Off the Leash Podcasts

I tweeted recently - I'm @charliemoores if you'd like to check this out or follow me - that I'd been a little bit quiet on Substack, the blogging platform I use.I explained why in a post I wrote called 'Choosing sides on August 12th'...and it occurred to me that actually I'd been a bit quiet on Buzzsprout too - so here's that blog in audio form, slightly changed to fit the rhythms of my speech but well, the sentiments and intentions are exactly the same...So, About five years ago a senior charity figure ‘advised' me (way too aggressively for my liking) to ‘choose sides'. It seemed an odd and unnecessary thing to say. I had ‘chosen sides' years earlier: I was on the side of wildlife, of plants, of biodiversity and nature and was utterly opposed to hunting, shooting, cruelty, exploitation, and wildlife crime. I'd proved that over and over again, right back from when I launched Charlie's Bird Blog (hat was in a distant past before WordPress and home wi-fi) writing about what I saw birding around the world with an airline I worked for (and which I left in 2010). Proved it again when after what I thought was a friendly merger with a similar but US-based blog called 10,000 Birds I was booted off at short notice (literally almost overnight) because my anti-hunting views were ‘upsetting' Americans and I refused to compromise. Again when I launched Birders Against Wildlife Crime (BAWC) a decade ago and came up with the 3Rs (Recognise, Record, Report). When I helped launch Hen Harrier Day - an idea initially conceived by BAWC member Alan Tilmouth and brilliantly taken up by Mark Avery and Chris Packham. When I started podcasting under the Talking Naturally banner. When I joined the board of League Against Cruel Sports to help fashion a policy on shooting (I did my term and moved on). When in 2015 I was asked by Lush founder Mark Constantine - a Talking Naturally listener - to make podcasts on wildlife and the environment for him and Lush.Listening back to all of that I suppose I have moved around a bit looking for the ‘ideal situation', but I'd clearly chosen sides a long, long time ago. And I like to think I've carried on in the same vein since with The War on Wildlife Project and Off the Leash. In just the last four months I've written or podcasted about, for example, gamekeepers and raptor persecution, explained why if foxhunting is banned it still takes place, discussed the royal immunity from crime in relation to two Hen Harriers killed at Sandringham, and why the shooting industry needs - unequivocally - to be stopped.Anyway, I'm on the move again, taking my love of wildlife and my total opposition to hunting and shooting with me. Taking everything I've learned over the years, and all of the experiences I've built up and the contacts I've made. Taking my energy, focus, and drive. Where am I going? I'm going to be joining Rob Pownall and Matt Smithers at Keep The Ban.Follow me on Twitter  https://twitter.com/charliemooresFor more information on Keep The Ban please go to the website https://www.keeptheban.uk/ and follow them (us!) on Twitter, on Facebook,  and on Instagram

In this podcast I talk with professional ecologists Tom Langton and Dominic Woodfield as we discuss a number of related issues that we've grouped together under the tite ‘Badger Culls, Biodiversity, Birds and the High Court'. It's a complex conversation, and it takes experts like Tom and Dominic to explain everything so clearly: it includes duties to protect wildlife and the repeated failure of statutory bodies with respect to those duties which – depending on an upcoming Court Appeal on July 26th– could bring the ‘Next Steps' 2020 badger cull policy crashing down; a report using volunteer data produced in 2018 by the British Trust for Ornithology, which supposedly looked at the impact on ground-nesting birds of carnivore or mesopredator release (a phenomenon in which populations of medium-sized predators eg foxes rapidly increase in ecosystems after the removal of larger, top carnivores eg badgers) – a report that was rejected by peer reviewers but still emerged – re-written – in 2021 and has been used to justify the badger cull since then; and something called ‘the no difference defence' used by government nature bodies to justify their actions, which - in my opinion - is just mind-blowing…For more information on the badger cull:BadgerCrowd Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/BadgerCrowdEuroBadger Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/euro_badgerTom Langton Twitter feed - https://twitter.com/tomlangton60Dominic Woodfield / Bioscan - http://bioscanuk.com/default.aspx

A conversation with a pioneer of non-animal testing Dr Carol Treasure. Carol is a founder of XCellR8, a laboratory exclusively devoted to animal-free safety and efficacy tests for the cosmetics, personal care and chemical industries. XCellR8's clients include high street retail brands, large ingredient manufacturers and fast growth SMEs. Many of XCellR8's tests are for moisturisers, soaps and shampoos – in fact, if you use a product from Lush, chances are its components were tested for how they will react with your skin by Carol and her team right here in the north of England…There are two parts to our chat: the first takes place in the XCellR8 lab itself, and the second in a much quieter meeting room upstairs. We cover quite a range of issues ranging from the ethical to the scientific and the commercial – all with Carol's good humour and infectious enthusiasm to the fore.But first of all, let's get over that tricky first introduction…Website https://x-cellr8.comDonate - https://x-cellr8.com/about-xcellr8/donate-to-xcellr8/Twitter - https://twitter.com/XCellR8_LabsFacebook - https://www.facebook.com/XCellR8Carol on Twitter - https://twitter.com/DrCarolTreasureAnne-Marie Barton 24hr Crate of Loneliness - https://www.gofundme.com/f/24hr-crate-of-lonelinessFRAME website – https://frame.org.ukAnimal Aid - https://www.animalaid.org.uk/

Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss attempts  by fox-hunting supporters. to intimidate activists. It's nothing new of course, but it should always be called out. In this particular instance, fox hunting supporters are making threats towards a hotel in Peterborough where the League Against Cruel Sports is hosting their next Enough is Enough event on June 17th and at which Dominic will be speaking...Register for free for ‘Enough is Enough' at The Bull Hotel and Conference Centre, Peterborough, June 17th starting at 19:00.League Against Cruel Sports Website and Twitter feed

"I've tried to write the book that I felt I needed to read when I was younger, but I hope it appeals to all age groups." Trust me Sophie, it does...A conversation with zoologist and science communicator Sophie Pavelle, about her first book, Forget Me Not, which is subtitled “Finding the forgotten species of climate change Britain”.We spoke shortly before Forget Me Not's launch date and discussed what the book is about, Sophie's modern and fresh writing style (a style that I think makes her a unique and very important voice), and the lessons she'd learnt travelling the length and breadth of Britain looking for species ranging from seagrass and salmon to Mountain Hares and Marsh Fritillaries. I began though by asking Sophie about something she'd said in the epilogue to Forget Me Not that had really caught my attention: “Thank you to Dr Ruth Tingay for lifting me away from the dreaded imposter syndrome”. Sophie has packed a massive amount into a very short time. She's a presenter, a writer, an ambassador for the Wildlife Trusts, sits on the RSPB Advisory Committee for England, has done an enormous hike for charity, and was now being published by Bloomsbury! In what sense, I asked her, could she possibly be called an ‘imposter' – an overachiever perhaps, but not an imposter...?Bloomsbury Publishing Forget Me Not (Available from 09 June 2022)Sophie Pavelle Instagram and Twitter feedsBeaver Trust Website and Twitter feed

