As someone who has only ever seen one living badger and dozens of dead ones, I just wonder whether the latest advice from the government to slaughter badgers on mass is more about prejudice, rather than solid science, since its not long ago another report suggested they were cuddly creatures harming no one.
Anyway here is one I spotted in Margate
Sadly for badgers they are implicated in bovine TB by acting as a pool of infection; I think it is perfectly acceptable to cull badgers where it is clear a set is infecting cattle in nearby fields. We are quite happy to trap house-mice and poison rats when they affect us 'urban-types' but because a badger is perceived like the fox as being a nice cuddly animal (Wind in The Willows has cultivated this) most so called animal-lovers leap to their protection. An emotional response from the luxury of the urban sprawl dweller is not what farmers need.
ReplyDeleteBadgers? That clears up that little confusion in my mind then. I was wondering how on earth something with 'I am 6', or 'Not In My Name' could be spreading TB.
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