What happens when one person leaves a decades-long corporate career to follow a calling rooted in compassion for animals? You get a life dedicated to rescue, recovery, and real-world impact. In this episode of the Better Life for Animals Podcast, host Cheryl Moss sits down with Dana Wilson, Director of Marketing and Communications for Wildlife SOS, to explore what true animal protection looks like on the ground in India.
From rescued elephants and leopards to dancing bears and snake charmers, this conversation reveals what it really takes to protect wildlife while also uplifting human communities.
The Shift from Corporate Life to Conservation
Dana’s journey into animal advocacy began decades ago with volunteer work, including early trap-neuter-return efforts for cats. What started as compassion for animals eventually reshaped his life entirely. After years in the corporate world, Dana stepped fully into nonprofit work, drawn by Wildlife SOS and India’s powerful commitment to wildlife protection.
India’s animal protection laws are some of the strongest in the world. Wildlife is legally protected across vast regions, and much of the culture is rooted in respect for living beings. That foundation allows real change to happen.
The End of the Dancing Bear Industry
One of Wildlife SOS’s most historic achievements was permanently ending the cruel practice of dancing bears in India. For over 400 years, sloth bears were captured as cubs, their muzzles pierced, and forced to perform through pain.
Wildlife SOS rescued 628 dancing bears and didn’t stop there. They supported entire families by:
● Creating alternative livelihoods
● Placing 15,000 children into schools
● Offering vocational training for women
Today, a full generation has grown up never seeing a dancing bear. That is what lasting change looks like.
Snakes, Cities, and Saving Lives
Snakes are among the most misunderstood animals in the world. Wildlife SOS operates five 24/7 snake rescue hotlines across India. When snakes enter homes during heat waves or monsoons, trained teams relocate them safely back into the wild.
Cobras have been rescued from schoolhouses, cricket stadiums, and even subway tracks. The mission is simple: protect both people and animals through calm, informed response instead of fear.
Elephants, Trauma, and Trust Restored
India is home to the majority of the world’s wild elephants, but thousands exist in captivity. Many are abused, overworked, and forced into begging to survive.
Dana shares the powerful story of Perry, a begging elephant rescued after years of suffering with broken bones, bound limbs, and crushed footpads. Today, Perry moves confidently, healed in both body and spirit.
Wildlife SOS has rescued over 50 elephants and launched a bold goal to remove all 300 remaining begging elephants from India’s streets by 2030.
Compassion as a Daily Practice
Recovery for these animals is not only physical. It is emotional. Elephants once terrified of humans now allow caregivers to clean wounds, treat infections, and restore their health. This trust, rebuilt after years of abuse, is one of the deepest testaments to resilience in the animal world.
Compassion at Wildlife SOS also extends to former poachers, snake charmers, and elephant handlers. Many are now trained caregivers and rescue workers, proving that education can transform not just animal lives, but human ones too.
Rescue, Release, and Species Protection
Not all animals can return to the wild, but many do. Wildlife SOS has:
● Released thousands of birds rescued from illegal trade
● Returned endangered star tortoises to protected habitats
● Created peaceful sanctuaries for conflict leopards
● Built modern elephant hospitals and forest release zones
Their work bridges rescue, research, conservation, and education to ensure both individual animals and entire species are protected.
What Sanctuaries Can Learn From Each Other
Dana and Cheryl also discuss the importance of communication among sanctuaries worldwide. From medical knowledge to fundraising strategies and emotional resilience, collaboration strengthens everyone working on the front lines of animal protection.
How You Can Support Wildlife SOS
Wildlife SOS is donor-supported. Every rescue, hospital, release program, and outreach effort exists because of individuals who choose to help.
You can support their work by visiting:
● wildlifesos.org
● give.wildlifesos.org
Cruelty is not permanent, compassion is contagious, and when laws, education, and heart align, real transformation becomes possible for animals and humans alike.
Episode Highlights
[00:00] Introduction
[02:00] A special calling for Dana Wilson.
[04:00] Protecting animals in the wild.
[07:00] Snakes require protection from poachers.
[12:00] Elephants are abused in unimaginable ways.
[19:00] The elephant industry is subsidized by tourism.
[23:30] Various ways to protect habitats.
[26:00] The U.S. animal trade hides some of the worst abuses.
[32:00] Poaching is often the result of poverty.
[37:30] The Wizard of Paws to the rescue.
About Dana Wilson
Dana Wilson is the Director of Marketing and Communications for Wildlife SOS USA. After almost four decades as a professional in the corporate world, he took the role at the India-based wildlife conservation and rescue NGO determined to make a lasting difference. Having served as a volunteer for many animal welfare organizations over the years, India’s strong animal protection laws and communities’ passion for wildlife won his heart and he jumped into his nonprofit role fulltime. Dana guides the organization’s efforts to tell compelling stories of challenge, trauma, rescue and recovery to western audiences who may never experience the wonder of seeing an elephant in the wild, or a leopard silently stalking a dense forest.
Dana also serves on the board of SNIP Foundation, a small all-volunteer Costa Rican organization focused on empowering local veterinarians to spay and neuter the dogs and cats in their communities.
About Cheryl Moss
Cheryl Moss is the host of the Better Life for Animals podcast, where she shares uplifting stories from sanctuaries and highlights the work of vegan activists, ethical consumers, and animal welfare leaders. A passionate advocate for animal welfare, she is dedicated to ending factory farming and is working to raise $100,000 for Mercy For Animals to support underrepresented sanctuaries.
Beyond podcasting, Cheryl is a banking professional and an accomplished children’s author. A graduate of Main Street Vegan Academy, she promotes plant-based living through her books, Gabriel, Cluck, and Pickle the Pig, which inspire young readers to embrace kindness, sustainability, and compassion for animals.
When not advocating, she enjoys Pilates, and spending time with her rescue dogs and grandchildren. Through her work, writing, and activism, Cheryl continues to inspire positive change for animals and the planet.
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