Please help Stop the Badger Cull

Sadly today the Badger Trust lost its of Court of Appeal Challenge to Government proposals to cull thousands of badgers in an attempt to stem bovine TB.

This means that within weeks pilot culls could start in parts of Somerset and Gloucestershire where thousands of badgers could be killed (or maimed - how do you shoot a moving badger and kill it outright?). Many healthy badgers will be killed - the Randomised Badger Culling Trials (RBCT) showed that even in bTB hotspots less than 1 in 7 badgers were infected with bTB.

Most independent scientific opinion suggests that the cull is unlikely to work and will probably make matters worse due to the "perturbation" effect.

I have already done several posts on this theme so won't repeat all of my arguments against culling but will just say that, in my view, this is a political decision and not one based on science.

After all we have already had a 10 year badger cull between 1997 and 2007 costing about £50 million pounds and overseen by the Independent Steering Group. The present Government if it presses ahead with the cull would seem to go against the ISG's comment in its findings and recommendations that

"Given its high costs and low benefits we therefore conclude that badger culling is unlikely to contribute usefully to the control of cattle TB in Britain and recommend that TB control efforts focus on measures other than badger culling".


It would be far better if we tackled bTB by improving biosecurity, cattle testing and animal husbandry accompanied by a vaccination programme for badgers and making efforts to persuade the EU to accept cattle vaccination - it would appear that a cattle vaccination which differentiates between cows that are infected with TB and those that have been vaccinated is being developed.

If you feel strongly about this matter please visit

www.justdosomething.org.uk

where there is a link to a new Government e-petition created recently by Dr Brian May against badger culling. If you have a few minutes more there is a very good short video featuring people such as Sir David Attenborough and Simon King giving their views on the culling.

If enough people sign this petition we may be able to stop this awful and unnecessary killing of badgers that have yet again been made scapegoats. Every signature matters. Remember the Government back down after the "Save our Forests" campaign?!!

Friday 25th June - Godshill St Catherines Down, Coast Walk, Compton Beach and Badger

Another day of glorious sunshine.

I can't believe it is Friday already where has the week gone?

Every year we say we are not going to Godshill again but every holiday we manage to do so! This year's excuse was because my daughter wanted to buy some of the scrumptious chocolate from "Chocolate Island". Godshill is a very picturesque village but can be exceedingly busy at times.















Here is the classic "chocolate box" photo of Godshill - also seen on dozens of calendars.







I sacrificed another icecream and paid a very brief visit to the church.





Unfortunately, I did not get time to read the guidebook to the church until after the visit so I managed to miss both the Lily Cross and the rare "Bedesmen" on the Leigh Monument!

My photos of stained glass windows taken without flash were a complete disaster so none posted!















Behind one of the shops in the village is a very pretty little cottage garden that you can walk around.









We had a picnic lunch at the viewpoint above Blackgang Chine.





Photos from a walk along the coast path.







Looking down at St Catherine's Lighthouse.





St Catherine's Oratory

This is known locally as the "Pepperpot". It is a medieval stone lighthouse built in 1314 by a local landowner as an act of penance for stealing wine from a shipwreck. The light was maintained by a priest until the 1530's who also offered prayers for those lost at sea.

The lighthouse is a mysterious place and often when I look towards it at night from the windows of the house where we are staying I half expect to see a light from its windows!





We spent the rest of the afternoon walking on the beautiful Compton Beach which is my favourite beach.You can see dinosaur footprints here and hunt for fossils. This time I was successful and found a piece of chalk containing a fossilized segment of crinoid stem. Crinoids which have lived from as far back as the Cambrian to the present day are echinoderms and are also called sea lilies because they resemble plants. They lived in shallow seas. I was really rather chuffed as this is the first fossil I have found on this beach.













Hanover Point which has a fossil forest.








After another meal at the Wight Mouse I watched the field next to the garden from my daughter's bedroom window in the hope that I would see the badger. After looking for three quarters of an hour I was just about to give up as it was getting very dark when suddenly I could just make out a grey shape moving along the hedgerow and as it got nearer the house and, just before it disappeared again through a gap in the hedge, I could just make out the black and white stripes on its face. I was thrilled - my first badger in the wild.

Owls, Monkeys, Lavender, Viewpoints, Cliffs and a Badger

It was hot today.

Where to go? I tentatively suggested Newton NNR - a great place for butterflies and birds only to be outvoted 3 - 1 (I think I have explained this was a family holiday!).

We ended up going to the Owl and Monkey Haven which has just opened. Now I don't like to see animals and birds in cages but this is a sanctuary for monkeys and owls who find themselves without a home either because they are injured, or cannot be returned to the wild or have been captive bred and turned out to be unsuitable for a breeding programme. Some of the barn owls are recovering from injury and will hopefully be returned to the wild. The haven was very laid out with animals' welfare paramount.

Unfortunately, the wires on the cages played havoc with my camera's autofocusing so, apart from the first photo, the rest are courtesy of son David again.



A passionflower







Isle of Wight Lavender was just a 100 yards away and as we had never been there we paid a brief visit and I bought a couple of plants for our garden at home. Again the photos are Davids as I left my camera in the car. By the way the lavender icecream is delicious.





We drove to a nearby viewpoint for a picnic lunch





And then on to Culver Down where there are lovely views of Sandown Bay



I then had a stroke of luck. David mentioned he would like to walk along the beach below to get close views of Culver Cliff. I was beside myself with glee as this is a walk that is really interesting geologically and one that I have wanted to do for years but had I mentioned the geology aspect I would have been outvoted again!!!!

As we started the walk I tried to explain the different rock formations to David and for some reason?!! he scuttled off ahead at such great pace that by the time I had reached the Red Cliff he was already on his way back from the chalk Culver Cliff and I had to cut my walk short as we were running out of time to meet daughter and husband.

I won't bore you with the geology but I have been a bit self indulgent with the amount of photos!

At the start of the walk from Yaverland to Culver Cliff the cliffs are composed of mudstones.




Here we have reached the Red Cliff composed of ferruginous sandstone with the chalk of Culver Cliff beyond.



Some nice sedimentary layers in the rocks here.



Mudstones, Red Cliff and Culver Cliff



Red Cliff and Culver Cliff



Looking up to Red Cliff



The people in this shot (son on the right marching back towards me) give an idea of the scale of the cliff.











The Chalk Culver Cliff



We went for a meal tonight at the Wight Mouse Inn only a few hundred yards from where we were staying. I had a really scrumptious Lemon syllabub for dessert - they have a clever idea at this pub of serving mini puds so if you are full up after starter and main course you can still find room for a small dessert.

When we got back to the cottage my daughter was watching rabbits in the field adjacent to the garden and waiting for a fox which she had seen each evening to appear from a small copse when she spotted a badger leaving the spinney and walking down the hedgerow. To be fair she did shout for us all straightaway but only my son got there in time to see the badger as it disappeared through the hedge.

I shall be keeping a vigil tomorrow evening in the hope that the badger returns.