In the latest episode of The Off the leash Podcast Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer look at the latest on the badger cull - in other words, a climbdown by Defra; the findings of the Foreign Affairs Committee on Afghanistan & Nowzad - basically the most senior civil servants were found to be uncooperative and evasive; Dominic's upcoming documentary which starts filming very soon; but we start with the submission Dominic and Born Free made to the EFRA Committee (the committee which examines the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) and its associated public bodies) on trade with the Faroes in relation to the Grind and the slaughter of pilot whales and other marine mammals - total trade in goods and services (exports plus imports) between the UK and Faroe Islands was a staggering £881 million in the four quarters to the end of Q4 2021, an increase of 90.3% or £418 million from the four quarters to the end of Q4 2020!Gov Committee Role - Environment, Food and Rural Affairs CommitteeSea Shepherd Operation Bloody Fjords 2022DTI Trade and Investment Factsheets Faroe Islands (May 2022)Gov Committee Missing in action: UK leadership and the withdrawal from Afghanistan (May 2022)Vet Record Analysis of the impact of badger culling on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high-risk area of England, 2009–2020Off the Leash Interview #23 Tom Langton and Dr Mark Jones | Badger Culling ResearchOff the Leash Interview #27 Keep the Ban | Skydiving to Expose CubbingShit Lawns Twitter feedOff the Leash Interview #25 Saffron Gloyne | Animal Welfare Party Candidate 

"As one of the most nature-depleted countries in the world, Britain has a long way to go. Somerset's super nature reserve is a great start; but it must also be an opportunity to change the way we regard and manage the countryside for the 21st century." (Stephen Moss, Observer Comment,  22 May 22)A conversation with birder, award-winning author, bird tour leader, BAFTA award-winning television producer, a stalwart of the British Birdfair, President of the Somerset Wildlife Trust, teacher of an MA in Travel and Nature Writing at Bath Spa University -  and journalist - Stephen Moss. Stephen and I have been talking about having a chat for a podcast for a while but when I heard last week that Natural Egland and the government had declared a new 'super National Nature Reserve' on the Somerset Levels - which is right on Stephen's doorstep - and moments later read an Observer Comment piece online written by him on this exact same subject ( that quote at the start of this podcast came from that piece) - well, the stars had surely aligned! Just days later we met up at the RSPB's Ham Wall reserve - part of The Somerset Wetlands National Nature Reserve, famed for its huge wintering starling flocks and for being the first reserve in climate-change Britain where three previously vagrant heron species - great white egret, cattle egret, and little bittern - have all bred. So what is a 'super national nature reserve', what function should sites like this have in terms of conservation, public access, and public good, do conservation organisations develop wetland sites like Ham Wall because they're powerless to halt climate change, and will I be able to edit a recording where we were constantly interrupting ourselves to look at Marsh Harriers and Bitterns? I'll give it a go...Stephen Moss Website and Twitter feedObserver Comment This ‘super reserve' is not just for the birds (Stephen MossGovernment press-release New ‘super' National Nature Reserve created to protect rare wildlife (19 May 22)RSPB Reserves Ham WallFor more audio - and blogs -  on wildlife, animal rights, and the environment, please go to offtheleash.substack.com

A conversation with pro-wildlife campaigner Rob Pownall, founder of Keep the Ban. We're talking shortly before Rob jumps out of an aeroplane 10000' above the Kent countryside to raise funds for a very special project to raise public awareness about one of fox hunting's dirtiest secrets – cubbing. Cubbing, as you'll hear us discuss, is a disgusting form of animal abuse, a wildlife crime where – to put it simply - fox hunters train their hounds by setting them on fox cubs. Rob is absolutely determined – and I'm absolutely determined with him – to talk about this issue so much and in so many spaces that – eventually – there will not be a single member of the public who doesn't know what cubbing is and who doesn't want it stopped…Crowdfunder Rob's Skydive to Expose CubbingKeep the Ban Website and Twitter feedCharlie Moores Shortcast #34 Cubbing

"I think what my life has taught me so far is that hardly anything is impossible if you work hard enough and you are passionate enough about. It is incredible the difference one person can make..." (Sam Hutchinson)A conversation between Off the Leash's Dominic Dyer and Sam Hutchinson, the founder of the animal welfare charity Power of One, which is described as a "platform which gives small charities and teams across the world a voice and the opportunity to connect with people like you, who want to help in the treatment, neutering and rehoming of dogs who have been neglected, abused or abandoned in some of the worst conditions imaginable". Dominic is an ambassador for Power of One, and spoke at the charity's official launch at Westminster's Church House on the 30th of April this year, when an incredible £40,000 was raised.In their discussion, Sam and Dominic talk about that glittering lanch and Sam's hopes for her new charity, but Dominic began by asking Sam about her background and the drive that took her from reputedly the largest council estate in Europe to studying law at Manchester Unversity and on to an outstanding career in fund finance: Sam joined prestigious legal firm Cadwalader, Wickersham & Taft LLP in 2018 and has now advised on some of the largest subscription and leverage deals in the market...For more information please go to the Power of One website, Facebook page, and Twitter feed

A short conversation between Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer about the Queen's Speech and animal welfare legislation. Yesterday, May 10th, the Queen's Speech, which sets out the government's legislative agenda for the next parliamentary year, was given in the House of  Lords. It was - according to most commentators - a drab affair, a mix of new plans, long-made pledges and a handful of held-over bills. On animal welfare legislation, though, it was universally slammed with promises broken and pledges abandoned.The Government did say that it is still committed to legislation to ban the import of hunting trophies, with The Secretary of State for Defra George Eustice quoted by a senior Conservative Mp Sir Roger Gale saying that it "will go ahead and be tougher than the manifesto commitment" but it has cancelled the flagship Animals Abroad Bill that would have outlawed trade in fur, stopped advertisers promoting exploitative animal events like elephant rides, and the import of foie gras....reportedly because MPs like Jacob Rees-Mogg said it was 'un-Conservative' to restrict choice - and by that he means his choice to eat foie gras rather than the choice of geese not to be force-fed grain until their livers explode...Government website Transcript of the Queen's Speech 2022

