Long Island Orchestrating for Nature (LION) is Long Island's leading animal advocacy organization and farmed animal rescue, fighting to end the exploitation of animals in New York and beyond and leading the fight for domestic waterfowl in the Northeast.John DiLeonardo is an anthrozoologist and president of Long Island Orchestrating for Nature. He has successfully led campaigns to stop a slaughter house from being built in Islip, an aquarium from being built in Massapequa, and ended numerous animal circuses, rodeos, and exotic animal acts from New York City to the North Fork as well as stopped the slaughter of thousands of Long Island’s wildlife.Formerly, John managed day programs on Long Island for people with developmental disabilities and drove the Horseless eCarriage, a humane alternative to New York City’s cruel horse-drawn carriage industry.Tune in for this heart-felt conversation at TalkRadio.nyc or watch the Facebook Livestream by Clicking Here.Show NotesSegment 1We will be talking about how circuses have evolved, and some have disappeared altogether. Once again, Val reiterates that there is a compassionate network that comes along with the PALS community.Val and John met at a circus protest. John studied psychology for his bachelor's and worked with people with special needs, "a group who was exploited in the circus long before the animals."When he graduated, he pursued a master's degree in anthrozoology, is certified by the state of NY in wildlife rehabilitation, is certified as a trapper (NWCO), and is currently in school for ornithology. "How does one go about getting the NWCO designation?"-Val"It's just a state test, open book, usually the license that pest control workers have to exterminate mammals and birds."-JohnWhat is the mission, and what is LION?They are the leading advocacy organization in Long Island, and they are the biggest farm animal rescue. Rescue a lot of chickens; they treat, foster, and rehabilitate domesticable animals. And there are a lot of abandoned animals and/or neglected. Tommy needed clarification as to what composed the chicken family, a hen is a female chicken, and the rooster is the male chicken. There aren't a lot of homes for animals such as chickens, ducks, rabbits; the animal sanctuaries are "filled to the brim," as John mentions. LION is foremost an animal advocacy organization. They want to stop people from getting "these animals" (chicks, bunnies, ducks) to be used only for props for the holidays.Segment 2What happens to the baby chicks after they are born in the classroom (for school lessons)? "There aren't great endings for the ducklings or chicks that come out of the hatching projects. They can get sent back home with a student or go back to the hatchery. And when they go back to the hatchery, they are often macerated to reduce the risk of contagion."-John.We need to teach children more humane education; that animals don't belong in the classroom. "There are so many virtual resources to learn about the hatching process, or they can go on field trips to the animal sanctuaries." "Another outcome for the animals is an abandonment to the wild. There was a huge influx of birds abandoned into the wild last year because people did a lot of home-hatching projects. In Baldwin Harbor, alone, they had to rescue more than 100 ducks and chickens."They rescued a goose who had been injured with a crossbow, and it took them three days to catch him and his partner. The poor animal had the arrow go through his esophagus, going from the back to the front. But they were eventually able to catch him in someone's backyard with a net gun. They got him and were able to let him go three weeks later, after rehabilitation.If people want to volunteer, can they expect to jump in the water as you did with the goose?-ValJohn says absolutely. Waterfowl is mainly John's thing, so Tommy asks, what should people do if they have waterfowl in their front or backyards? Who should they call? Animal control? First, determining the type of animal the creature is, is important. Then contact LION. It's best to stay with an injured or lost duck until help arrives. LION tries to respond very quickly. Val can attest that their response time is impressive. Wild animals belong in the wild, and we will then talk about circuses after the breakSegment 3John says that if you really want to save bulls, you can go vegan. Doing so nearly saves 200 animals; meat, dairy, eggs. All the animals we consume in our society are babies, like chickens, 6-8 weeks. The dairy industry and egg industry are some of the worst. In the egg industry, the roosters don't have much meat on them. The facts are bothersome, but you can contact LION to get help getting started. There are bodybuilders, NFL players that go vegan. The movie Game Changers represents ripped, athletic guys that are extremely buff without eating meat.Segment 4The Cole-Brothers Circus have officially closed off for business. Val ...
