Off the Leash

In our seventh episode we focus on the missed opportunities and mixed signals of the G7 meeting in Cornwall, and Dominic discusses Boris Johnson's 'green' credentials. We look at who might take over at Defra (the government department with a huge influence over what happens to our wildlife and the environment) and what signals that would send. In our third discussion point Charlie explains the thinking behind the off the leash 'Community Bulletin Board' (and even sings a few lines of 'Imagine' to make a point), and our pre-record comes from environmental consultant and journalist Stuart Spray who gives us his take on the G7. In ‘Hero and Villian’ Dominic praises Sir John Randall, and Charlie the activist group Extinction Rebellion. Continuing our G7 theme, our villain this week is the governments who have never managed to fully achieve a single UN target on the climate and the environment.  In ’60 Second Sell’ we flag up an equipment fund set up to help monitors/wounded badger patrollers etc, ecologist Tom Langton stretching his crowdfunder to fight the badger cull in court, and the remarkable fundraising work of Nick Moran and Johnny Rankin via Dovestep.

Amnesty International   G7 support for pharma monopolies is putting millions of lives at risk

The Times  How Carrie Johnson’s eco clique took control of No 10

The War on Wildlife Project  Defra’s ministerial farming and shooting merry-go-round

Off the Leash  Community Bulletin Board

Stuart Spray  Environmental Journalist

Extinction Rebellion website

Sir John Randall   A Birdwatcher in Parliament (podcast)

Convention on Biological Diversity   Global Biodiversity Outlook 5

The Guardian   World fails to meet a single target to stop destruction of nature

The War on Wildlife Project   Equipment Fund - next steps

Tom Langton on Crowd Justice  Help stop badger culling adding to England’s Biodiversity catastrophe

Fund raising for Turtle Dove conservation   Dovestep (on Twitter)

Webinar (June 17th) – ‘Voices for Badgers’ How can we end DEFRA’s ineffectual badger killing spree?

 In our sixth episode we begin by discussing fur farming, Canada Goose, and the disgusting rabbit farms that T&S Nurseries are trying to set up.  Dominic discusses an article he wrote for Byline Times looking at the poor performances of opposition parties on animal welfare.  In a section on the so-called 'badger cull', Derbyshire Wildlife Trust's Tim Birch talks in a pre-record about his shock and anger that the cull will carry on for another four years and Charlie discusses the co-opting of the word 'cull' by government, industry, and lobbyists.  In 'Hero and Villian' Dominic praises Animals Asia founder Jill Robinson, and Charlie talks about the BadgerCrowd's Tom Langton (who provides a second pre-record on the 'cull' and crowdfunding for his upcoming Hgh Court Appeal). Dominic's villain this week is Cornwall's Carbis Bay Hotel and Charlie blasts irresponsible cat owners who allow their pets to decimate wildlife during the breeding season.  In '60 Second Sell' we flag up a petition asking for a 'no take' of Spider Crabs and highlight two blogs as well as discussing Buglife's new 'bug splat' app. Finally, we discuss our plans to open up the Off the Leash Podcasts website as a 'community bulletin board'.

Refuse Planning for an Intensive Rabbit Farm in Cornwall  -   change.org/p/cornwall-council-refuse-planning-for-a-rabbit-farm-in-falmouth-cornwall

Animal Aid  Investigators find appalling conditions at rabbit farm in Derbyshire

Byline Times  Why the Conservatives Became The Animal Friendly Party

Derbyshire Wildlife Trust  Government approves badger culling to 2026 and ignores public consultation

The War on Wildlife Project   Judicial Review over beaver killing licences

Animals Asia  Animals Asia brings 101 bears home in largest ever operation of its kind

Tom Langton on Crowd Justice  Help stop badger culling adding to England's Biodiversity catastrophe

BBC News   G7 Cornwall: Protest against Carbis Bay building work

Change.org   Support NO-TAKE of Australia's Iconic Spider Crabs during their Moulting Season