"Talk to your candidates...find out if they really care."A conversation with powerhouse campaigner Saffron Gloyne, who has been selected to represent the Animal Welfare Party in the May local elections. Saffron is one of thirteen candidates in Croydon's Addiscombe West ward where three seats are available. According to the Animal Welfare Party's website, Saffron will focus her campaign on standing up against wildlife crime in Croydon, championing the borough's ability to become a nationwide leader in the battle against single-use plastic, and opposing cruel duckling & chick hatching projects in the borough's schools.  She says of standing as a candidate for the Animal Welfare Party “This felt like a natural progression for me. In order to effect widespread, tangible progress and improve conditions for the animals and people in our community, there needs to be a voice in the council speaking up for those who cannot speak for themselves. I hope to galvanise the local community and the council in making choices that benefit all of us and ensure the future of our environment.”Animal Welfare Party Website and Twitter feed Animal Welfare Party Candidates 2022 Saffron Gloyne Twitter feed Jane Smith (elected Animal Welfare Party councillor) Twitter feedCharlie Moores Twitter feed 

 I woke up this morning to a thrush's liquid song cascading from the top of an oak tree about 100m away. Phrase after phrase, loud and clear. Not the repetitive song of a Song Thrush, nor the more mellow conversation of a Blackbird, but the melodious outpouring of a Mistle Thrush. Perched, typically, in the open, bold as brass, daring the local Sparrowhawk to interrupt, swept up in the power of his own remarkable voice as it bounced around off the stone walls of our home.During lockdown I bought a parabolic reflector for moments just like this, and over the last few weeks I've been wandering around recording bird songs and layering them together. Common species (at least around here), including Blackbird, Song Thrush, Robin, Greenfinch, Chaffinch, Great and Blue Tits, Nuthatch, and Wren. I've caught snippets of the drumming of a Great Spotted Woodpecker, the first Chiffchaff of the spring, a pair of Wood Pigeons sitting in the sun, our local Rooks flying overhead. I even went out on a frosty morning and caught a barking Roe Deer echoing through a piece of woodland I can see from my window. And now was a perfect time to record that beautiful Mistle Thrush.The result is only short (less than six minutes) and to be honest no one morning sounds exactly like this, but forgive me for any ‘audio licence' because I hope - as it does for me - this brief dawn chorus transports you to somewhere soothing, a place of abundance, and far, far from the headlines.

Dominic Dyer speaking at a PETA UK reception, where to quote PETA, “MPs had the opportunity to see and feel the world's first faux bear fur, a fabric that has been expertly created by luxury faux furrier ECOPEL to replace the bearskins used to make the Queen's Guard's caps” Dominic and I have discussed this issue in numerous podcasts before (eg Shortcast #53 Dominic Dyer | Bear Hats and Ben Wallace ), but essentially – exactly as that quote from PETA explains – the Ministry of Defence have been asked to replace the bearskin ‘caps' made from Canadian-slaughtered Black Bears worn by the Queen's Guards. The MoD came up with five ‘conditions' that needed to be met before they would even discuss replacing ‘tradition' with an animal-rights sourced faux-fur no matter how environmentally sound it is. Petition: Replace the real bearskins used for the Queen's Guard's caps with faux fur

A slightly truncated Off the Leash Podcast this time around, as Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer focus on why they've been saying ‘Off the leash Podcasts is dead, long live Off the Leash'  this week (Charlie posted a shortcast explaining about the upcoming changes earlier this week, but we wanted to discuss it at more length),' we outline upcoming events this week, including a Parliamentary reception organised by PETA UK as part of the ongoing campaign against the fur caps worn by the Queen's Guards; and we name our Heroes and Villains of the week (this time lauding PC Claire Dinsdale QPM and slating the cabal of interests that have sidelined her and the investigation in Dorset into the death of a young White-tailed Eagle from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project).Shortcast #82 Charlie Moores | Off the Leash Podcasts is dead, long live Off the LeashPETA UK  Stop Bear Slaughter: PETA Unveils Faux-Fur Queen's Guard CapPC Claire Dinsdale Twitter feedThe Guardian   Disbanding of Dorset wildlife crime team puts birds of prey ‘at risk'Raptor Persecution UK  Chris Packham submits FoI requests to Dorset Police & the Crime Commissioner

“Off the Leash Podcasts is dead, long live Off the Leash”. Okay, that's a little over-dramatic, but I was looking for a way to get people's attention and referencing regnal succession and using a phrasal template seemed like a good idea…Anyway, back to the matter in hand. We are coming up to the first anniversary of Off the Leash Podcasts (or OTL) – we launched our podcast trailer on April 30th 2021 - and while things have been going really well (we've had almost 40k downloads now), we've decided things need changing a little. A bit of ‘reframing'.Why? Because we've noticed a problem. Actually, a ‘problem' and a couple of ‘opportunities'...Long story short, we've learned a lot over the last twelve months, but we need to reframe our work, cut out a layer. So we're going to close the Off the Leash Twitter and Instagram accounts, and shut down the website. We're moving to Substack. From the end of this month we'll be just on Substack and we'll be promoting it via our personal social media accounts.We're not completely throwing the OTL baby out with the bathwater though. We're keeping the ‘off the leash' name for the new platform because it perfectly sums up the attitude we want to bring to our work, but from now on, everything goes via SubstackOff the Leash Podcasts is dead, but long live Off the Leash. Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer on Substack https://offtheleash.substack.com/

