Badger Cull Protest

Badger culls were 'ineffective and failed humaneness test'

Badger cull in numbers
50%or fewer badgers were killed than target figure

6.4% - 18% badgers took longer than five minutes to die

1,771 number of badgers culled*

£7.29m estimated cost of badger cull, according to animal welfare charity*

Source: Independent Expert Panel, Care for the Wild*
More information, and the BBC report

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-26369306

WS

Thanks for that WS. Yesterday was a big day for badger news and I wonder now what will happen with the proposed cull? The facts and figures make for very worrying reading. If ever the government made a bad decision this has to be one of their worst.

Lai

 To those MPs brave enough to support the   


WS

  and    but it was only 219 - 1. There are 650 MP's so not that many voted!

We must keep up the pressure   

Lai

Found this on Twitter - simple and sums it up   

Lai

  to the MP's that have been brave enough to eventually make a stand. I think it's brilliant but why on earth didn't they make a stand before all this senseless killing went ahead. Lets hope this does make it harder for government to continue with the cull. As you rightly say Lai, we mustn't stop the fight just yet.
Thanks for that information WS.

Lai that video is simple but it brings it home quite drastically. To see real animals persecuted like that is always gut wrenching but there is also something about animations that they have a way of touching different groups of people. Animations have a way of drawing you in and falling in love with the characters. It's why as many adults love animated films as much as children, they always touch a chord within us, so I think making an animation of the cull was the right way to go.

littlewid-x-

  Littlewid. Simple but effective   

Lai   

I received this email in response to one of the very many I have sent to our MP.  Apologies for this size         





Frankly, the final paragraph is too little too late.

Lai  

It is good that he responded Lai but I agree with you, the last paragraph is a little too late for all the Badgers that have lost their lives already. They really should have gotten a hold of this much earlier and started to develop oral vaccines, this has not only just arisen. I also get the impression that culling may still go ahead at some point which is just shameful.
The fight needs to go on for the sake of our Badgers.

littlewid-x-

A second year of badger culling has begun in parts of Gloucestershire and Somerset. When will they learn it doesn't work

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-gloucestershire-29079354

WS

Thanks WS - it's just madness and the government will never back down on this.

On the positive side we are about to start vaccinating at 3 farms here in Cheshire

Lai

Badger cubs to be shot in latest cull plan

http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2014/dec/10/badger-cubs-to-be-shot-in-latest-cull-plan

WS

I am speechless, they are just insane and so wrong and apparently completely ignorant as well.

Not a good news story for badgers.

Lai

I agree Lai they are Dinosaurs, and hopefully come the next election, the same thing will happen to them

WS

It's been ages since we mentioned the badger cull, sadly it hasn't gone away and now there is  new campaign for the cull to be extended to include the following 9 counties.

Cheshire
Cornwall
Devon
Dorset
Gloucestershire
Herefordshire
Somerset
Wiltshire
Worcestershire

Natural England the Government body dealing with the licensing is now consulting on a further 29 applications for culling licences.  They won't list the precise locations but just the counties.  We have heard our area is definitely a potential cull zone.

Needless to say we are putting together a case through both our local badger group Wirral and Cheshire Badger Group and ourselves as landowners.  We have over the past two years vaccinated on 6 farms and over 30 badgers.

It is so upsetting and morally wrong and we have until 16th March so if I am AWOL for a while it's because we are going to do all we can to try and stop this.

Just to keep you all in the loop!

Should they decide to cull here we and our group will certainly be patrolling to prevent this pointless cull .....

