Please help to stop the badger cull

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

A Rainbow from Teresa?  I do hope so    

I think the same arguments apply to shooting badgers as to foxes - you have to be sure of a clean kill, and you can't be.  If you simply wound an animal it may take an age for them to die.  This whole thing just sounds lame as a reasoned argument.   If that's "reasoned" then you may as well just let the badger baiters get on with it and give them a licence.   

[sheilarose]

I was wondering about perhaps drugging each set individually then vaccinating the whole family together and microchipping them while they're under, then I realised a drugged badger may well go underground and a little one might take too much and be harmed.

It's so difficult to know how best to introduce the vaccination, but if the farmers can pay contractors to kill 70% of the badgers, why don't they just arm them with tranqs instead. I'm sure if accompanied by enough trained volunteers to administer a vaccination and relocate the stunned animal to a safe enclosure until it comes round would be at least humane, and the treated badgers could be marked with a permanent fluorescent dye that shows up under night vision binoculars/sights.

How about introducing vaccination guns? You shoot a dart containing not doping agents but the actual vaccine? No? The dart could also contain a phial of UV gel that would be night-visible, so identifying those treated. Again, No?

Alright, maybe some Channel 5 science needs to be employed, but if the public were given the chance to exercise this sort of pilot in the same way the farmers have been granted their TEST licence to kill, I'm sure we could make a real difference.

I hope no-one gets hurt, but we all know someone will. We also know they will cover up any horrific cruel injuries they inflict (and only come across in the cold light of day) and how many other wild and domestic animals they maim and destroy. 

Is there going to be (literally) a head count? Who is going to police this, and ensure they're not doing what the old ratcatchers of yesteryear were doing in falsifying numbers by re-using body parts to double their accounts. By doing this they would falsely inflate the numbers, get paid more, dupe the government into thinking there are far more badgers out there, and increase their chances of getting the bill passed as permanent law, and cement their contracts as pest controllers. 

Sorry, but as an ex-auditor and fraud investigator I can see all sorts of loopholes here, none of which look good for the animals' welfare. 

By the way, while I was writing this (actually pounding it out on the keyboard) someone has sent me a rainbow. I think it's Teresa 

[alisonandarchie]

Thanks Fred I think it will hit home now they are mentioning just how many badger will be slaughtered in the cull

I was so pleased to see Simon King on Newsnight mentioning bio security at last.

Sue, that report made me cross too Vaccination and bio security has to be the way forward

[Sue P (Paddysmum)]

I was annoyed last night to see a pro-cull boffin spouting on about how humans are exposed to risk from badger TB - yes, they can be, but it's extremely rare for the vast majority of the population.    I do feel for the farmers affected by bovine TB in their cattle, but I can't see why vaccination can't be more widely carried out.   I agree - shooting animals is dangerous, and sends a message to all manner of weirdos that it's okay to go out with a gun, hunting. 

[Fred]

  
Signed

Really hope this is stopped, there are other ways than this barbaric cruelty. There wont just be badgers hurt, in pain and murdered, fox, cats and others animals out at night will also be hit in the cross fire. Shooting at animals anytime is extremely bad but at night when targets are even harder to identify, is stupid. Plus I worry about ppl who have guns but not part of the group (farmers & exterminators) will decide its ok for them to go out at night hunting poor badgers for evil reasons, they certainly will hurt and murder all kinds of animals, some human maybe.

Plus in a few yrs the gov will grumble that badgers are then on the at risk list or even extinct from England.

grrr

stupid nasty ppl, follow Wales' example and vaccinate, no one can say how big the badger populous is, when they've hit "70%", why on earth 70% anyway, that's a lot! 1is too many

Will they know when too much is too much? No they won't! And nasty ppl will carry on too far and lots of slow death will happen & not just from shooting badly bc the gov are saying its ok.

Plus the scientist they're quoting and using to justify the culling is against this action and wants it them to vaccinate - that says a lot

[alisonandarchie]

Just heard back from GABS who passed on their thanks to you. They are in the process of contacting supermarkets and some welfare groups have been naming and shaming.

Just broke for news night and they mentioned the supermarkets!

I ahve had an E from Glos against badger shooting outlining further things that can be done like letter writing, they have frameworks. If any one wants to pm me with their email add I will forward it

[alisonandarchie]

Some sad news, time is running out

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-19623931

[alisonandarchie]

Just sent an E to them

[alisonandarchie]

 

Wow, I cannot believe the reply you got from Sainsburys That's incredible as if they had bothered to read the science they would see that the science says just the opposite.

I will lets Gloucestershireagainstbadgershooting know what they said

I will let you know if there is anything else that can be done at the mo

Good for the Coop

[Mymblesdaughter]

Hi Alison

I've signed it. I've signed quite a few petitions about the cull though and don't hold out much hope. I wish I lived closer to the cull areas so I could do more. Did they mention anything else we could do. I've also written to Sainsburys to ask them to stop supporting the cull. They sent me a really annoying reply, saying they were supporting the government as the cull is based on science. Everyone knows the cull is not based on science so it's a ridiculous reply. I'm going to have to start shopping in Coop as they seem to be the only supermarket that aren't supporting the cull at the moment.

[alisonandarchie]

Thank you Helen

[Tiggy's Mum]

Signed 

[alisonandarchie]

 

[Rosella moggy]

Signed 

[alisonandarchie]

Thank you Moira

[moira]

signed

[alisonandarchie]

Thank you Sheila

[sheilarose]

Sickening. Signed 

[alisonandarchie]

Forms have been sent out to farmers so it looks like the badger cull will be going ahead very soon.

I am just back from a protest meeting in the Gloucestershire cull area

It will be free shooting at night which is totally abhorant and will not kill many badgers outright who will die in agony.

Please help by signing this partition.

http://www.teambadger.org/