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57: Valentines Special!: Furry Fandom with Victoria Gersdorf

The Deal With Animals 13 February 2023 5


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Valentine’s Special! – Furry Fandom with Victoria Gersdorf

I chat with Victoria Gersdorf about her research around and discussions with those in the Furry Fandom Community. Its a fascinating and fun exploration into a subculture of love, life, and FUR. 

Guest: Victoria grew up in Salt Lake City, Utah before moving to Helena, Montana to attend Carroll College. She has since graduated from Carroll with an undergraduate degree in anthrozoology, She is currently applying to sociology and anthrozoology master’s programs.

 She hopes to perform sociology and anthrozoology research on aspects of the furry community and how animals are used and perceived within the art of the furry community in order to express oneself and socialize and other topics involving fandom and animals and other subjects as a career in the future. Her paper “Gender Expression Using Fursonas in the Furry Community” which is an exploration of how fursonas allow members of the furry fandom to express and explore their gender identity in a community. Her research is currently under review and was presented at the 2022 ISAZ virtual conference.

Book Recommendation: The Snow Leopard and the Goat: Politics of Conservation in the Western Himalayas by Shafqat Hussain

Fur Science

Host: Marika completed her MA in Anthrozoology at the University of Exeter, UK in 2016 and upon moving back to the Seattle area of Washington state she joined the board of Homeward Pet Adoption Center. She also holds a University degree in Zoology (UW) and a CPDT-KA from the Certification Council for Professional Dog Trainers.

Now, host of The Deal with Animals, she enjoys chatting with people who know a lot more than she does about the various research disciplines of Anthrozoology as well as authors, nonprofits, professionals, and enthusiasts!

Credits: The Deal With Animals is hosted by Marika. Music was composed by Kai Strandskov. Editing for this episode by Marika Bell

Recording and post production software by Zencastr and hosting provided by Anchor.

This Podcast is part of the IROAR Animals Podcasting Network 

This podcast was produced on Historical Tribal Land of the Quinault Indian Nation and The Snoqualmie Tribe Ancestral Lands

This episode is sponsored by
· Anchor: The easiest way to make a podcast. https://anchor.fm/app

Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/anthrozoo/message

Humans interact with animals every day of our lives. Even those without pets interact with animals in various ways: diet, wildlife, the clothes they wear. Even most medicines use animals in testing or in the medicine itself. This is a podcast about Anthrozoology: the study of interaction between humans and non-human animals.

SUBSCRIBE: Spotify | RSS | Google Podcasts

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56: Friend-sheep with Guest Host Nanette McCann (S6)

The Deal With Animals 6 February 2023

Episode 7 of Season 6 – The Animal Protagonist Surprise guest host, Nanette McCann interviews me about the difficulties and successes of discovering animal friendships.  Guest Host: Nanette McCann joined Homeward Pet as the Executive Director in 2018.  It was Homeward …continue

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133. Speaking Across Species: Human–Chimpanzee Conversation with Dr. Mary Lee Jensvold (S15)

The Deal With Animals 15 December 2025

Send us a textEpisode 1 of Series 15:  TranscriptWe explore the story of Washoe, the first non-human to learn American Sign Language, and discuss the broader implications of chimpanzee communication on our understanding of language, culture, and ethics. The conversation …continue

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Proudly brought to you by: The Deal With Animals 15 December 2025

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Animal Communications (Series 15 Trailer)

The Deal With Animals 2 December 2025

Send us a textTranscriptSupport the showShow Credits⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠Read the Blog! (Guest profiles, book recommendations, trailers and more!) What to start your own podcast in he Animal Advocacy or Animal Welfare Space? Check out my ⁠⁠⁠⁠ Podcast Mentoring Services⁠⁠⁠⁠! ⁠⁠⁠⁠Become a …continue

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Proudly brought to you by: The Deal With Animals 2 December 2025