public supports badgers

[winterbadger]

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/5172360.stm

The British public is opposed to culling badgers as a means of restricting bovine TB, according to responses to a government consultation.

The government received more than 47,000 responses from the public, with 96% saying "no" to a cull.

Studies have shown that "culling" (i.e., killing) badgers in the vicinity of bovine TB outbreaks is often not at all effective in preventing the spread of the disease, that it is possible that cattle give TB to badgers (instead of the other way 'round), and that the largest demonstrable factor in tracing bovine TB outbreaks is how often and how far *cattle* are moved (nothing to do with badgers. Attempts are also underway to develop a TB vaccine for badgers (it's not clear to me why cattle aren't vaccinated, given that this has been an issue in the UK for a century or more).

For more info, go to

http://www.woodland-trust.org.uk/campaigns/briefingsmore/badgers.htm
http://www.defra.gov.uk/animalh/tb/abouttb/index.htm
http://www.nfbg.org.uk/

Comments

[ingenious76.livejournal.com]

Badgers. We have a family who frolic in our garden each night.

A little anecdote: we live on a cliff face, and have a steeply sloping garden. As a result, we have lights down the side of the steps. A couple of years ago, a couple of the lights were found smashed to pieces. We then found the broken bits buried in the garden, with paw prints on them. Badger prints. Bloody hooligans.

Anyway, tip of the day: if you are bothered by badgers, folks, chuck some dog biscuits in the garden. That makes them less likely to dig up the garden in search of food, and also makes them friendly. Friend your badgers, people.

[winterbadger]

Friend your badgers, people.

Hear, hear!

[zoefruitcake.livejournal.com]

I love badgers, but I try not to think about them much because when I was a small child I found one that had been shot by a farmer. If I look too hard at one, even 30 odd years later, I still see the dead one.
It is still quite common here for farmers to just shoot them

[winterbadger]

Yeah, and they'd like to shoot a lot more, or for preference have the government wipe them out, as they're trying to do in Ireland. :-(

[flewellyn.livejournal.com]

Maybe they should look into the mushrooms or snakes for the source of the problem.