A conversation between Charlie Moores and Duncan McNair, founder of Save the Asian Elephants or STAE.Duncan is a prominent corporate litigation lawyer and was Chair of the highly-influential 2013 McNair Inquiry and Report which was commissioned by the RSPCA and called for greater commitment to higher welfare standards for farmed animals. Its recommendations were unanimously approved by the Council of Trustees of the RSPCA the month after the Report's publication and resulted in the RSPCA Assured Scheme. More recently Duncan has been regularly invited to address All-Party Parliamentary Groups on Animal Welfare and on Endangered Species regarding the plight of Asian elephants In 2016 he addressed a large audience at the European Parliament in Strasbourg on STAE's policies, a presentation described by the Chairman as “dramatic and shocking.” In 2017 Duncan was part of a small, key group representing 220 charities and MPs in presenting a letter to the Prime Minister at 10 Downing Street demanding abolition of the UK ivory trade. A proposed ban was announced the same year. In 2018, Duncan and STAE launched a petition on Change.org to End the Cruel Treatment of Elephants in India which now has over 1 million signatures and is still being signed today…All of which might lead to us thinking that the remaining populations of Asian Elephants are now safe, ivory imports are banned, and the cruel ‘breaking' of these highly intelligent and gentle animals so that tourists can ride them has ended…The world doesn't work in such a linear fashion unfortunately, and Asian elephants continue to decline – they are classified as Endangered by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), have declined by an estimated 50 per cent over the past 75 years, and the remaining 20,000 to 40,000 Asian elephants left in the wild are restricted to just 15% of their original range. Ivory and elephant welfare are very different issues of course, but again it's not particularly good news. Here in the UK, the Ivory Bill which received Royal Assent back in 2018 has been held up numerous times and doesn't come into force until June this year and the government has now paused progress of its much-lauded Animals Abroad Bill which was intended to include both bans on the trade in hunting trophies that threaten the conservation status of species abroad AND the domestic sale and advertising of experiences overseas like elephant rides. Why paused? Well, while the Bill had reached the inquiry stage where it would be scrutinised, the Inquiry Committee has decided that scrutiny cannot continue until the Bill has been published by the Government and the Government are not able to confirm a date of publication. In other words, at the moment it is deadlocked and going nowhere…Which is incredibly frustrating for STAE, and led to Duncan and a coalition of campaigners including Claire Bass of HSI and Ian Redmond publishing a letter in The Guardian on the 1st of April which began “We are concerned by reports of the government abandoning its manifesto commitments to an Animals Abroad Bill”.Save the Asian Elephants Website and Twitter feed Gov.uk  Animals Abroad Bill The Guardian  (Letters)  The British government must lead the way on animal welfare (01 April 22)Change.org  End the Cruel Treatment of Elephants in India Lonely Planet  

In this episode of The Off the Leash Podcast, Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer look at Dorset Police's baffling and frankly bizarre decision to halt an investigation into the poisoning of a White-tailed Eagle found dead on a Dorset shooting estate; at an FOI request from Wiltshire Hunt Sabs that found that an astonishing 53 police officers chaperoned the notorious Avon Vale Hunt at one meet in Wiltshire in early March but still couldn't see assaults on sabs taking place in front of them; and we will look briefly at a rather clever suggestion put forward by Wild Justice about the shooting of Woodcocks.  We also name our Heroes and Villains (which once again features the divisive and unrepresentative Countryside Alliance)But we begin with a look at newly-released figures from Defra which state that at least 33,687 badgers were slaughtered in 2021 as part of its ongoing campaign to appease the dairy industry; petition updates; and Dominic's thoughts on how shifting government priorities might see the Animals Abroad Bill shelved...Badger Trust |  Badger Trust outraged as latest cull figures reveal record proportion killed by inhumane shootingOff the Leash |  Interview #23 Tom Langton and Dr Mark Jones | Badger Culling ResearchThe Guardian |  Cabinet row as plan to ban fur and foie gras trade scrapped by PMRaptor Persecution UK |  Poisoned eagle in Dorset had 7 x lethal dose rodenticide in its liverWild Mammal Persecution UK |  The Rule of LawOff the Leash | Interview# 22 Wiltshire Hunt Sabs March 2022 Wiltshire Hunt Sabs FOI TweetWild Justice |  We ask for changes to the Woodcock shooting seasonOff the Leash | Shortcast #59 Charlie Moores  Ban the Shooting of Woodcocks The National | North Wales PCC accused of ‘prejudice' over hunting review

“Badger culling is not going to work as a method of controlling disease in cattle and should be abandoned immediately and permanently.” Dr Mark Jones., Born Free FoundationCharlie Moores in conversation with Tom Langton, a conservation ecologist with involvement in High Court judicial review of decisions surrounding badger culling policy in England, and veterinarian Dr Mark Jones, Head of Policy at Born Free.In mid-March, open-access research by Tom, Mark, and Dr Iain McGill - a veterinarian and Director of the Prion Group – was published in Vet Record, a peer-reviewed medical journal in the field of veterinary medicine.Titled “Analysis of the impact of badger culling on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high-risk area of England, 2009–2020”, the research found that “Analyses based on Defra published data using a variety of statistical methodologies did not suggest that badger culling affected herd bTB incidence or prevalence over the study period. In 9 of 10 counties, bTB incidence peaked and began to fall before badger culling commenced.” and concluded that “This examination of government data obtained over a wide area and a long time period failed to identify a meaningful effect of badger culling on bTB in English cattle herds.”In other words, bovine TB was already starting to fall before the government-sanctioned slaughter of a protected species had begun, and that the deaths of more than 140,000 badgers has had little effect on how much bovine TB is in England's dairy herds.“Analysis of the impact of badger culling on bovine tuberculosis in cattle in the high-risk area of England, 2009–2020  Vet Record Volume 190, Issue 6  (open access research)Born Free Foundation Website  and Facebook page Born Free Foundation  Twitter feedBorn Free Foundation Badger Culling Badger Trust  New scientific study reveals that badger culling has had no effect in reducing bovine TB in cattle (18 March 22)The Badger Crowd on Twitter 

An uplifting and beautifully told shortcast about snares by Animals Asia's Ryan Marcel Sucaet - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal.Ryan Marcel Sucaet is the Bear & Vet Team Director at the Chengdu Bear Rescue Centre.Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)   Animal Aid Website and Twitter feedAnimals Asia Website and Twitter feedAnimals Asia Bear SanctuariesAnimals Asia Three-legged bear released into the wild spotted alive and well on camera (09 Jan 2018)Off the Leash  Interview #17 Jill Robinson | Animals Asia

Shortcasts are short standalone audio comments and statements from conservationists, campaigners, charities, authors and members of our audience. If it needs to be said – say it here!A shortcast by Edith from Staffordshire Wounded Badger Patrol, a group of volunteers who work to protect badgers in the Staffordshire badger cull zone."It's definitely worth doing - it's satisfying to know that we're out there protecting badgers."    Wounded Badger Patrol - Staffordshire  Facebook page Wounded Badger Patrol - Staffordshire Instagram feed Wounded Badger Patrol - Staffordshire  Twitter feedBiddulph News  A night with Staffordshire's wounded badger patrol  (23 Sept 21)

