Podcasts
Episode 45 – Altamush Saeed: Interspecies Justice, Animals in Islam, and Disaster Relief, pt 1/2.
In this episode, we continue our conversation with Altamush Saeed, an interspecies justice lawyer, educator, and nonprofit leader exploring how Pakistan prepares for and responds to crises. Altamush challenges the idea of ‘natural’ disasters, arguing they’re human-driven failures of planning and policy, especially for more-than-just-human animals who are too often left out. From live flood-response and emergency veterinary aid to courtroom advocacy, Altamush shows what it looks like to centre animals, people, and the environment together.
He reflects on how trauma, climate change, and compassion intersect, and why “One Health” must evolve into One Health and animal-inclusive social justice so the balance doesn’t default to humans alone. Drawing on Islamic principles of mercy and stewardship, he connects factory farming to climate risk, public health, and environmental injustice, and explains how training Imams to address animals and the environment in Friday sermons is catalysing grassroots change across communities.
Along the way, Altamush discusses his ongoing case concerning a Himalayan brown bear named Hope; efforts to add animals to disaster law and policy, and movement-building through education: from animal and environmental law to food-systems teaching that links what we eat to climate resilience. This is a powerful conversation about preparedness, prevention, and reimagining justice so every species has a place in our 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 and Resources
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)
7. From Local to Global:A Comparative Study of Animal Law Protections in International Disasters Around the World, Global Journal of Animal Law https://drive.google.com/file/d/1gsAM4Z1tEUtstOnzUH0xnz-8dll0ezft/view?usp=sharing
8. Formulating a Disaster Environmental Impact Assessment: A Novel Mechanism for Combatting Climate Change, https://drive.google.com/file/d/1YOciL-E7YNY0dtR1W_vQ0pqGJ7M1_lTA/view?usp=sharing
9 .https://propakistani.pk/2025/10/23/killing-dogs-in-islamabad-can-now-land-you-in-jail/