Before lockdown changed life in Britain in early 2020, Chloe Dalton led an almost overwhelmingly metropolitan existence. A foreign policy expert, her comfort zone was in the corridors of power, around Whitehall and Westminster, a person who — in her own words — was ‘addicted to the adrenaline’ of flying around the world playing a key role in the decisions that shape the nation.
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A chance moment on a walk changed that. She came across a tiny leveret, barely more than a newborn and weighing under 100 grams, whose mother hare had been chased away by a dog. Despite being, as she says, ‘the least likely person’ to adopt and hand-rear a wild animal, that’s exactly what she did.
The resulting story is an astonishing tale of how Chloe developed a beautiful bond with a this truly wild animal, from the fraught early days — in which she almost made the disastrous mistake of feeding the leveret cow’s milk — through to the moment the now-grown hare went freely back in to the wild... only to pay her the ultimate compliment by returning to continue their shared life together.
Chloe’s book about everything that happened, Raising Hare (Cannongate, £18.99), is a gorgeous story, beautifully written and utterly fascinating, and it has earned incredible praise as well as being nominated for several awards. We’re delighted that she joined James Fisher on the Country Life podcast to tell us all about it.
You can find out more about the book, order a copy, follow Chloe on Instagram @chloedaltonuk, or listen to her live in conversation at the Cambridge Literary Festival — tickets available here.
Episode credits
Host: James Fisher
Guest: Chloe Dalton
Editor and producer: Toby Keel
Music: JuliusH via Pixabay
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