A conversation between Charlie Moores and Anne, a spokesperson for the Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs.Anne and Charlie have spoken before, in late December, shortly after a well-publicised attack on hunt protestors by followers of the notorious Avon Vale Hunt at their Boxing Day meet in the Wiltshire village of Lacock (link below). This time they're talking in late March, so towards the end of the so-called fox hunting season. It's been a tumultuous period for the various Wiltshire hunt packs and for the sabs and monitors who track their movements and are working to stop wildlife crimes taking place in the Wiltshire countryside. While the Avon Vale - and their support staff and protective shield of vehicles from Wiltshire Police - has now packed up until the fox cub hunting season starts in the autumn, the past six months have removed any doubt at all that illegal foxhunting is routine in Wiltshire – taking place right under the noses of local police, as well as under the noses of local Conservative MPs James Gray and Michelle Donelan, and the Police and Crime Commissioner Philip Wilkinson who either haven't commented, commented that hunting is a legal activity, or suggested that had hunt sabs not been at Lacock at Boxing Day they would have been at home making bombs…And stepping into all of this – standing between the illegal hunts and our wildlife - are the Wiltshire Hunt Sabs. They affiliated with the HSA in their current form in time for the 2021 season – so how do they look back on their first full year of operation, and what are their plans for tackling this shameful situation in the years ahead…Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs Twitter feedWiltshire Hunt Saboteurs  Facebook pageWiltshire Hunt Saboteurs Tip-off Line - 07562 628 187Donate to Wiltshire Hunt Saboteurs via PayPalOff the Leash Interview #14 Wiltshire Hunt Sabs Off the Leash Shortcast #76 Charlie Moores | The Avon Vale Hunt and a response to Wiltshire's PCC

A short conversation between Off the Leash's Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer on Dominic's government petition calling on the UK to "Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end" which of course was launched after the Faroese slaughtered an almost unbelievable 1428 Atlantic White-sided Dolphins on the 12th of September last year.After a huge push in the last week or so the petition has now reached 100,000 signatures, which given the understandable focus on Ukraine was a massive achievement ...Dominic Dyer  Petition Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts endAnimalAid Petition Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife PETA Petition  Replace the real bearskins used for the Queen's Guard's caps with faux fur  Off the Leash Podcasts  Shortcast #48 OTL | Faroes Update October

Charlie Moores talks with the founder of Keep the Ban, Rob Pownall. Launched in 2015 but ticking over until some eighteen months ago, a change in strategy, a new website, and a massively ramped up social media presence saw Keep the Ban launch numerous anti-hunt campaigns and develop investigative work alongside the renowned Hunt Investigation Team (or HIT). As Rob explains he has some extremely interesting ideas on where he thinks Keep the Ban should go next, plans for expanding on the work he is doing already, and developing partnerships (including perhaps with Off the Leash).Before we get to that though, Keep the Ban says on its website that “It is beyond clear that hunts are not ‘trail hunting' as they claim. Farmers and landowners are complicit in the supply of foxes for the purpose of hunting. Foxes are still being hunted across the country on a huge scale.” Indeed they are, and on January 5th 2022 Keep The Ban supported the Hunt Investigation Team with their latest undercover investigation, which saw the Vale of White Horse Hunt filmed deliberately and intentionally hunting a fox.Keep the Ban WebsiteKeep the Ban Vale of White Horse Hunt investigation  Keep the Ban Twitter feed Hunt Investigation Team Website and Twitter feed 

Four days ago Off the Leash posted a short conversation between Charlie Moores and campaigner and Off the Leash colleague Dominic Dyer on what he'd been doing to make it easier for refugees fleeing Putin's war on Ukraine to come into the UK with their companion animals. We were very critical of the UK government on that occasion, but Dominic is back with - thankfully - better news... Shortcast #77 Dominic Dyer | Ukranian Refugees and Companion AnimalsThe Off the Leash Podcast 3.3  Ukraine 

" Why would you choose cruelty when you don't have to...I don't care what society says, I'm not participating in that."The first part of a short series of podcasts with award-winning author and animal rights campaigner Linda Newbery talking about her recently published guide to compassionate living, ‘This Book is Cruelty-free – Animals and Us'. Written for everyone who cares ‘about our planet, our animals, and about living a better life', This Book is Cruelty-free says in its introduction, “the decisions we make every day of our lives – what we buy, eat, use and discard – have an impact on the environment and animal life. We can choose to support cruelty and waste, or we can choose kindness and responsibility.”In this podcast Charlie Moores talks with Linda about her motivation to write This Book is Cruelty-free, setting the scene for forthcoming episodes based on chapters from the book: Spend Kindly, What's On Your Plate, What a Waste, Animals at Home, Protect and Protest.NB: Off the Leash contacted Linda after buying and enjoying This Book is Cruelty-Free. We paid for it ourselves, no payments have been asked for or received for this series of podcasts, and  Off the Leash has no financial interest in the book or anything connected with it.Linda Newbery Website and Twitter feedPavilion Books This Book is Cruelty-free - Animals and Us

A short conversation between Charlie Moores and campaigner Dominic Dyer on what he's been doing to make it easier for refugees fleeing Putin's war on Ukraine to come into the UK with their companion animals. As we discuss, Ukraine is not rabies-free, but over a week ago the Vet Times wrote that "Officials in Romania, Poland and Hungary have made exceptions to peacetime restrictions on pets crossing borders as thousands, including many with animals, flee war-torn Ukraine". In Hungary, in order to ensure a smooth entry, the national chief veterinarian has ordered the completion of a simplified registration form.Why are we so slow to help and what can we do about it?Vet Times  Ukraine's EU neighbours waive pet restrictions amid war exodus (28 Feb 2022)The Off the Leash Podcast 3.3  Ukraine

 In this episode of The Off the Leash Podcast, Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss burnout and campaigning in a world that is both full of relentless need and is falling apart in front of us. As we say, "we're not mental health professionals, we can't solve anyone's problems, but we thought that perhaps outlining our own experiences, looking at what encourages and keeps us going, might just help someone who is struggling too...". We also look at the newly introduced Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) Bill, which aims to tighten up loopholes left over from the Protection of Wild Mammals (Scotland) Act 2002 (it almost - but not quite - succeeds). We ask how on earth mega-retailer Tesco can sanction netting to stop red-listed House Martins nesting on its North Berwick store. And we give a word of thanks to the Buff-breasted Bumblebee, that gentle giant (relatively speaking of course) of early spring. #WeStandWithUkraineOff the Leash Podcasts 3.3 UkraineWar on Wildlife Project  Solastalgia – a quiet mourningOneKind  Animal charity welcomes Bill that could finally ban the ‘sport' of fox hunting, 20 years onScottish Government The Hunting with Dogs (Scotland) BillRSPB House Martin Added to Red ListChange.org Stop the netting preventing House Martin's nesting at North Berwick TescoBumblebee Conservation Trust Buff-tailed Bumblebee

