crisis of temporary agricultural visas: The episode examines how industrial animal agriculture deliberately targets TPS holders, refugees, and J-1 participants as a legally compliant but deeply exploitative labor pipeline, and what the potential expansion of H-2A visas to dairy and hog operations could mean for workers, animals, and food system accountability. * Why animal lawyers should engage with farmworker justice: Improving conditions and wages for farmworkers directly pressures industrial animal agriculture to slow down, reform and absorb the costs of appropriate working conditions — making labor rights litigation a powerful, complementary tool for the animal law movement. ABOUT OUR GUEST Amal Bouhabib is a Senior Staff Attorney at FarmSTAND, where she engages in strategic litigation to combat and expose forced labor, discrimination, and other workplace abuses impacting workers in the industrial animal agricultural system. Amal’s practice centers on holding powerful industry actors accountable while elevating the experiences of frontline food workers. Prior to joining FarmSTAND, Amal was the Managing Director of Southern Migrant Legal Services in Nashville, where she fought for the rights of migrant farmworkers. We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/alp132/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. ********** [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/Animal-Law-Podcast_logoV2-150x150.pngYou 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 [http://bit.ly/AnimalLawPodcast], YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support] or becoming a member of our flock [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support] (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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/podcast] — now in its fifteenth glorious year!

The Hen Report: “It’s Over” | Declining Industry, Oregon IP28 & Animal Rights News

On this week’s Hen Report, Jasmin and Mariann cover a packed week of animal rights news, kicking off with a cringe-worthy DM urging a vegan to accept “happy” backyard eggs — and why you don’t owe anyone a debate. They explore the theory that the meat industry, like Big Oil, is seeing the writing on the wall and quietly trying to squeeze out its final profits before a plant-based future arrives. The conversation ranges from joyful to hopeful to legally fraught. They also unpack mixed news on fur at Milan Fashion Week, the eternal frustration of the foie gras ban battles, and a genuinely exciting development: Oregon’s IP28, a sweeping ballot initiative that could eliminate all exemptions to the state’s animal cruelty laws and effectively make Oregon a sanctuary state for animals. * Animal activism strategy: Why vegans don’t owe anyone a debate — and how to decide when engaging is worth your energy * Meat industry decline: The case that beef and other animal ag are following Big Oil’s playbook, fighting a rearguard action against an inevitable plant-based shift * Ridglan & open rescue: Wayne Hsiung, Aditya Aswani, Michelle Lunsky, & Dean Wyrzykowski face up to 31 years in prison after new charges in the landmark Ridglan Farms case * Fur & foie gras policy: Milan Fashion Week issues voluntary (not mandatory) anti-fur guidelines; New York’s foie gras ban faces a governor-led appeal, while Colorado activists push a new ballot initiative * Oregon IP28: The most ambitious animal rights ballot initiative in U.S. history nears the signature threshold — and could ban hunting, fishing, and slaughter statewide [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/943-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/05/943-OHH-2photos-2quotes-template-360x360.png RESOURCES * * * * * NoPalm Ingredients Shortlisted for World’s Largest Environmental Food Prize [https://vegconomist.com/company-news/nopalm-ingredients-shortlisted-worlds-largest-environmental-food-prize/?utm_medium=email&utm_source=rasa_io&utm_campaign=newsletter] * Attorney Faces Felony Burglary Charges After an ‘Open Rescue’ Action to Save Beagles At Ridglan Farms [https://www.findlaw.com/legalblogs/courtside/attorney-faces-felony-burglary-charges-after-an-open-rescue-action-to-save-beagles-at-ridglan-farms/] * Coalition to Abolish the Fur Trade [http://abolishfur.org/] * Voters for Animal Rights on Bluesky [https://bsky.app/profile/theanimalvoters.bsky.social/post/3mjkb2hw25k2e] * BREAKING: New Footage Captured At Hudson Valley Reveals Ducks Force-Fed With Metal Tubes, Living In Filth [https://proanimal.org/2026-hudson-valley-investigation-reveals-ducks-force-fed-with-metal-tubes-living-in-filth/?fbclid=IwdGRleARIdlRleHRuA2FlbQIxMQBzcnRjBmFwcF9pZAo2NjI4NTY4Mzc5AAEe0nxZG_RMx4tvUCl2qgaDdrT40kDIX8N2hQvBlhICdycy2HcZ2sqS-o_7fGc_aem_plMcNLV96n-WwHy0gMnpGg] * Yes on IP28 [https://www.yesonip28.org/] * 3 Day Vigil Event. [https://www.beagleloversandrescuers.org/protest/] *  We are thrilled to expand the accessibility of our podcast by offering written transcripts of the interviews! Click here [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/ep943/#pod-transcript] to read this episode's interview. _____________________________________________ Donate Now! [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png]https://www.ourhenhouse.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/donate-button2-2-300x111.png [http://ourhenhouse.org/support] 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/support]. 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, [https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/our-hen-house/id350069146] YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@ourhenhouse], 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 [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/animallaw/], The Teaching Jasmin How to Cook Vegan Podcast [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/cooking/], and the Antiracism in Animal Advocacy Audio Series [https://www.ourhenhouse.org/audio-series/]. Follow us on social media! You can find Our Hen House on Facebook, [https://www.facebook.com/OurHenHouse/]Instagram, [https://www.instagram.com/ourhenhouse/?hl=en]TikTok [https://www.tiktok.com/@ourhenhouse], or Bluesky. [https://bsky.app/profile/ourhenhouse.org] The Our Hen House theme song is written and performed by Michael Harren. [http://michaelharren.com/]