Simon Mustoe Blog  Animal Impact

Stephen Thomson blog The Conservation Buddha

Buglife  New bug splatter app to reveal more about insect populations

 In our fifth episode we begin by discussing the two Brown Bears shot at Whipsnade Zoo after escaping from their enclosure and a new Born Free report looking at which species are kept by zoos. Dominic talks about the latest on the so-called badger cull. Charlie looks at the UK's biodiversity crisis in the light of a new report from the RSPB using data from the Natural History Museum. In 'Hero and Villian' we both praise Lisa Marley (who also provides this week's pre-record) and her excellent new podcast series 'Crimes Against Nature'. Dominic's villain this week is Norway's government for their plans to capture Minke Whales and torture them with sound experiments, Charlie's villains are the shooting lobbyists who have endlessly delayed replacing lead shot instead of dumping it into the environment. In '60 Second Sell' we flag up two important petitions ('Ban the Sale of Artificial Grass' and 'Ask the EU to recognise animal sentience') and finally we announce our plans to open up the Off the Leash Podcasts website as a 'community bulletin board'.

Whipsnade Zoo | BBC News: Brown bears shot dead after enclosure escape

Born Free | The Majority Of Species Kept In Charitable UK Zoos Aren’t Threatened With Extinction

The War on Wildlife Project | Biodiversity? The UK is losing it fast

Lisa Marley | Crimes Against Nature | True Crime Nature Podcast

Whale and Dolphin Conservation | Norway urged to abandon plans to experiment on captured whales

Change.org | WDC petition 'Tell Norway’s government to stop cruel whale experiments'

The War on Wildlife Project | Lead shot is poisoning Europe’s raptors

Government Petition | Ban the Sale of Artificial Grass

Care2 Petition | Tell the EU to recognise animals as sentient beings

Lauren S J Cook on Twitter 

Off the Leash Podcasts 'community bulletin board' FAQs

 In our fourth episode we begin by discussing Tuk's Law, a remarkable campaign that has made it mandatory for vets to check dogs and cats for microchips before considering euthanasia. Dominic makes a striking argument about measures to control the Covid-19 pandemic and measures to control Bovine TB. We reflect on the future of Environment Minister George Eustice, and look at how businesses might buy upland peat moors as part of a strategy to bring their carbon balance sheets down to net-zero. In 'Hero and Villian' we praise Hugh Warwick (aka Hedgehog Hugh, who also provides a pre-record) for his petition to ensure new builds include hedgehog highways and Sue Williams and Dawn Ashley the joint founders of the Tuk's Law campaign, and turn our ire on Bayer (the manufacturer of RoundUp)  because 'weeds' are wild flowers, and on coffee chains for using disposable cups again. In '60 Second Sell' we flag up two important petitions (' Mini's Law' and 'Call for Nature's Recovery by 2030') and look forward to Virginia McKenna's online ninetieth birthday party. Oh, and apologise for an unfortunate typo that meant emails weren't getting through to us...

Tuk's Law - facebook.com/Tuks-Law-Scan-Me-716932295354918/

George Eustice's speech on "restoring nature and building back greener" on Gov.uk website

Dominic Dyer - The Independent: "Lessons learned from Covid-19 must spell the end of the badger cull"

Luke Steele - "A new space race for the future of the uplands is underway"

Brewdog is now Carbon Negative

Hugh Warwick's 'hedgehog highways' petition on Change.org and his personal website hughwarwick.com

Bayer - legacy cancer claims and class actions

Petition: Mini's Law (The Public and Animal Safety Bill 2021)

Petition: Call for Nature's Recovery by 2030 on e-activist.com

Born Free's Happy Birthday Virginia!

 UK-based environmental and animal welfare campaigners Dominic Dyer and Charlie Moores are off the leash. In our third episode we begin by discussing the Queen's Speech and potential advances for animal welfare (including animal sentience, hare coursing, foie gras) and what was left out (the badger cull, the fishing industry, a commitment to ban snares). We look at trophy hunting (with a pre-record from Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting) and deer shooting at English Heritage's Wrest Park (kudos Bedfordshire Against Trophy Hunting fo that story). We discuss whether Jonathan Seed, the Conservative's candidate for Wiltshire's Police and Crime Commissioner, should have ever been put forward. We take a long look at grouse moor lobby group C4PMC and supply a long list of wildlife crime/raptor persecution to counter their propaganda. In 'Hero and Villian' we praise both Dr Paula Kahumbu and the individuals who worked to return a Minke Whale to the sea, and return to Jonathan Seed as our villain of the week. In '60 Second Sell' we flag up Salford Wildlife, Colin Marshall of livingworldeducation.com, Nicky Campbell's podcast (which Dominic guested on), and the Animal Welfare Party.

