Protect the Wild Podcast

During my 24 hour walk around Parliament a few days ago I had quite a lot of time to think and reflect on where Protect the Wild is at and where we’re going. Going into the challenge my colleague Charlie suggested I record a solo podcast and at quarter to 1 in the morning I decided it was a great idea! So this week’s podcast is a little different to our usual sit down interviews. It’s a very raw and a very honest 30 minute chat about the ways in which I think we can be more effective in fighting for British wildlife over the coming months and years. So if campaign strategy is your thing or you simply want to hear what someone sounds like after having walked for about 13 hours straight then this podcast is for you :)As always you can listen by clicking the play button above or by heading to Spotify or Apple Podcasts. RobSupport Protect the Wild with a small monthly donationTimes our really hard right now for organisations like ours. We rely solely on the generosity of the public and don’t have any major funders behind the scenes. Despite being a relatively small group we are so proud of our output and it is thanks to every single person who chips in a few pounds a month that we can continue our vital work.We do everything we legally can to fight for British wildlife. From undercover investigations, animations, journalism, report writing, equipment and mental health support for activists, protests, pressure campaigning..Our monthly goal is to find 100 new supporters each month who believe in our mission and can afford to give anything from £2/3 a month in the fight for British wildlife. We’re currently on 46 new supporters over the last few days which is an incredible start! :) Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

For our sixth podcast, Charlie talked with Eduardo Goncalves, founder of the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting. Charlie describes Eduardo as one of the “most committed and eloquent campaigners” he has ever met, and in a fact-filled forty minutes Eduardo urges the government (a decade after promises were first made) to pass legislation banning the import of ‘trophies’ to the UK, the lobbying efforts of Safari Club International, the egos and fantasy worlds of ‘hunters’ who opened their homes to undercover investigators, and the scale of the British trophy hunting business unveiled in Eduardo’s book ‘Mainlining on Heroin’ (a phrase used by a trophy hunter to describe the thrill he got from killing animals).They end with the good news that trophy hunting is becoming increasingly socially unacceptable - and a shared admiration of Staffordshire Terriers…You can tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or just hit the play button above to listen here.For more information on the Campaign to Ban Trophy Hunting, please visit bantrophyhunting.org/To urge the government to #GetTheBanDone - “Just do it, pass the damn law Steve, get it done Keir” - please sign the petition at actionnetwork.org/petitions/uk-gov-ban-sick-animal-trophies/ Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

In this week’s podcast, I (Rob) sat down with the brilliantly talented Ben Sinclair, the creative force behind Protect the Wild’s stunning viral animations over the past few years. Across 45 minutes, we dive into everything from the ethics of AI and anthropomorphism, to how storytelling and entertainment can carry powerful messages. We also reflect on the lessons learned, why these animations have struck such a chord, what projects are still to come, and our ambitious plans for 2026.It is also the perfect moment to mention that this Monday we will be releasing our brand-new animated film on cubbing (fox cub hunting). Crafted by Ben and his team at Fire Lily Studio, it is a hard-hitting stop-motion piece that we are incredibly proud of, and it lands just as we enter the crucial final weeks of the public consultation on hunting with hounds.A huge thank you to Ben for his dedication and long-standing collaboration with Protect the Wild. I really hope you enjoy this conversation as much as we did recording it, and I would love to hear your thoughts in the comments below.As always you can listen by clicking the play button above or you can head over to Spotify or Apple Podcasts to listen to our chat in full :)Support Protect the Wild with a small monthly donationTimes our really hard right now for organisations like ours. We rely solely on the generosity of the public and don’t have any major funders behind the scenes. Despite being a relatively small group we are so proud of our output and it is thanks to every single person who chips in a few pounds a month that we can continue our vital work.We do everything we legally can to fight for British wildlife. From undercover investigations, animations, journalism, report writing, equipment and mental health support for activists, protests, pressure campaigning..Our monthly goal is to find 100 new supporters who believe in our mission and can afford to give anything from £2/3 a month in the fight for British wildlife. Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

