Farmed animal sanctuaries are the heart of the animal advocacy movement. Our guest today, Zoe Novic, Executive Director of CAPE (Center for Animal Protection and Education), knows this well as she grew up on a sanctuary in the Santa Cruz hills. Zoe has a diverse background that includes two years in the Peace Corps in Indonesia, a Master’s in Public Health, and leadership roles at The Humane League, Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and Greener by Default, Zoe has expertise in grassroots organizing, public health policy, and advocacy.

On the podcast, Zoe discusses the significance of the human-animal connection in comprehending and understanding nonhuman animals. She talks about how sanctuaries serve as acts of resistance, providing physical spaces where we can shape the world as we envision it. She and Hope also discuss how sanctuary and rescue efforts have been devalued in recent years, with current animal advocacy funding and philanthropy philosophies moving away from funding direct animal care and how that is impacting the movement. Zoe emphasizes the importance of emotion in advocacy, highlighting how it can often prompt action more effectively than logic or reason. She further explains how sanctuaries deeply evoke emotions. Additionally, Zoe shares her public health background, underscoring the intricate connections between this sector and animal agriculture.

Resources:

CAPE: Center for Animal Protection and Education

Sonoma County VegFest, September 27, 2025

Film: Called to Rescue

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Hope for the Animals Podcast

Compassionate Living

Some advocates in environmental and animal activism argue that we should solely focus on changing the system through government and corporate campaigns, discouraging grassroots action and personal change. Our guest, Janet O’Shea (informally known as Jay), co-authored an article in Newsweek in response to an environmental author’s piece arguing that going vegan is ineffective. Jay systematically debunks the faulty argumentation and refutes its flawed analogies. She offers insightful perspectives on veganism as a boycott, a social justice issue, and the history of vegetarianism, highlighting its differences from the current context.

Then, continuing the conversation about the importance of individual action, Jay talks about Gandhi and the Kahdi (homespun cotton) movement, comparing the British cotton boycott during the British occupation of India to the boycott of animal products today. Jay is incredibly knowledge and reveals some fascinating insights into this issue, please share this episode!

Full Bio:

Janet (Jay) O’Shea is author of Risk, Failure, Play: What Dance Reveals about Martial Arts Training (2019) and At Home in the World: Bharata Natyam on the Global Stage (2007). She is currently writing a book, entitled Bodies on the Line: Physicality, Sentiment, and Social Justice, which focuses on utility cycling advocacy, border solidary efforts, and farmed animal rescue. She has also written book chapters and articles on veganism, animal rights, and environmentalism. She is part of the teaching team for the freshman cluster course Food as a Lens for the Environment and Sustainability at UCLA, is on the advisory board of Climate Diet, and is a board member of New Roots Institute. She is a regular volunteer with animal rights, border solidarity, and food justice organizations. She is a Professor and Chair of the department of World Arts and Cultures/Dance at UCLA.

RESOUCES:

Jay’s Newsweek Article

Related Podcast: The Cage-Free Conundrum

Support this podcast:

www.HopeForTheAnimalsPodcast.org

www.Compassionate-Living.org

Patty Leon and Rich Winograd both grew up as animal lovers…or so they thought. It was during the pandemic that they came across documentaries, books, and articles that removed their blindfolds and led to the light switch moment to make a change for the better. Today they continue to learn and grow, sharing, their insight as animal rights, vegan and social justice activists. They actively volunteer for various organizations and have written a young adult novel titled “True Justice 4 All.” Rich and Patty share with Hope how they awakened to the hypocrisy of our relationship with animals and the detrimental impact of the food production system on animals, humans, and the planet as a whole.

Resources:

Rich and Patty's Book: True Justice 4 All

InstaGram: @truejustice4all

Sonoma County VegFest, September 27, 2025