Astrid Haigh-Smith

Retired internet radio presenter, #vegetarian, lover of animals, music, laughing, @Englandrugby, @f1 and eating cake!

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

💔 THIS IS HEARTBREAKING. COULD DARTMOOR TRULY LOSE ITS PONIES? 🐴📉

A devastating warning has been issued by campaigners who fear that up to NINETY PERCENT of Dartmoor’s iconic semi-wild hill ponies could completely disappear from the moorland.

Over 23,000 people have already signed an emergency petition demanding action to protect them.

New rules drawn up by Natural England mean that grazing limits across the moors are being slashed. But here is the catch: campaigners say the famous ponies are being lumped into the exact same livestock quotas as commercial cattle and sheep.

Because they are competing for the same reduced space, it's feared farmers will be forced to remove the ponies to make way for more financially viable livestock.

The Dartmoor Hill Pony Association warns that numbers have already plummeted from 7,000 to just 900 in the last 25 years. They are already listed as an officially endangered native breed. Campaigners warn that once they are gone from the moor, they are gone forever.

Natural England says they want to ensure "optimal numbers" remain and that ponies are vital for restoring the landscape—but officials confirm they must be included in the total livestock count.

Dartmoor simply wouldn’t be Dartmoor without the ponies. Do you think it’s fair to treat these historic animals the same as farm livestock?

📸 Ben Ivory / Getty Images

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

When people care enough anything is possible.....

Instead of putting a disabled little horse to sleep, they brought him back to life with time and commitment. ❤️

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

😅😅

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

No matter how many times you have watched it, Max the dog playing with his Duck friend Fred will never fail to make your day. ❤️

🎦 Credit: Pubity.

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Spain is using public money to help support dog & cat shelters through the cost of living crisis, Britain should do the same

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

@LukeMLabour stop issuing breeding licenses!

[Animal Adoptions UK 🐕‍🦺🐈🐎❤️ @AdoptionsUk]

Please retweet, British councils will say they don't have the resources to assess all stray dogs or potential new homes. A council can kill a healthy dog after just 7 days if local shelters are full. Shelters across the UK are full, most with waiting lists of people wanting to give up dogs‼️‼️ Councils are still issuing new licenses to breed.
Please tag your MP in these posts, email them or ask to meet them about overbreeding in your area?
Sadly no figures exist re how many dogs councils are killing as vets are not required to report how many healthy dogs they kill for councils or owners.

Mass cull of dogs in the UK predicted by charity👇
https://t.co/brM64mx6Ht

RSPCA report rise in neglected abandoned dogs in the UK👇
https://t.co/EdzqMv06os

New legislation re breeding and ownership are needed, online pet selling sites should be banned‼️‼️

#dogs #adoptdontshop #UK @lucydahlia @AndrewRosindell @APDAWG1 @domdyer70 @DailyMirror @Telegraph @GBNEWS @itvnews @PatrickChristys @clarebalding @DeborahMeaden @JaneFallon @liamgallagher @KatieAmess

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

What is wrong in your head to think you can go out and deliberately kill animals in this way 🤬🤬!

Youths armed with catapults and metal ball bearings have killed three wild birds along a canal in Kidderminster.

Catapults and ball bearings have been seized and an investigation is underway following the deaths of birds in Kidderminster.

On Thursday 4th June officers from Kidderminster Safer Neighbourhood Teams responded to a call from a member of public who had witnessed 3 youths using catapults against wild birds on the canal in Kidderminster Town Centre. On arrival officers found that two ducks and a goose had been killed. Three youths were searched at the scene and were found to have catapults and metal ball bearings on them. These were subsequently seized by the officers.

An investigation is ongoing under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981.

[Peter Egan @PeterEgan6]

Such a beautiful acknowledgement of a remarkable and beautiful soul. Rest in peace Atlas. The world is a sadder place without you.

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Six chimpanzees have officially left a US laboratory where they had lived for decades, and all six have now arrived safely at Project Chimps, a sanctuary in Georgia dedicated to caring for chimpanzees once used in harmful experiments. The arrival marks a powerful new chapter for these animals who are finally able to live in peace.

Among the first to be introduced are Charlie and Twirp. Charlie is full of personality and loves to eat and drink, and has already made himself comfortable in the sanctuary, often found sprawled out on the floor completely relaxed. Twirp is equally outgoing and has been showing off his playful and expressive personality by giving a chimp greeting to every human he meets.

Charlie and Twirp get along well and love playing together, while four more chimpanzees will be introduced in the coming weeks. Project Chimps is supported by Humane World for Animals, helping give these remarkable animals the loving and safe home they deserve.

Source: Project Chimps and Humane World for Animals
Shared for informational/Educational purpose only

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Well done Matt Damon adopt don’t shop

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

Some good news!

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

Yulin Dog slaughterhouse closes its doors for good in city’s first ever livelihood conversion ahead of China’s infamous Dog meat 'festival'.