In the third episode of this week’s Protect the Wild Podcast, I had the privilege of speaking with Kevin Newell, founder of Humane Wildlife Solutions — a vegan “pest” control company based in Scotland. We explored the grim realities of the pest control industry, how Kevin is pioneering a compassionate, animal-friendly alternative, and his newly launched campaign to save thousands of birds across the UK.You can listen to this 35 minute episode by clicking play above or by heading over to Spotify or Apple Podcasts.As always I would love to hear your thoughts on this one! And to take action against birds in netting / submit evidence please check out this guest blog from Kevin on the PTW Substack. Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

For our second podcast, invertebrate-fan Charlie talked with Paul Hetherington, Buglife’s Director of Fundraising and Communications. They discussed why rapid declines in invertebrate populations should matter to all of us, the importance of brownfield sites and the concept of Important Insect Areas, B-Lines and corridors, the ‘bug splatter app’, and whether the Horrid Ground-weaver should be renamed the ‘Really Cute Money Spider’ (it shouldn’t)! They began, though, where few conversations ever start in Charlie’s experience - with cow pats and dung beetles…You can tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, or just hit the play button above to listen here.And we would love to hear from you, so please do leave us a comment or a note and let us know what you would like to hear about or who you think we should be talking with. For more information on Buglife, please visit buglife.org.uk/ Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

Last week, Charlie and I proudly introduced the launch of the Protect the Wild Podcast — and now I’m thrilled to share our very first full-length episode with you!For this debut conversation, I sat down with Zack Polanski, Deputy Leader of the Green Party and current leadership contender. We delved into a wide range of topics, from what he means by “eco-populism,” to why animal advocates should see politics as a genuine force for change, and where the Greens stand on the issues we campaign so hard on.I’d love to hear your thoughts on this hour-long special. You can tune in now on Spotify or Apple Podcasts, hit the play button above to listen here, or watch the full episode on our YouTube channel. Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe

So…this is a bit of a different one for us here at Protect the Wild. For years now we have used Substack as a place to send out our articles, everything from long rants and opinion pieces to short-form news and campaign updates. We’re incredibly proud and fortunate to have built up such an incredible following of wildlife lovers and supporters.We’ve been thinking about ways to bring you different stories, and different perspectives. Last month we decided that now would be the right time to launch a podcast. And after a lot of discussion and a little bit of planning, that’s what we’re doing :)In Episode #1 myself and Charlie (Charlie Moores, who’s been with Protect the Wild since it officially relaunched three years ago) sit down to have a chat about what our plans are for the coming months and years, the type of people we want to speak to, why now feels the right time to launch a podcast and what talking with our guests will means to us in terms of the work we’re doing and the stories we want to share.And in case you’re wondering just how often we’ll be publishing podcasts and whether we’ll be co-hosting - well, we talk about that too (though, spoiler alert, the plans are that we will make two a month each).The audio-only versions of every podcast will be published right here on Substack, as well as on Spotify and Apple - and when we film them, if you head to YouTube you’ll be able to watch a video version there too. Episode #1 is just a short launch intro, so if you are curious (and we hope you are) you can listen to it right now by clicking the big play button above, or find us on your favourite audio platform - whatever suits you best! :)Listen and follow the podcast on SpotifyListen and follow the podcast on Apple PodcastsListen (and watch) on YouTubeWe hope many of you choose to become listeners of the podcast and enjoy the guests we aim to have on over the coming years. And we very much look forward to hearing your feedback too! Please do drop a comment below - maybe let us know who you think we should speak with, suggest questions you’d like us to put to our guests, or just anything you have in mind :)I just want to say a massive thank you to each and every one of you who supports our work. To be able to say we have over 140,000 people receiving these emails is just incredible. And as well as inspiring and keeping us all going here at Protect the Wild, that really does give us quite the lever to get guests to come on! Thank youRob Get full access to Protect the Wild at protectthewild.substack.com/subscribe