The Curious Case of the Kitty Known As Elrond
A paraplegic cat adopted from Egypt, Elrond was originally named Rania in the belief that he was a girl. Recently I have come to wonder if Elrond might not be female in some sense after all.
Author Wolf Gordon Clifton
Wolf Gordon Clifton
Born and raised within the animal rights movement, Wolf Gordon Clifton has always felt strongly connected to other creatures and concerned for their well-being. Beginning in childhood he contributed drawings of animals for publication in Animal People News, and traveled with his parents to attend conferences and visit animal projects all over the world. During high school he began writing for the newspaper and contributing in various additional ways around the Animal People office. His first solo trip overseas, to film a promotional video for the Bali Street Dog Foundation in Indonesia, led him to create the animated film Yudisthira's Dog, retelling the story of an ancient Hindu king famed for his loyalty to a street dog. It also inspired lifelong interests in animation and world religion, which he went on to study for college at Vanderbilt University. Wolf graduated in 2013 with a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies and minors in Film Studies and Astronomy. In 2015, he received a Master of Arts in Museology and Graduate Certificate in Astrobiology from the University of Washington. His thesis project, the online exhibit Beyond Human: Animals, Aliens, and Artificial Intelligence, brings together animal rights, astrobiology, and AI research to explore the ethics of humans' relationships with other sentient beings, and can be viewed on the Animal People Forum. His diverse training and life experiences enable him to research and write about a wide variety of animal-related issues, in a global context and across the humanities, arts, and sciences. In his spare time, he does paleontological work for the Burke Museum of Natural History and Culture, and writes for the community blog Neon Observatory. Click to see author's profile.
“Popular Feeling and the Advancement of Science. Anti-Vivisection,” by H.G. Wells (1928)
In H.G. Wells and Animals, A Troubling Legacy, I struggled to reconcile the seemingly pro-animal themes of Wells’ famous stories with his own defense of vivisection later in life. In Wells’ 1928 essay Popular Feeling and the Advancement of Science. Anti-Vivisection, transcribed here, he details his own personal views on vivisection.
H.G. Wells and Animals, A Troubling Legacy
H.G. Wells’ 1896 novel The Island of Doctor Moreau is remembered as a powerful attack on vivisection, yet he himself would come to defend the practice later in life. How can we resolve the paradox between the strong pro-animal themes of Wells’ famous stories, and his own callousness toward animals harmed in the name of science?
Beasts, Buddhas, & Vegan Punks of AFJ: Archipelago Animal Adventures, Days 7-8
Animal People executive director Wolf Clifton recently traveled Indonesia visiting animal projects, prior to the Asia for Animals 2015 conference in Kuching, Malaysia. Highlights in this entry include: animals of myth in ancient temples, and late-night activism with Yogyakarta’s craziest cat ladies!
Red Cups & Scorched Earth: A Better Reason to Boycott Starbucks
Whatever you think of Starbucks’ “red cup controversy,” there’s a much more serious reason to boycott the company: for its role in palm oil deforestation and the deaths of countless millions of wild animals in Indonesia.
Vegan Punks of Yogyakarta: Archipelago Animal Adventures, Day 6
Animal People executive director Wolf Clifton recently traveled Indonesia visiting animal projects, prior to the Asia for Animals 2015 conference in Kuching, Malaysia. Highlights in this entry include: humane education through punk rock and puppetry, the battle to end dog eating in Indonesia, and the best vegan food in Yogyakarta!
The Adventures of Lawan, Dog of a Thousand Names
A memorial tribute to an incredible little dog from Thailand, who survived history’s deadliest tsunami, crossed the Pacific, and defended her new human family from demons and swordsmen.
Did Humans Plant the Amazon Rainforest?
New evidence suggests that human civilization predated rainforest in the Amazon, and may even have played a role in creating it. What does this mean for conservation efforts in the Amazon today?
Night of the Fire Face: Archipelago Animal Adventures, Days 4-5
Animal People executive director Wolf Clifton recently traveled Indonesia visiting animal projects, prior to the Asia for Animals 2015 conference in Kuching, Malaysia. Highlights in this entry include: rescued wildlife, the absence of wilderness, dilemmas of predator and prey, and poisonous red-eyed primates!
Markets of the Damned: Wildlife For Sale in Indonesia
Indonesia presently faces an epidemic of wild animals being captured and sold on the black market. This photo gallery exposes the suffering of captive animals in the Jatinegara and Pasty markets of Jakarta and Yogyakarta, as seen September 2015.
The Scott Pilgrim Parable for Vegan Activists
What can the “Vegan Police” from the film Scott Pilgrim vs. the World teach activists about effective vegan advocacy?
Escape From Raptor Island: Archipelago Animal Adventures, Day 3
Animal People executive director Wolf Clifton is currently visiting animal projects in Indonesia, prior to the Asia for Animals 2015 conference in Kuching, Malaysia. Highlights in this entry include: street dogs betrayed in Bali, birds of prey and giant monitor lizards, and an all-vegan Indonesian feast!