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Monday, 8 October 2012
Time is Running Out for the Badgers
Time is fast running out for English badgers as, despite widespread opposition, the Government is determined to go ahead with the pilot badger cull. This cull could start at any time and thousands of badgers will be shot. The cull will be unselective and around 85% of the badgers killed will be healthy and bTB free. In addition badgers may well not be killed cleanly but return to their sett to die a painful death.
The shooting season will extend to the end of January and during this month there could be suckling badger cubs in the sett left to die if their mother is killed.
I know I have done several posts on this issue but if you do not agree with the badger cull please go to the stop the cull petition on the Government site and sign if you have not already done so. There are already nearly 150,000 signatures but the more signatures that appear the more likely it is that the Government may take notice.
epetitions.direct.gov.uk/petitions/38257
Science has proved that badger culling does not work. The main cause of cattle bTB is via cattle to cattle transmission so the way forward would seem to be vaccination of badgers (this is going ahead in Wales instead of culling), pushing the EU to allow for cattle vaccination, increased biosecurity, increased cattle bTB testing and improvements in cattle husbandry.
It would be a tragedy if the badger, such an icon of the English countryside, were to become locally extinct in such an inhumane manner.
Most, if not all, mammals can carry bTB, and I am very concerned that once the Government has decimated our badger population it will then start culling other species.
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2 comments:
I hope people in the UK sign this petition....this can't happen!!! I tried to sign it from my end but it won't let me. I can't believe that this plan is even being considered. It's the worst idea ever. Are they trying to kill everything in the UK?
Thanks so much for your support Chris - greatly appreciated :) It was very good of you to try and sign it - there are conflicting reports as to whether people from overseas can sign some say yes, others no.
155,000 people have signed now which will hopefully trigger a parliamentary debate on the matter.
Yesterday a letter from 30 really eminent scientists (experts on the matter) was published in the Observer newspaper calling it "mindless".
The whole situation is so sad as yet again the badger is being made a scapegoat. The decision to cull is I think a political one to appease farmers and certainly not science based.
The way forward is to continue to vaccinate badgers, increased biosecurity, improved testing in cattle and better husbandry and pushing EU to allow cattle to be vaccinated when test available.
I really do thank you for your support Chris and will keep you up to date as to what happens.
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