War on Wildlife Project | The Queen's Speech: Conservatives – the party for animal welfare?

The Guardian | Police commissioner candidate withdraws over drink-driving conviction

War on Wildlife Project | English Heritage, Trophy Hunting and Muntjacs

Bedfordshire Against Trophy Hunting

Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting

Raptor Persecution UK | Campaign for Protection of Moorland Communities: who’s involved?

Salford Wildlife Facebook Group

Colin Marshall | Living World Education

Wildlife Direct | Dr Paula Kahumbu wins prestigious Whitley Gold Award

Nicky Campbell Podcast | One of the Family 14 May 2021

Animal Welfare Party

 In our second episode we discuss South Africa's decision to close down the 'canned lion' industry and the suffering uncovered at P&G Sleigh Pig Unit in Aberdeenshire, Scotland. In ’60 Second Sell’ we flag up Mary Colwell's latest book 'Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain' and the WRATH 2021 March For Wildlife in Birmingham. In ‘Hero and Villain’ we say Happy Birthday to the nation's favourite 60-year-old naturalist, and both us and guest Alan Davies go to town on the chainsaw-wielding criminal who destroyed an Osprey nesting platform (additionally we discuss statutory agencies that dish out licences to kill fish-eating birds to protect fisheries). And for our good news story we discuss the Co-op's radical decision to cut the cost of their plant-based foods to match the price of its meat products.

National Geographic | South Africa plans to end controversial captive lion industry

Podcast with Prof Adam Hart | The Complex Issue of Trophy Hunting

Animal Equality investigation of P&G Sleigh Pig Unit in Aberdeenshire, Scotland

Mary Colwell | 'Beak, Tooth and Claw: Living with Predators in Britain'

WRATH 2021 March For Wildlife

Chris Packham website

Wales | Osprey Platform cut down

Alan Davies - Birdwatching Trips with The Biggest Twitch

The Ferret | Revealed: the 130,000 wild animals licensed to be killed by wildlife agency

The Guardian | Co-op slashes the price of plant-based food in quest for net-zero emissions

In our first episode we discuss the upcoming Queen's Speech and animal welfare legislation, the slaughter of badgers for the dairy industry, and electing the next Police and Crime Commissioners on May 6th.  In our first '60 Second Sell' we flag up Skydancer Day (hosted by Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin) and raptor persecution on grouse moors. And in 'Hero and Villain' we praise a Manchester Hunt Saboteur almost left for dead by badger baiters, and pour scorn on Wayne LaPierre, head of the National Rifle Association who took three goes to kill an elephant before his guide stepped in and finished the poor animal off.  

Dominic Dyer op-ed 'Fox hunting - political poison for the Tory Party'

Skydancer Day with Chris Packham and Megan McCubbin

Tackling raptor persecution - please read Raptor Persecution UK, consider supporting the RSPB Investigations Unit, please report any incidents to the police (or anonymously to Crimestoppers).

Go Fund Me page for Manchester Hunt Saboteur left for dead by badger baiters

Articles and podcasts on the 'badger cull' on The War on Wildlife Project

Tackling the badger cull - please consider supporting Badger Trust or a local pro-badger Wildlife Trust.

More information on Jonathan Seed, PCC candidate for Wiltshire, and PCC elections

'Trail hunting': The leaked Hunting Office webinars and the 'smokescreen' of so-called 'trail hunting'

Tackling illegal fox hunting - please consider supporting the Hunt Saboteurs Association or League Against Cruel Sports

A trailer for the new podcast by environmental and animal welfare campaigners Dominic Dyer and Charlie Moores. If you want to know what we're all about this will pretty much explain everything in just 48 seconds...