A conversation between Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer about Ukraine and Russia's war.  How did we get to this disaster and what might we have learned about our humanity and our compassion for each other?We discussed at length whether we should record this - is the world waiting for an Off the Leash statement on Ukraine? Of course not. Will a  podcast make any difference? Of course not - but we wanted to show our support for the people of Ukraine anyway, so here we are...#WeStandWithUkraineDisasters Emergency Committee Ukraine Humanitarian AppealNetwork for Animals Ukraine Emergency Appeal

A podcast by Charlie Moores looking in detail at a response he received to an email sent to Wiltshire Police and Crime Commissioner (or PCC ) Philip Wilkinson OBE questioning the use of police resources to chaperone the Avon Vale Hunt at their meet in north Wiltshire on the 19th of February,  the day after Storm Eunice caused extensive damage to parts of the county.Information on how many police were present is taken from multiple social media accounts belonging to hunt sabs and monitor groups (especially Wiltshire Hunt Sabs), a local village Facebook group, some personal communications he had the next day, and what Charlie witnessed himself.Why produce this podcast? Charlie has never hidden the fact that he is totally opposed to fox hunting. He says so on social media and it's a recurring theme in Off the Leash podcasts.  Stopping hunting is – for him – entirely about protecting wildlife from illegality. The Avon Vale Hunt is very local to Charlie, and he finds the sights and sounds of them hunting, chilling. More to the point though, is that Mr Wilkinson's emailed response seems to Charlie to almost perfectly demonstrate how the ‘trail hunting clause' in the Hunting Act is being used as a cover by fox hunts to allow illegal foxhunting outlines clearly how some authorities view and respond to sabs and monitors, and encapsulates why the debate around fox hunting is  so confused.Association of Police and Crime Commissioners  Philip Wilkinson OBEWar on Wildlife Project  Jonathon Seed | Wiltshire PCC candidate says only trolls talk about hunting Wiltshire Council Website  Update On Storm Eunice Red WarningIFAW  Trail of Lies ReportWiltshire Council Website   Precept Consultation Final ResultsCharlie Moores on Twitter  Local Residents are Boiling MadDevon County Sabs Facebook Post  Avon Vale 19.2.22 Wild Mammal Persecution UK  Hunts Now Being Treated as OCGs?

Heroes and Villains, a new series of podcasts from Off the Leash with Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer. Each week we will discuss a Hero and a Villain each.In this episode (recorded 18 Feb 2022) we boo Emma Hopkins,  UK Ambassador to Denmark, and gun dog trainer Ian Openshaw. And we cheer conservationist Roy Dennis, and both the editor of the Jerusalem Post and its journalist Barry Davies.What do you think of our choices? Would you have chosen differently? Let us know...

A short interview with Charlie Moores talking with campaigner and award-winning author Linda Newbery, whose book “This Book is Cruelty-Free – Animals and Us” which looks at the way our daily choices affect the lives of animals was published in July last year (and Off the Leash has an exciting announcement around that later in this interview). First though, at the end of January this year we posted a shortcast by Summer, from the campaign group Feed our Future, which aims to address climate emergency and animal exploitation issues starting with the food on our school plates. Feed our Future is working with councils to encourage the switch from emission heavy foods to plant-based ones. Linda heard that shortcast and mentioned to Charlie that she had been involved in a Feed our Future campaign in Oxfordshire, where she lives, and that Oxfordshire  County Council had passed a motion in December that would see vegan-only food being served at council events, and school's being encouraged to serve a vegan menu 'at least twice a week'.  The motion had been tabled by Green Party Councillor, Ian Middleton, in the hope that the council would 'recognise that meat and dairy' is a 'significant contributor to greenhouse gas emissions and global deforestation'. That motion had – somewhat depressingly but predictably – caused quite a ruckus, yet, as Charlie said to Linda when they began chatting earlier today, it all sounded fair and sensible to him...Linda Newbery  “This Book is Cruelty-Free – Animals and Us” (Pavilion, July 2021)Off the Leash Podcasts  Shortcast #64 Linda Newbery | Ban SnaresOff the Leash Podcasts  Shortcast #72  Summer | Feed our FutureFeed our Future Website feedourfuture.co.uk/Feed our Future Facebook page and Twitter feed 

In this episode of The Off the Leash Podcast, Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss the previously fairly unknown  Conservative MP Chris Loder after the idiotic tweet he posted after learning that two White-tailed Eagles from the Isle of Wight reintroduction project had been found dead in 'suspicious circumstances' by investigatorswhich said that he didn't want Eagles in Dorset and that he didn't want the police investigating what happened to them; the idiotic footballer Kurt Zouma and his idiotic brother for posting a video of him abusing his cat on social media; the repulsive vivisection industry and the Animal Welfare Act; what links fox hunting and organised crime gangs; a couple of ongoing petitions; and we name our Heroes and Villians - but we begin with something that has again been keeping Dominic very busy...the political fallout from Operation Ark.Off the Leash Podcasts Shortcast #28 Dominic Dyer | Rescue the Animal RescuersThe Off the Leash Podcast 2.5 (OperationArk)Chris Loder MP Tweet "Dorset is not the place for eagles to be reintroduced" Off the Leash Podcasts Live #08 | Voices against Vivisection outside ParliamentOff the Leash Podcasts  Live #03 | #FreetheMBRBeagles Protest Home OfficeOff the Leash Podcasts Live #07 | Voices from Camp BeagleCamp Beagle WebsiteCamp Beagle Facebook page and Twitter Feed Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 09 May 22)  Government Petition Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end (Deadline 21 March 22)Peta Petition Replace the real bearskins used for the Queen's Guard's caps with faux fur (Deadline 06 July 22)

Live recordings made at a protest outside the Houses of Parliament on the 7th of February 2022. The protest took place (to a background of thunderous and emotionally-charged chants from the tireless Sol and Helen of Camp Beagle) before a debate in the Commons, triggered by a petition asking for laboratory animals to be included in the Animal Welfare Act which gathered over 100k signatures before it closed in January. Vivisection, animal testing, confining animals to laboratories and experimenting on them is nothing new of course. Protests have been going on for decades. Perhaps the most visible protest at the moment though is the campaign targeting Marshall Bio Resources which supply beagle puppies for experimentation from the awful MBR Acres puppy mill near Huntingdon in Cambridgeshire. The #FreetheMBR Beagles campaign and Camp Beagle which is set up outside the gates of MBR Acres have put the spotlight on breeding a sweet-natured, curious, and trusting breed of dog for use in a laboratory.Charlie visited the Camp and recorded activists there in November last year, and that explains why for this recording he gravitated towards - in particular - Polly, one of the founders of Camp Beagle and Sammi, one of the Camp Beagle stalwarts he spoke with on that previous visit.  Our apologies if we've inadvertently put the focus on just one element of the protests against vivisection - Off the Leash would be very happy to make up shortfalls with more shortcasts or interviews if anyone involved would like to get in touch.Camp Beagle Website Camp Beagle Facebook page and Twitter Feed    Free the MBR Beagles Facebook page and Twitter feed FLOE (For Life On Earth) Website and Twitter feedScarlett, Beagle Ambassador for FLOE Twitter feedStay Close Clothing WebsiteGovernment website Animal Welfare Act PETA "Experiments on Animals Fail 90% of the Time. Why Are They Still Done?"Off the Leash Podcasts |  Live #07 Voices from Camp Beagle  Off the Leash Podcasts |  Live #03 #FreetheMBRBeagles Protest Home Office

