Talk to the Animals is a popular show tune written by British composer and lyricist Leslie Bricusse for the 1967 musical film Doctor Dolittle. Sammy Davis Jr. does this cover and makes it sound cool and fun.
The song is performed in the movie when Dolittle learns from his parrot, Polynesia, that talking to animals is possible, inspiring him to master creature languages. The song won the Oscar for Best Original Song in 1968. It beat out heavy competition that year, including songs by Burt Bacharach, André Previn, and hit tracks like “The Bare Necessities,” “Mrs. Robinson,” and “You Only Live Twice”.
There are two families of deer that come to my property daily and they are part of the little forest in front of my house. While I mostly leave them alone, I want to talk to them to get them off my property, but I inevitably chase them off by clapping or shouting. They sometimes just stay in place and look at me like I am crazy. I often think about them and how they survive the winter, wether they will get enough food and how they brace themselves for the bad weather. The truth is, they were on my land before me, and yet many people go to great lengths to fence them off or worse yet, poison them, as many lawns are treated with pesticides and animals are ingesting chemicals which are dangerous. I understand that Deer can wreak havoc on one’s property, but I don’t have the heart to cut them off. There are plants that deer don’t like, and can be planted to keep them away, so maybe that is an option, but I still enjoy looking at them, and so I continue to let them wander freely. Can we talk to the animals, can we feel what they feel and understand how they exist? Animals may not speak our language, but their lives and experiences matter. We should treat them with compassion and protect them from unnecessary suffering. How we treat vulnerable beings reflects our values as a society.
In a recent study reported by Positive.News the University of the West of England and the Accelerator for Systemic Risk Assessment (ASRA), worked with eighteen volunteers who were trained in the physiology and sensory abilities of a chosen animal – red deer, kestrel, earthworm, otter or salmon, before heading out to experience its world firsthand. What does a polluted river feel like to a salmon? The experiment is helping a Somerset community see its landscape through the eyes of wildlife, with the hope to continue this study for a 30-year period to have definitive data on wildlife via the human connection. The stress of being fenced out of fresh drinking water and the aching hunger that comes with habitat destruction cannot continue. The sensory assault of machinery and traffic plus pollution and chemicals also cause harm. Animals cannot speak for themselves in human society, and that makes our responsibility to protect them even greater.
Animals depend on human decisions in many situations. We should use our voices and influence responsibly, making sure their needs are considered even when they cannot participate in decisions that affect them. On this episode of TMSOG we talk about why we need to be the voice for the voiceless wildlife, we also touch on Fall/Winter gardening, Bats, and how to make Halloween more sustainable. Our resident gardener, conservationist and environmental activist Victoria Alzapiedi joins us to talk about how to be more attuned to wildlife, especially as winter approaches, plus advice on preparing our yards for the Fall and Winter seasons, how to keep our property safe for wildlife, leaving leaves alone, skipping pesticides plus sustainable Halloween tips.
Victoria is a co-founder of New Castle Healthy Yards, and is the chair of the Town of New Castle Conservation Board, as well as a member of the Westchester Climate Smart Communities Task Force. She is also a member of Friends of Buttonhook, which is working to save a 20.3 acre forrest in the Town of New Castle. In addition, she is the co-founder of the New Castle Pollinator Pathways Coalition, and started the Facebook group “The Nature of Westchester” an active community of nature lovers which now has almost 6000 members. Victoria is also a Native plant gardening consultant and coach providing eco-friendly planting recommendations. Go to My Native Garden Oasis on Facebook for more info. Also check out Home Grown National Parks https://homegrownnationalpark.org/ For more information on ways t0 protect wildlife go to National Wildlife Federation Make sure you VOTE! Go to 866OUR VOTE https://866ourvote.org/
To help protect the environment visit and if you can please donate to https://earthjustice.org and https://action.nrdc.org/ Help save a forest by going to https://www.preservebuttonhook.org/
Please make sure you are registered to vote check out https://civ.works/defend and https://www.rockthevote.org/about-rock-the-vote/
To listen to past TMSOG shows go to: https://hudsonriverradio.com/ https://malcolmpresents.com and https://themanyshadesofgreen.com/
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A big shout out to Neil for all his engineering wizardry!