Days before the start of the infamous Yulin dog meat “festival” in China’s Guangxi province, animal activists have permanently closed a Dog slaughterhouse in the city’s first ever alternative livelihood conversion program. Nine Dogs found at the property were saved from slaughter, among them three still wearing their collars and clearly stolen pets ~ a Labrador the rescuers have named An An, a Beagle now given the name Moli and a Poodle they have called Lian.

Full story: https://t.co/xuEN1FF9DL

[The Royal Family @RoyalFamily]

🐎 Celebrating 50 years since The Princess Royal competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games.

📸 Anwar Hussein / @GettyVIP

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Well done to @paulpowlesland and his teams of environmental volunteers who are doing so much to clean up rivers and green spaces across London in the face of opposition from the Environment Agency and failures to act from local authorities & Mayor of London’s office @Channel4News @willtravers @metecoban92 @MayorofLondon

[Animal Adoptions UK 🐕‍🦺🐈🐎❤️ @AdoptionsUk]

Please retweet, owners are deeply concerned by the rising thefts of miniature & small ponies across the UK & Ireland 💔
•⁠ ⁠Multiple cases in 2025-2026: New Forest Shetlands, Kent Falabellas, recent charity pony in Ireland
•⁠ ⁠Some recovered in London, but many still missing
•⁠ ⁠Likely resale, breeding, or worse
Please keep eyes open, secure your fields, and share appeals. Rural crime is hitting hard.
#StopPonyTheft #HorseTheftUK @MyLovelyHorseR @clarebalding

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

What is wrong with these people to do such a cruel thing!

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

A man and a woman are due to appear in court after a dog was dumped in a plastic bag in an East Lancashire canal.

Two people were arrested after the Terrier-type dog was tied up in a black bag and thrown into the Leeds and Liverpool Canal at Brierfield in August last year.

The RSPCA, which took over the investigation from Lancashire Police, confirmed to the Lancashire Telegraph that two people were charged and are due to appear in court.

Terrence Boyd, 34, and Sadie Boyd, 32, both of Walter Street, Brierfield, are charged with causing unnecessary suffering to a protected animal and breaching part of the Animal Welfare Act 2006 - duty of person responsible to ensure animal welfare.

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

NO it wasn’t!

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

It cost over £100 million public funds, has been incredibly cruel & highly ineffective in lowering TB in cattle. So it’s a big No !

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

So sad a great actor & lover of animals he will be missed

[PROTECT ALL WILDLIFE @Protect_Wldlife]

#FoxOfTheDay 🦊.

Is there anything more beautiful than Fox cubs? ❤️

Stay safe little one.

🎦 Credit: Swen Busch.

[Tahira Animal Welfare Foundation - TAWF @tawf_uk]

Pakistan's summer is brutal, and the heat inside kennels can be even harder to bear.

For sick, injured, elderly animals, nursing mothers, newborn babies, and those recovering from surgery, this heat can become dangerous.

Today, we want to say a heartfelt thank you to every amazing supporter who sponsored a cooler and to those who personally delivered them to our shelter. ❤️

Because of your kindness, many rescued animals are now resting more comfortably, and our hardworking team can continue caring for them in much better conditions.

But our shelter is large, and hundreds of animals still need help. Many kennel areas are still without cooling, and many vulnerable animals are still waiting.

If you can sponsor another cooler, you could help protect even more lives from the scorching summer heat.

Thank you for making a real difference. Please help us reach the animals who are still waiting. ❤️

💳 PayPal: https://t.co/96bi1QKE7F

❤️ Construction GoFundMe: https://t.co/2bquGksTRm

🔗 Linktree: https://t.co/pqKrHi1Z0u

#StopDogCullingPakistan

[Astrid Haigh-Smith @astridsviews]

Such a wicked thing to do! Throw the cow in the lake !

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Michelle Moran, 63, of Bebington, Wirral, has been banned from keeping animals for life after throwing her Jack Russell terrier Gypsy into a boating lake at Gautby Road in Birkenhead to drown.

Moran claimed she believed Gypsy had cancer and tumours and could not afford veterinary euthanasia, but none of her alleged conditions were confirmed by any veterinary diagnosis.

Gypsy's body was recovered from the lake by a member of the public on September 29 last year.

When examined, the dog weighed just 3.7 kilograms and scored two out of nine on a body condition score, indicating severe malnourishment. Her mouth and nose were bloodied.

Veterinary evidence confirmed the surrounding concrete wall would have made it almost impossible for a small or weakened dog to escape the water.

Moran pleaded guilty to two offences under the Animal Welfare Act and received a 17-week suspended sentence, a lifetime animal ban, a curfew, and rehabilitation requirements. The RSPCA described Gypsy's death as horrendous and called Moran's actions extremely callous.

[dominic dyer @domdyer70]

Disgusting cruelty