Shortcasts are short standalone audio comments and statements from conservationists, campaigners, charities, authors and members of our audience. If it needs to be said – say it here!A shortcast written and recorded by Luke, a member of the Northants Hunt Sabs. Luke discusses the work the group does sabbing the notorious Cottesmore Hunt, which hunts mainly in Rutland, Leicestershire and Lincolnshire, the aggression of so-called hunt stewards hired by the Cottesmore, and pro-hunt bias by Leicestershire Police. Northants Hunt Sabs Facebook page, Instagram feed, and Twitter feed  Donate to the Northants Hunt Sabs at ko-fi.com

Charlie Moores in conversation with vegan activist and lifelong biophiliac Gina Bates of the Vegan Land Movement. Charlie met up with Gina, whose Twitter handle @hilltopgina reflects the last 17 years spent in a remote area of Sutherland, living very simply without running water and miles from all other amenities and people, at a rather breezy location in the Somerset Levels where the Vegan Land Movement recently bought almost seven acres of former dairy grazing land which they intend - to quote from their website - to "give back to the earth and endangered species in perpetuity". Set up as a Community Interest Company or CIC, the Vegan Land Movement intends to repeat the purchase across the UK - which is both inspiring and (given how hard it is to raise funds at the moment) bold. So what motivates Gina, how does she think the organisation can grow and be effective, and why did she not want me to say exactly where in Somerset we were talking...Vegan Land Movement Website and Twitter FeedGina Bates Twitter feedSara Elgonquin (VLM Director) Twitter feed

A shortcast by Wild Moors' Luke Steele about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal. Luke is the Executive Director of Wild Moors, which works with communities, governments and companies to unlock moorland from grouse shooting for the restoration of wildlife and habitats - and of course to unlock moorlands from snares...Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)    Wild Moors Website and Twitter feed

A shortcast by Iain Green about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal.Iain Green is a nature photographer, author & founder of award-winning Wildlife Wonder and Director of Animal Aid Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)   Animal Aid Website and Twitter feedWildlife Wonder website

A shortcast from the campaign group Feed our Future which aims to address climate emergency and animal exploitation issues starting with the food on our school plates. Feed our Future is working with councils to encourage the switch from emission heavy foods to plant-based ones. They are, they say helping the next generation of young people learn to eat sustainably.Feed our Future Website feedourfuture.co.uk/Feed our Future Facebook page and Twitter feed 

A conversation with the founder and CEO of Animals Asia, the world's leading expert on the bear bile industry, a pioneer of animal welfare in Asia, and a big picture thinker admired around the world for her approach and leadership - no, not a conversation with a group of renowned conservationists and activists, a conversation with just one remarkable woman: Jill Robinson MBE, a globally renowned advocate for animals, whose work is guided by the mantra 'Kindness in Action'.Charlie Moores talks with Jill about 2021 - 'an incredible year' for Animals Asia according to Jill, teamwork and moving 101 rescued bears across China, nearing the end of bear farming in Vietnam, and the  Animals Asia campaign 'The Only Cure is Kindness' which underpins so much of the organisations thinking and work.Animals Asia Website Animals Asia Twitter and Facebook feedsThe Only Cure is Kindness Donation page (Animals Asia)Jill Robinson article on Dare to be Fabulous (undated)

 A shortcast by Jane Smith AWP  about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal.Writer and campaigner Jane Smith, Deputy Leader of the Animal Welfare Party (which believes in a better future for people, animals and the environment), and the UK's first-ever elected animal rights representative. Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)   Animal Welfare Party WebsiteJane Smith AWP Twitter feed

A shortcast about snares - part of our series supporting Animal Aid's petition to ban free-running snares. This recording is from Rob Pownall, the founder of the increasingly influential campaign group Keep the Ban which works to end the hunting of wildlife in the name of sport. Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)  Keep the Ban Website and Twitter feed

Shortcasts are short standalone audio comments and statements from conservationists, campaigners, charities, authors and members of our audience. If it needs to be said – say it here!A shortcast by Hannah from the campaign group EndPrim8abuse. Hannah has been working for two years and spent countless hours trying to get YouTube to take responsibility and take down deeply disturbing videos showing the abuse of very young monkeys. With her colleague Sue, Hannah has put in literally thousands of complaints and emails to YouTube, and has contacted organisations and charities all over the world - but the videos are still online, and both YouTube and the content creators are earning ad revenue from animal abuse. This is a very informative, powerful and emotional shortcast. It is uncomfortable listening but it is not graphic. Hannah has intentionally left out the more harrowing details she's uncovered in the hope that more people will feel able to listen to it and help her and her supporters #EndtheTrend. EndPrim8Abuse on Twitter and on FacebookPlease share using #EndTheTrend

In this episode of The Off the Leash Podcast, Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss a mix of politics, animal rights, and institutional bias. What might happen to the government's legislative animal welfare agenda if Boris Johnson is replaced as Prime Minister,  for example, and are government petitions worth signing (the answer is 'Yes'). We look at why hare coursing is discussed in Parliament but not hare hunting (both are illegal after all(, and read out a very accurate statement by the campaign group Action Against Hare Hunting which nails the reason brilliantly. We discuss a decision by Cornwall Council to continue allowing so-called 'Trail hunting' on its land and look at the Code of Conduct that should guide elected councillors. In the light of so much information emerging on the clear bias of some police officers towards hunts, is it right that the Chair of the College of Policing should also be the Chair of the pro-hunting lobby group the Countryside Alliance? We ask why Glue Traps are still available when they're obviously cruel. And we name our Heroes and Villains (once again the loathsome  Safari Club International come on for a slating).Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 09 May 22)  Government Petition Suspend trade agreement with Faroe Islands until all whale & dolphin hunts end (Deadline 21 march 22)Peta Petition Replace the real bearskins used for the Queen's Guard's caps with faux fur (Deadline 06 July 22)Action Against Hare Hunting Twitter feed and Facebook pageHunt Saboteurs Association Hare Hunting PacksInterview #15 South London Hunt Sabs | Sabbing 2.0Interview #14 Wiltshire Hunt SabsFalmouth Packet Debate on trail hunting in Cornwall at council: what happened (19 Jan 22)Local Government Association Model Councillor Code of Conduct 2020Countryside Alliance blog Nick Herbert MP is new Alliance Chairman (18 Oct 19)Government website Nick Herbert appointed Chair of College of Policing (14 Jan 21)OneKind Scottish Government bans glue traps (21 Jan 22)

