Who would have guessed that a press release about human tragedy would be what brought national press to Catskill Animal Sanctuary? People losing their farms--and their animals--due either to foreclosure or to an inability to care for their beloved 1,000-pound friends: horses, donkeys, mules. That story has captivated the national media. The rescue of 1,000 chickens left in crates to drown in city streets didn't pique their interest. Nor did the big starvation cases. But the ability to put a face on the price of all the grim economic news is bringing them here: the Daily News and NBC News today. The Associated Press and Fox News are also interested.

Last week, Joe Mahoney of the Albany bureau of the Daily News wrote a fine piece. I was concerned when he showed up in a suit, but despite being nuzzled by Hannah and Rambo the sheep, Hazel the pig, and an assortment of horses, Joe left looking exactly as he did when he arrived. I'll post a link to his article when I have a minute to locate it.

Today, we welcome Hilary Guy and Mike Taibbi from NBC Nightly News with Brian Williams. They, too, want to put a human face on this sad, sad story. Their piece will air, unless it's bumped by breaking news, next Thursday, January 22, at 6:30 pm.

We'll post that link as well.

Meanwhile, volunteers are saying, "This is way cool!! Aren't you excited to be on national TV?"

Well, sort of. It's not about me. I feel the same way about TV as I feel about the book. It's not about being able to say, "I've published a book." It's certainly not about being able to say, "I'm on TV tonight!"--the 15 seconds of fame thing. It's about this and only this: voiceless animals--these beautiful friends whom we at CAS love at least as much as we love the humans in our lives. It's about highlighting the beauty and the love that Catskill Animal Sanctuary embodies, about revealing that farm animals are more than people know , and are entitled--simply by virtue of being alive on our shared planet--to happiness. It's about drawing attention to this place. It's about raising funds to respond effectively to a crisis.

For these reasons, YES....I'M EXCITED!!