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, sl…

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 …

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 XC…

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…

"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 shortl…

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 w…

"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, bir…

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 …

"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 i…

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 plan…

"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 w…

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 Spar…

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 Sho…

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 ev…

“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)…

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 recom…

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 chaperone…

“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 Foundation Charlie Moores in conversation with Tom Langton, a conservation ecologist with involvement in High Court judicial review of decisions surrounding badger culling policy in Englan…

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-r…

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 definite…

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 tal…

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 Septem…

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 …

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 bac…

" 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’. Wr…

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 ex…

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 …

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 podca…

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 par…

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 Jerusa…

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…

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 …

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 Welfar…

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 hun…

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 loca…

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 wildl…

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 t…

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 t…

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 remarkab…

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 el…

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 tr…

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 responsibil…

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…

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…

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 h…

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 illegal Animal 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 …

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 i…

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 li…

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 …