A shortcast by Paul Tillsley about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use free-running snares illegal."...the badger was gone, as was the snare...all that was left was a pool of blood and some lumps of flesh"Paul is a hugely experienced investigator and Head of Conservation Education for the League Against Cruel Sports. He lives on Exmoor surrounded by commercial pheasant shoots and sees wildlife persecution - including snaring - on an almost daily basis...Animal Aid petition  Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022) League Against Cruel Sports Website and Twitter feed

Shortcasts are short standalone audio comments and statements from conservationists, campaigners, charities, authors and members of our audience. If it needs to be said – say it here!A shortcast by Kwesia, aka City Girl in Nature, a young woman from Deptford in South London who after a trip to the Amazon was inspired to work with young people in her community, some of whom have never had the opportunity to experience anything other than poverty and hardship.Website  citygirlinnature.comLinktree  linktr.ee/citygirlinnatureTwitter twitter.com/citygirlnatureYouTube City Girl in NatureInstagram  instagram.com/citygirlinnature/

 A shortcast by activist Sue Bliss about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use free-running snares illegalAnimal Aid petition   Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022) Sue Bliss Twitter feed

Off the Leash's Charlie Moores and Dominic Dyer discuss the brutal crackdown on street dogs in Turkey - and just to be clear at NO stage do we go into graphic or upsetting detail.Street dogs and cats have always been a part of life in Turkey's cities. Mark Twain wrote in 1867 that “The dogs sleep in the streets, all over the city. …They would not move, though the Sultan himself passed by,” and filmmaker Elizabeth Lo, whose documentary “Stray” had its streaming release in early 2021, said she was struck by “seeing dogs roaming around freely, living life on their own terms, in this very developed city,” and by the relationship she observed between them and Istanbul's human residents. Istanbul is home to some 400,000 to 600,000 stray dogs and cats, according to Ahmet Atalık who oversees veterinary services for the Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality. There has long been a live and let live attitude to street dogs in Turkey, so what has changed so that they are now being persecuted? DuvaR.english  Animal rights defenders fear for dogs' lives after Erdoğan targets stray dogs (26 Dec 2021) The Independent Turkey's Erdogan shows bark and bite by targeting stray dogs in culture war (29 Dec 2021) 

A shortcast by author and campaigner Linda Newbery about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal.Linda has published numerous novels and short stories, but her latest book is non-fiction, drawing on years of animal welfare campaigning. Titled 'This Book is Cruelty Free: Animals and Us' it's a guide to compassionate living, aimed at age roughly 12+ but with plenty of interest for adults too. Animal Aid petition   Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022) Linda Newbery Website    and Twitter feedPavilion Books - This Book is Cruelty Free:  Animals and Us

An interview with award-winning campaigner Sarah Corbett, the founder of the Craftivist Collective, an inclusive group of people committed to using craft to help themselves and encourage others to be the positive change they wish to see in the world. Sarah's deeply-thoughtful campaign work is a beguiling mix of activism and philosophy or 'way of life' - fulfilling a need for a different form of activism, particularly relevant for any of us that feel permanently on the brink of frustrated burnout. As she asks. "If we want our world to be more beautiful, kind and fair, can we make our activism be more beautiful, kind and fair? If there's time for the loud, there's also time for the quiet. If there's time for the fast, there's also a need for the slow. In everyone's heart is a desire to change things for the better – it is essential that there is an activists toolkit that is as diverse as humanity."Over the summer Sarah launched a new project centred on climate change, the Canary Craftivists, which we'll be looking at in more depth later on in the conversation, but I began by quoting back to her a paragraph on the back of the beautiful book - or manual (and more of that latter too) - that she has produced from that campaign which asks “are you worried about global warming and anxious about taking part in large or loud forms of activism? If you're more of an eco-worrier than eco-warrior then this manual is for you."Craftivist Collective  WebsiteCraftivist Collective on Instagram, on Facebook, and on TwitterTo sponsor Sarah please go to craftivist-collective.com/adopt-a-craftivist

A shortcast by author and campaigner Bob Berzins about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal.Bob lives on the edge of the Peak District National park, an area blighted by wildlife crime and snares. He's worked with activists and wildlife charities, and spoken to police officers and crime commissioners in an effort to improve the plight of wildlife in the Park. He has also trained and worked as a counsellor which has helped him bring psychological depth to his excellent first novel ‘Snared', a few pages of which Bob reads at the end of this recording.Animal Aid petition   Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022) Bob Berzins Website    and Twitter feedBook Review  Bob Berzins | Snared  (War on Wildlife Project, June 2020)IDAS Shop  Snared Audiobook 

A shortcast by Charlie Moores about snares - part of Off the Leash's series of shortcasts supporting Animal Aid's petition to make the use of free-running snares illegal."If you're a certain age (and I am) you may remember how snares were often depicted as homemade devices, something a poacher in a TV programme might make from a bit of string to catch a rabbit for his dinner perhaps We never saw how the animal was killed once it had been snared of course – that might have upset us as we sat down to eat a lamb's leg or a chicken's breast muscles – but snares themselves seemed relatively ‘harmless', a bit ad hoc, something that most of us probably assumed disappeared along with black and white televisions, panda cars, red telephone boxes, and the pick and mix counter at Woolworths.But snares haven't disappeared. Far from it. They are actually being used on an industrial scale. They're probably being used in a field or a wood near you right now...And of course they're not made from plant fibres and hazel twigs anymore – they're made from thin steel wire. Staved to the ground. Set very deliberately along runs or around stink pits, the stench of rotting flesh from previously snared animals drawing more animals to more snares. They're cheap to buy, easy to use, light to carry, and quickly replaced if you can't quite remember where you left them. They're basically a simple, low-skilled way to kill or maim or injure wildlife. And having said all of that, bizarrely, here in the UK anyway, they're legal to use. "Animal Aid petition   Make the use of free-running snares illegal for trapping wildlife (Deadline 9th May 2022)