Lai

When will they learn that they need to male decisions based on scientific facts, and results from previous culls. As I said above this has been decided by political considerations to curry favour with one section of the electorate, who, having lived in, and around the country side I have every sympathy for with them seeing their cattle, and work destroyed. But they are being mislead into thinking this will solve the problem it's just a short term fix for a long term problem. The Government would do better to spent their time, and efforts getting the EU to accept vaccinated cattle, and working out a scheme to vaccinate Badgers on a national basis, to support work like yours, and your group. Sadly what will probably happen sadly is that the gunmen will end up shooting the 60 Badgers that have been vaccinated, and 60 infected ones will move out of Cheshire into surrounding Counties, and spread the infection even further.
On the bright side spring seems to be showing its face at last we've had a few lovely sunny days over the week end, and there's been lots of visitors coming down to open their caravan, and enjoy the sea side, busy traffic wise driving around, but it's good to see everyone enjoying themselves

WD

WS. None the less the battle isn't over yet - I filled in the survey and I am e-mailing a letter tomorrow. We won't let them on the land here and I am already recruiting people to keep them off!

It isn't over yet ...............

Lai

Way to go Girl, and Pete, and your group. I hope you get lots of volunteers' wish we lived closer so we could help. Good luck in your efforts to keep our friends safe from persecution
WS

 WS.  I got our letter in the day before the deadline and the Wirral and Cheshire Badger Group also put their letter in.  We're meeting on Sunday morning to survey another farm which hasn't yet been vaccinated.  Although DEFRA don't have any vaccination available just now we thought we would still be ready in case and it's good to know where the badgers are!

Fingers crossed for good news in all the new cull areas.  I will keep you posted.

Lai

 

WS I agree with what you have said above whole heartedly, so I wont repeat it and I think you and Lai know I am so against the culls.

Again........ Lai & Pete and your group for doing all that you do and like WS if I did live nearer, I would certainly be offering myself to keep people of your land and the surrounding area. I too hope you get a massive amount of volunteers to help you and ultimately the Badgers.

I was so upset today....I was driving to a garden centre where there is country side on both sides of the main road and what did I see.......3 dead badgers one after the other in close proximity and all in the curb......so these obviously were not Badgers crossing the road and had the misfortune to get run over.......I believe they were killed by the farmers and chucked on the road side......I have never seen 3 Badgers killed so close to one another, so I really believe this was an act of slaughter......so cruel and unnecessary.

I know we are a long way off from you Lai but if there is the slightest thing we can do then please shout.

Also I hope the meeting went well today...do let us know


Love all Badgers and stop the cull

littlewid-x-

 Littlewid, that is tragic and you are certainly right.  Do you have a local group?  When we see road kill or otherwise for the badger we report it and it is noted, useful data can be collected.  Like male/female, young/old or even sadly lactating.  We've had a few dead on the road side and I am always suspicious

Thanks for the offer of help, I will keep you posted.  Apparently without permission from the landowner they cannot cull however we are surrounded by other people who don't share our views.  There is talk of a meeting with the group which incorporates Born Free, Humane Society International et al perhaps before the Badger Trust AGM which we are hosting again this year.  

We had a great day surveying yesterday and split into 3 groups to cover about 200 acres.  It's amazing how few badgers we found, tracks and foraging and latrines yes but no active setts, just the odd outlying hole.  I had a great time down a hole looking for hairs and found myself amongst the tiny stinging nettles  that was painful! So when people say we have hundreds  it's unlikely.  
I will let you know what is going to happen .....

Meantime here is a pic from yesterday which I've just seen on WCBG FB page - can you recognise who it is?  ha ha ha - it's me!



Lai

Would have recognised you anywhere Lai Hopefully the meeting with the Humane Society International will produce some ideas to help. The thing is will these people bother to ask for permission to come on the property, and I think a lot of reports about hundreds is scaremongering just to achieve their aim of a cull no matter that all the facts about its effectiveness point against it.

WS

 WS thought you might.

The meeting is going ahead with our local badger group hosting it, and we have 3 or 4 speakers coming from HSI, Born Free and RSPCA and fingers crossed another well known anti cull person.  That will be confirmed on Thursday so we're very excited.

It will be interesting to see how many people come to the meeting ......

Lai

The guest speaker sounds exciting, and mysterious Lai you'll have to let us know who it is, if they do come to the meeting, hope it goes well

WS

Good news Simon King confirmed yesterday he is going to come and speak at the meeting

Lai