Podcasts
Episode 45 – Altamush Saeed: Interspecies Justice, Animals in Islam, and Disaster Relief, pt 1/2.
In this episode, we sit down with Altamush Saeed, an interspecies justice lawyer, educator, and nonprofit leader who is reshaping how Pakistan thinks about animals, people, and the environment. From being rescued by a cat named Mau, to leading community dog feeding campaigns during COVID, to organising large-scale rescues during Pakistan’s 2022 floods, Altamush’s story shows how deeply human and animal lives are intertwined in times of crisis. He reflects on how trauma, climate change, and compassion intersect, and why he believes food systems, human rights, and animal rights must be understood together.
Drawing on his faith, Altamush explains why factory farming is impermissible under Islamic principles of mercy and stewardship, and shares how training Imams to deliver Friday sermons on animals and the environment is sparking grassroots change across communities. Along the way, he discusses founding Pakistan’s first disaster-zone farm animal shelter, creating the country’s first Animal Law course, and building a broader vision of interspecies justice that moves beyond cats and dogs to include all beings. This is a powerful conversation about resilience, responsibility, and reimagining justice for a more compassionate future.
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Podlet Guest
Name: Altamush Saeed LLM
email: earcpak@gmail.com
Environmental and Animal Rights Consultants Pakistan.
https://www.facebook.com/EARCPAK?mibextid=ZbWKwL
https://www.instagram.com/earcpakistan?igsh=dzRveXBncTc4NDR1
https://www.linkedin.com/company/environmental-and-animal-rights-consultants-llp-pakistan/
https://www.facebook.com/share/1AraUrqBw1/
https://www.instagram.com/altamushsaeed
https://www.linkedin.com/in/altamushsaeed95
PodCrew
Dr. Kris Hill
University of Hradec Králové,
https://katzenlife.wordpress.com/
Dr. Michelle Szydlowski
Miami University
www.internationalelephants.org
@intl_elephants
Sarah Oxley Heaney
PhD Candidate, University of Exeter
References
1. Altamush Saeed, From the United States to Pakistan: Can Climate Change Pave the Way for an International Right to Animal Rescue in Disasters? 29.2 Animal Law Review 193 (2023). Online Link: 45369-lca_29-2 (lclark.edu).
2. Altamush Saeed, Animal Protection in Natural Disasters, LEXISNEXIS CA ( 01 Mar. 2023). Online Link: Rule of Law Report - Volume 6, Issue 1 - March 2023 | LexisNexis Canada.
3. Altamush Saeed, How Followers of the Islamic Faith See Animals, FAUNA CONNECTIONS, 23 ( 14 Sep. 2023). Online Link: Regional Advocacy For Farmed Animals - YouTube(12:20-28:50).
4. Altamush Saeed, A Dystopian Pakistani Snapshot: Discriminating Against All Dogs Equally, AM. BAR ASS'N ANIMAL LAW COMM. NEWSLETTER (June 2023). Online Link: alc-summer2023.pdf - Google Drive.
5. Altamush Saeed, Creating an International Right of Animal Rescue as an Adaptation Measure to Delay the Human-Caused Sixth Extinction, AM. BAR ASS'N INT'L ANIMAL LAW COMM. NEWSLETTER (Dec 2022). Online Link: IALC_Fall_2022_Newsletter.pdf (d21hwc2yj2s6ok.cloudfront.net).
6. Altamush Saeed, Every Horse is Just One Sale, One Change of Hands, or One Theft Away from Slaughter, AM. BAR ASS'N INT'L ANIMAL LAW COMM. NEWSLETTER (June 2023). Online Link: IALC_Fall_2022_Newsletter.pdf (d21hwc2yj2s6ok.cloudfront.net)